Take your "cold" ingredients out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature while you prep the pumpkin puree and bake the crust.

Line a large strainer (what you use to drain pasta) with two paper towels. Use a spatula to spread the pumpkin puree onto the paper towels. Let drain for 2 hours - the pumpkin puree should be fairly dry.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

Use a blender or food processor to grind the graham crackers till they are a consistent texture - you're going for the texture of course sand. Add pecans and brown sugar and blend until finely ground. Add melted butter, pulse until combined, pour mixture into your springform pan, and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust 3-5 minutes, until lightly browned. (The original recipe called to bake the crust for 8 minutes, but the edges of mine always start to burn around 4 minutes, so I take it out then.) Let the crust cool completely.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Set aside.

Use a standing electric mixer with the paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese until smooth. With the machine running, add the spiced sugar mixture and combine until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the drained pumpkin puree and combine until smooth again. Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides of your bowl between each egg. (I like to break the eggs in a separate bowl, one at a time, and then pour each egg into the mixing bowl - this ensures no pesky eggshells make their way into my cheesecake!) Beat well before adding each additional egg. Add heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat until smooth.

Pour cheesecake mixture over cooled crust. Bake for 12 minutes at 500 degrees F, then lower the oven temperature to 225 degrees F. Bake the cheesecake for 3 more hours, until an instant read thermometer measures 150 degrees. The center will still be slightly jiggly, but it shouldn't be liquidy.

Let the cheesecake cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.

The easiest way I've read (and tried) to remove the cheesecake from the pan is to run hot water over a knife (a butter knife works just great for this), dry it off, and immediately slide it between the edge of your cheesecake and the side of the springform pan. If the knife cools off, run it under hot water again, dry it off, and continue until you've loosened it from the pan. At that point you can remove the springform ring and cut and serve your cheesecake with the pecan caramel sauce. A hot knife works great for cutting the cheesecake as well! I've also heard of using floss to cut cheesecake, but I've never tried it - let me know if it works for you!

While your cheesecake is cooling (or beforehand, while draining your pumpkin puree) set the oven to 350 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet spread the pecans in a single layer. Toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 8 minutes. I like to stir them about 4 minutes in to be sure they don't burn. Check them toward the end of the 8 minutes in case your oven runs a little hot. Set aside to cool.

Combine butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Add heavy cream and salt, stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until slightly thickened, around three minutes. Let cool.

Coarsely chop the pecans. Once caramel has cooled a bit, add the nuts and stir to combine.

Store in an airtight container and use the extra (if you manage to have any extra) to top your waffles and pancakes!

When ready to serve, heat caramel sauce slightly and pour over each individual slice of cheesecake. Take this to your next small group, family gathering, or church potluck and be prepared to make friends.