This year I let Madeleine decide what dessert we made for Thanksgiving. Since it was just the 4 of us for dinner, I figured I'd just make one and we'd have leftovers through the weekend. Not so much.
Madeleine wanted to make a pumpkin pie 'like the Pilgrims did mommy'. I had my doubts that she'd like the taste of pumpkin, and I don't particularly care for plain ole pumpkin pie, so I wanted to make something that I hoped wasn't going to go straight into the trash.
The King Arthur Flour website is a website I frequent mostly around the holidays. Great for ideas for new cookies, bread and candy to try out for the baskets I make up at Christmas. They have lots of delicious looking recipes that I wish i had the time to make. I would love to be able to bake all our bread, but that requires organization. Sigh, one day.
This was pretty quick and easy to put together when you don't make your own pie crust. I substituted pumpkin pie spice for the laundry list of spices they used. Even though the HyVee pie crust declared it was a deep dish pie, it wasn't, and I had some leftover pumpkin filling that I cooked in a little ramekin. Both kids enjoyed it.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Deep dish pie crust (I am incapable of making pie crust so I use frozen)
Cheesecake Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup (2 ounces) sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup (1 5/8 ounces) diced candied ginger
Pumpkin Filling
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 cup (8 ounces) evaporated milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cheesecake Filling: Remove the cream cheese from its wrapper, and place it in a mixing bowl. Allow it to warm to room temperature (this will make it easier to beat), then add the sugar and beat till fairly smooth. Stir in the egg, vanilla and ginger, and spoon the filling into the pie crust.
Pumpkin Filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt and spices. Add the pumpkin, cream or evaporated milk, and eggs, and whisk gently until smooth. Gently spoon the pumpkin filling atop the cheesecake layer, filling within 1/4-inch of the top of the crust. Note: Do this carefully at first, so as not to disturb the cheesecake layer; once you've covered the cheesecake, you can be less careful. Depending on the exact depth of your pie pan, you may have leftover filling. Simply pour it into a custard cup or other small baker, and bake it along with the pie, removing it from the oven when it appears set, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Place the pie in a preheated 425°F oven, and bake it for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue to bake for 40 to 45 minutes, covering the edges of the pie with a crust shield or aluminum foil if they seem to be browning too quickly. The pie is done when it looks set, but still wobbles a bit in the center when you jiggle it. Remove the pie from the oven, allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it till serving time. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream flavored with a pinch of ginger and teaspoon of vanilla.
Yield: 10 rich servings
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Monday, November 29, 2010
Turkey Stock
When the little guy looks at you, looks at the plate in front of him, points his finger at you and says 'NO' then it may be time to start thinking about ditching the Thanksgiving leftovers.
I opted to get a smaller turkey this year - a mere 16 pounds for the 4 of us. It was small enough to stick in a stockpot to brine (rather than dealing with the brining bags) but big enough that we had turkey for .... 8 meals.
Yesterday I took what was left of the turkey: the carcass, drumsticks and assorted skin and bones. Threw it in a pot with some water and vegetables, let it simmer and perfecto! Two big containers of stock in the refrigerator waiting to go into the freezer for a future meal or two of Turkey Noodle Soup. I think Madeleine got a little nervous when she walked into the kitchen - "Mommy it smells like you're cooking a turkey again. We aren't eating MORE turkey, are we?"
Turkey Stock
Leftover turkey carcass with a bunch of the good stuff still attached
2 onions, quartered
3 stalks celery
3 carrots, peeled
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Handful of parsley, chopped
salt
Break the turkey carcass in half and toss in a tall stockpot. Fill pot with water until carcass is almost fully submerged. Add the vegetables and seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil, reducing the heat and let it simmer gently. I let it simmer for an hour and a half with the cover on and 30 minutes with the cover off so it would reduce a little.
Strain the stock into a bowl (or two) discarding all the solids. Let cool before placing in the refrigerator. I typically let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and then skim off the top layer of fat before either using right away or freezing in quart sized containers. Careful when taking it out of the bowl. As you get to the bottom of the bowl, a lot of time some of the 'stuff' that passed through the strainer will have sunk. I typically use a ladle rather than pouring it right from the bowl to a pot or container.
I opted to get a smaller turkey this year - a mere 16 pounds for the 4 of us. It was small enough to stick in a stockpot to brine (rather than dealing with the brining bags) but big enough that we had turkey for .... 8 meals.
Yesterday I took what was left of the turkey: the carcass, drumsticks and assorted skin and bones. Threw it in a pot with some water and vegetables, let it simmer and perfecto! Two big containers of stock in the refrigerator waiting to go into the freezer for a future meal or two of Turkey Noodle Soup. I think Madeleine got a little nervous when she walked into the kitchen - "Mommy it smells like you're cooking a turkey again. We aren't eating MORE turkey, are we?"
Turkey Stock
Leftover turkey carcass with a bunch of the good stuff still attached
2 onions, quartered
3 stalks celery
3 carrots, peeled
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Handful of parsley, chopped
salt
Break the turkey carcass in half and toss in a tall stockpot. Fill pot with water until carcass is almost fully submerged. Add the vegetables and seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil, reducing the heat and let it simmer gently. I let it simmer for an hour and a half with the cover on and 30 minutes with the cover off so it would reduce a little.
Strain the stock into a bowl (or two) discarding all the solids. Let cool before placing in the refrigerator. I typically let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and then skim off the top layer of fat before either using right away or freezing in quart sized containers. Careful when taking it out of the bowl. As you get to the bottom of the bowl, a lot of time some of the 'stuff' that passed through the strainer will have sunk. I typically use a ladle rather than pouring it right from the bowl to a pot or container.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Happy Thanksgiving all!!! It's been a while since I've posted and I have no excuse other than just being busy. Taking a break at the moment while waiting for the turkey to cook and the football game to start (GO PATS!!) so I thought I'd post on of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and pretty much the only way I'll eat sweet potatoes.
I am a huge fan of the Barefoot Contessa. She is one of the few I can stand to watch on Food Network these days and any of her recipes I have tried have been a success. This one is no exception. Simple to put together and the end result is oh so good not too sweet and just the right amount of spice. Here's hoping everyone is enjoying a wonderful dinner with their loved ones!
Smashed Sweet Potatoes
4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 6 large)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Scrub the potatoes, prick them several times with a knife or fork, and bake them for 1 hour or until very soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and scoop out the insides as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Place the sweet potato meat into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and add the orange juice, cream, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix together until combined but not smooth and transfer to a baking dish.
Bake the potatoes for 20 to 30 minutes, until heated through.
I am a huge fan of the Barefoot Contessa. She is one of the few I can stand to watch on Food Network these days and any of her recipes I have tried have been a success. This one is no exception. Simple to put together and the end result is oh so good not too sweet and just the right amount of spice. Here's hoping everyone is enjoying a wonderful dinner with their loved ones!
Smashed Sweet Potatoes
4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 6 large)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Scrub the potatoes, prick them several times with a knife or fork, and bake them for 1 hour or until very soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and scoop out the insides as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Place the sweet potato meat into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and add the orange juice, cream, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix together until combined but not smooth and transfer to a baking dish.
Bake the potatoes for 20 to 30 minutes, until heated through.
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