Thanksgiving Just Desserts

After the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and squash, there's not always a lot of room for dessert on Thanksgiving. Still, I usually make three or four pies and cakes so we can have choices. But this year, thinking more is better, and having more people over, I made seven desserts. Yes, seven--it's not like I made 19 pies or anything. From front to back, we had classic apple pie, raspberry key lime tart, pumpkin chiffon pie, carrot cake, chocolate-cranberry-pecan pie, apple crumble cake, and mocha buttercrunch pie. Possibly it was too much ... but I don't think so. One day later, and there's not too much left.
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All-in-One-Thanksgiving Cake

This recipe combines pumpkin, apples, pecans, and cranberries. Technically, I think it's called an all-in-one holiday cake, but to me it just says Thanksgiving. All that's missing is the turkey--but I don't want turkey in my cake. I was a little dubious with the combination--everything all in together?--but it's so good. It's not too sweet, and it disappeared very quickly. It was a great first use for my cool new cathedral Bundt pan.

Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving! Our table was very full and happy this year, with lots of family, friends and food. The main meal is pretty traditional, including roast turkey, Mom's famous stuffing, mountains of mashed potatoes, roasted butternut squash, and homemade cranberry-orange sauce. However, my focus was on making the desserts. We had four desserts this year--and sadly, now only slivers of these remain.

Cheddar-apple pie, with lots of cheddar cheese mixed into the crust

 

Salted caramel banana pudding tart

 

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

 

Pumpkin chiffon pie

Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good

This recipe comes straight from Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook, "Around My French Table." A baking pumpkin (vs a carving one) is filled with cubes of bread and cheese, bacon, scallions, herbs, and a little cream. Two hours in the oven and the pumpkin is soft and the stuffing is melty and gooey. I also made a vegetarian version with walnuts instead of bacon, and it could be lightened with chicken stock and/or cider instead of cream. Mushrooms would be tasty, too. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! We had 10 people at our table for Thanksgiving this year--and, of course, enough food for many, many more. I'm only just recovering from the food coma that was Thursday, though a long walk around the zoo today helped. We cover the traditionals at our holiday meal--there are no theme Thanksgivings around here--and it was all very, very good. We had turkey with gravy, apple-pecan stuffing, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, asparagus, cranberry-0range sauce, and more. Not surprisingly, dessert was my focus, and with four (yes, 4) options, I think we covered all the bases. The above picture is of a caramel-apple cheesecake tart, a great recipe I found at Annie's Eats, that essentially combined pecan pie, apple pie, and a cheesecake all in one. The sides: mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy The big three: turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing Broad beans, olives, asparagus with a lemon vinaigrette, cranberry sauce, gravy Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and pecans Homemade toasted coconut-macaroon ice cream with dark chocolate chunks, made with the effort and inspiration of SwimmerGirl The final round-up: (from the top) carrot cake, caramel-apple cheesecake tart, and pumpkin chiffon pie

Pumpkin Curry with Chicken

Some nights just nothing in the fridge seems appealing, not even a bowl of cereal is what I want. Tonight was one of those nights, so I started digging around in the cupboard, and this curry is what evolved. I combined one can of coconut milk with about a tablespoon of Thai red curry paste and some freshly grated ginger, and then added about a cup of pumpkin puree, two diced carrots, and maybe a tablespoon of fish sauce. This all cooked down for a few minutes, and then I added six boneless skinless chicken thighs, each cut into six pieces, some chicken broth, and a little brown sugar. This all simmered for 2o-30 min., and then I adjusted to taste with lime juice and soy sauce, and served the whole lot over gingered rice.

Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and Caramel Apples

Happy Halloween! Because the ghouls and goblins are on the march this weekend, I spent the afternoon cooking up some bribes, er, treats for the little critters. So far I've made caramel apples dipped in peanuts and chocolate chips, pumpkin whoopie pies, and peanut brittle. There really was caramel on the sides of the apples--they were dipped twice, actually--but the peanuts and chocolate chips slid down to the bottoms, and I got tired of fussing with them. Still tasted good, though.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe, based on one from King Arthur Flour, is just what I was looking for a few weeks ago when I made cinnamon rolls--except I didn't know I was missing pumpkin. In the end, you can't really taste the pumpkin amidst the warming spices like cinnamon and freshly grated ginger, but the pumpkin makes the rolls golden and moist. Dark brown sugar gives the filling extra flavor, with jewel-like dried cranberries peeking out. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Dough 2 tsp yeast 1/4 c warm water 1 c canned pumpkin 2 eggs 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or freshly grated) 1/4 tsp ground cloves 3 Tbs brown sugar 1 tsp salt 4 Tbs soft unsalted butter 1/4 c nonfat dry milk 4-4 1/2 c flour Filling 3/4 c dark brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger, optional 2 Tbs soft unsalted butter 1/2 c dried cranberries, chopped (or nuts, raisins etc) Glaze 2 Tbs unsalted butter 2 Tbs milk 2 c confectioners' sugar For the dough, mix the yeast and water together in a small bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, spices, sugar and salt. Add in the yeast mixture, and then add the butter and dry milk. Slowly start mixing in the flour, one cup at a time, until you have a soft and not-sticky dough. Knead until smooth and pliable, 5 to 10 min. Then put the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow to rise until doubled, 1.5 hours. Mix together the dark brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling while waiting. Punch the dough down and then roll it out on a lightly floured counter until it's about 10x15-inches. Spread the dough with the soft butter (use your fingers) and then spread the brown sugar-cinnamon filling around evenly. Sprinkle the dried cranberries on top. Then, starting from one of the long sides, carefully and tightly roll the dough up, until you have a log. Cut the log into 12 pieces (cut in half, then quarters, then thirds) and place in a buttered 9x13-inch pan. At this point you can cover and refrigerate the rolls and let them do their final rise in the morning (1.5 hours just out of the fridge), or let them rise immediately for one hour, covered. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 min., til lightly brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15-20 min. In the meantime, make the glaze: heat the butter and milk together and then whisk in the conf. sugar. When the rolls have cooled slightly (but not completely), drizzle over the glaze -- you might not need it all, and you might want to let the first drizzle settle in and then come back with more, depending on how it sets up. Enjoy warm.

Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

Based on a recipe from King Arthur Flour, these cupcakes are moist from the pumpkin and spicy with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Not having a dedicated pumpkin pan nor wanting to cut pumpkin shapes out of a larger cake, as they suggested, I made cupcakes instead, and that worked just fine. The cream cheese frosting is topped with finely chopped crystalized ginger.