Baked Acorn Squash

Sweet and Savory

Italian Style

Baking acorn squash is fast and simple.  Add whatever toppings interest you or whatever you have on hand.  

Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds.  Slice squash(you can use butternut as well) into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces, as shown. Place in a well buttered glass baking dish.  Add toppings, cover with foil, bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 min.

In the first photo, you can see, I added a generous amount of salt and pepper, a drizzle of 100% pure maple syrup and a sprinkling of brown sugar, and then some fresh sage leaves. 

In the second photo, you can see, I added chopped pancetta and chopped shallots(you could use bacon and onion as well).  A little salt and pepper, and after 30 min. remove foil add a generous amount of pecorino or parmesan, and run under the broiler.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Thanksgiving Pie Parade

If your family is anything like mine, they love desserts, especially on holidays.  We pack in a crowd at my Mom and Dad's house on Thanksgiving.  A large variety of desserts is necessary to please my family, and I am more than happy to supply the pies to satisfy their sweet tooths!

All of these pies are individually listed in previous posts.  I hope this will inspire you for your next big family feast!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Custard Top Pumpkin Pie

A traditional pumpkin pie, enhanced with a custard top!

A thin layer of custard, enriches each bite.

A pumpkin pie is probably the most traditional Thanksgiving pie! Everyone expects to see it in the array of pie selections.  Although I like pumpkin in many forms, I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie.  After two bites, the simplicity of the pie bores me.  I am sure folks who love pumpkin pie enjoy this aspect of the pie, that it is so simple.

Over the years, I have made many desserts that incorporate pumpkin to have with our Thanksgiving feast. Items like pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust, layered pumpkin cake, filled with whip cream and studded with candied walnuts, pumpkin coffeecake and chilled chiffon style pumpkin pies. However, ultimately, this is the pumpkin pie that I like to serve now at our feast.  It keeps things very traditional, it is simple to make, and can be made a day ahead, since chilling is necessary.

If you are a pumpkin pie lover, I hope you will give it a try!

As Always,

ENJOY!

1 pastry dough disk for 9" pie

Pumpkin filling

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

14 tsp. salt

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 15oz. can pumpking puree

Custard Layer

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch nutmeg

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line pie pan with crust, creating a high crimped edge, so your fillings won't spill out.  Mix all ingredients for pumpkin filling. Pour filling into pie shell and bake for 30 minutes.  While pie is in the oven mix together the custard ingredients.  With a ladle, gently spoon custard mixture onto partially baked pumpkin filling. Spooning it near the edge of the pie where the filling is most set. Being careful not to break the set filling or you will have a marbled pie.  Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature and cover and chill before serving.

Cranberry-Ginger Pear Pie

The pear and cranberry filling

The addition of struesel topping

Hot bubbling filling around the edges and rich brown topping. YUM!

This was also a new recipe for me this year at our Thanksgiving feast.  I am always looking for good fruit pie recipes. This was a great one!  I especially love that I could have everything staged the night before and the morning of Thanksgiving, simply assemble and bake.  

I filled the pie pan with the rolled out and then crimped dough.  Wrapped tightly with plastic wrap it went back into the fridge.  I prepared the pears, drained, and set those in the fridge and the cranberries I also prepared and put that mixture in a seperate bowl in the fridge.  The streusel can be mixed and left on the counter, covered.  Preheat your oven, remove the crust, pears and cranberries from the fridge.  Mix the pears and cranberries, fill the shell, sprinkle with the streusel and bake. 

Easy as Pie!!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated November 2015

INGREDIENT

1recipe Foolproof Single-Crust Pie Dough (see related content)

3pounds Bartlett or Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick

½cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar

¾cup (3 ¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

¼cup packed (1 ¾ ounces) light brown sugar

2tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped

¾teaspoon ground ginger

⅛teaspoon salt

5tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm

8ounces (2 cups) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

1teaspoon grated fresh ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

The pears should be ripe but firm, which means the flesh at the base of the stem should give slightly when gently pressed.

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough into 12‑inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9‑inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toss pears with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in large bowl. Microwave, covered, until pears turn translucent and release their juices, 4 to 8 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving. Uncover and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

3. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate using your fingers. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.

4. Combine flour, brown sugar, crystallized ginger, ground ginger, salt, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until mixture is completely moistened. Let cool completely, about 10 minutes.

5. Combine cranberries, fresh ginger, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in food processor and pulse until cranberries are roughly chopped, about 5 pulses. Drain cooled pears and discard liquid. Return pears to now-empty bowl and add cranberry mixture, stirring to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined plate. Sprinkle topping over pear mixture, breaking apart any large clumps. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake until juices are bubbling and topping is deep golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating pie plate halfway through baking. Let pie cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours, before serving.

Cranberry Pecan Tart

Hot from the oven and looking fabulously delicious!

This recipe is great for staging in parts.  I pre-baked the tart shell the evening before Thanksgiving, and then on Thanksgiving morning filled the shell and baked.  Quite easy!  I also like the ingredients in the crust.  Rich and tasty but with a light crisp texture.  The combined flavors of the caramel sauce, cranberries and pecans are a real show stopper.  A real hit at our family Thanksgiving feast!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated November 2015

INGREDIENTS

TART DOUGH

1large egg yolk

1tablespoon heavy cream

½teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼cups (6 ¼ ounces) all-purpose flour

⅔cup (2 ⅔ ounces) confectioners' sugar

¼teaspoon salt

8tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and chilled

FILLING

¼cup water

1cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

⅔cup heavy cream

3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

½teaspoon lemon juice

½teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛teaspoon salt

6ounces (1 ½ cups) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

1 ¼cups pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

1. FOR THE TART DOUGH: Whisk egg yolk, cream, and vanilla together in bowl. Process flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over flour mixture; pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. With processor running, slowly add egg yolk mixture and process until dough just comes together, about 12 seconds.

2. Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap. Form dough into 6-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling.

3. Roll dough into 11-inch circle on lightly floured counter. (If dough becomes too soft and sticky to work with, slip it onto baking sheet and refrigerate until workable.) Place dough round on baking sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator but keep dough on sheet. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9‑inch tart pan with removable bottom, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into corners with your other hand.

5. Press dough into fluted sides of pan, forming distinct seam around pan’s circumference. (Finished edge should be 1/4 inch thick. If some sections of edge are too thin, reinforce them by folding excess dough back on itself.) Run rolling pin over top of tart pan to remove any excess dough. Wrap dough-lined pan loosely in plastic, place on large plate, and freeze until dough is firm, about 30 minutes, before using.

6. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined pan on rimmed baking sheet. Spray 1 side of double layer of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray. Press foil, sprayed side down, into pan, covering edges to prevent burning; fill with pie weights. Bake until tart shell is golden brown and set, about 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and carefully remove foil and weights. Let tart shell cool on sheet while preparing filling.

7. FOR THE FILLING: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour water into medium saucepan. Pour sugar into center of saucepan, taking care not to let it touch pan sides. Gently stir with rubber spatula to moisten sugar thoroughly. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until sugar is completely dissolved and liquid has faint golden color and registers 300 degrees, 6 to 10 minutes.

8. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar mixture turns dark amber and registers 350 degrees, 1 to 3 minutes. Off heat, slowly whisk in cream until combined (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously). Stir in butter, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt until combined. Add cranberries and pecans and stir gently to coat in caramel. Pour mixture into tart shell. Bake tart on sheet until filling is bubbling and nearly set (it should jiggle slightly when shaken), 25 to 30 minutes.

9. Transfer tart with sheet to wire rack and let cool completely in pan, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter. Serve.

Butter Pecan-Toffee Pie

Before going in the oven.

Hot from the oven, smelling buttery and delicious!

This was a fun and different version for a pecan pie!  I always like to try a few new recipes at Thanksgiving.  Adding the toffee bits gave this pie an additional layer of flavor besides the nuts and buttery brown sugar taste of a traditional pecan pie.  I also like that this crust adds an egg yolk, which helps bind the dough and when cooked gives it a firmer crunch.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe courtesy of: Food Network Magazine November 2015

Ingredient

For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

For the filling:

3 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped pecans
1/2 cup toffee bits


Directions
Make the crust: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces. Whisk the egg yolk with 1/4 cup ice water; add 2 tablespoons to the food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add the remaining egg mixture and pulse a few more times until the dough just comes together but is still crumbly. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap; shape into a disk and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Put a baking sheet on the middle oven rack and preheat to 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla and butter extracts, lemon juice, salt, pecans and toffee bits in a large bowl until combined. Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Transfer the pie to the hot baking sheet and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until the crust is deep golden and the filling is set around the edge but still jiggly in the center, 55 minutes to 1 hour. (Tent the crust with foil if it browns too quickly.) Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Malted Walnut Pie

Yes this pie is square and not round.  Twice, I made this recipe in a round pie pan, and it was very difficult to cut, and serve.  So a gave it a go in a square pan that I lined with the most amazing parchment paper(the one mentioned in my post from August 20,2015). It releases so beautifully!  Now, you can cut this like a bar into nice small square pieces.  On Thanksgiving, it makes if perfect for everyone to take a taste, or one small bite, without having a whole piece of pie.  

If you are a nut pie fan, like I am, you will absolutely want to try this recipe!  It is similar in structure, to some other nut pies you may have made, but the huge difference is in the taste! The combination of the graham cracker crust, lined with white chocolate, then walnut and malty goodness.  All I can say is totally YUM!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe from: Bon Appetit, November 2013

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 8

Graham Cracker Crust

• 14 graham crackers (about 8 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar or granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled

Filling And Assembly

• 2 cups walnuts
• 4 oz. white chocolate, melted
• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup light corn syrup
• ⅔ cup (packed) light brown sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. barley malt syrup
• ¼ cup malted milk powder
• 1 tablespoon malt vinegar
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
• Unsweetened whipped cream (for serving, optional)

Preparation

Graham Cracker Crust

• Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 325°. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until very fine crumbs form (you should have about 2 cups). Add raw sugar, flour, and salt and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
• Transfer mixture to a 9” pie dish. Using a measuring cup, press firmly onto bottom and up sides of dish. Place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake crust, rotating halfway through, until dry and set, 20–25 minutes. Transfer pie dish to a wire rack and let crust cool.
• Do Ahead: Crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Store wrapped tightly at room temperature.

Filling And Assembly

• Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet (oven should still be at 325°), tossing occasionally, until slightly darker and fragrant, 8–10 minutes; let cool.
• Pour white chocolate over cooled crust and, using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread over bottom and up sides, leaving ¼” border along edge. Let stand until chocolate is set, 20–25 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, barley malt syrup, malt powder, vinegar, salt, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns (do not let burn), about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Whisk brown butter into egg mixture, then fold in walnuts.
• Place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet and pour in filling. Bake, rotating halfway through, until set (center should not jiggle), 60–70 minutes. Transfer pie dish to a wire rack and let pie cool. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before slicing.
• Serve pie topped with whipped cream, if desired.
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