Texas Pecan Pie

 Before the pie goes in the oven.

After the pie is baked.

This pie is one of my brother's favorite pies!  It has been part of my Thanksgiving pie repertoire for over 20 years!  I learned this recipe when we lived in Texas, no surprise there!  It is similar to a Derby pie which is a very southern style pie.  It is very sweet, like most pecan pies, but with the addition of chocolate, it somehow elevates the simple nut pie. 

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 stick unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups pecan halves (1/2 pound), divided
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• pastry dough (dough for 1 pie disk)
2. Preheat oven to 350°F with a baking sheet on middle rack.
3. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and lightly press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively. Lightly prick bottom all over with a fork. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes (or freeze 10 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in corn syrup, vanilla, and salt. Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl, then whisk in corn syrup mixture.
5. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over pie shell, then add 1/2-1 cup of pecans to pie shell and pour corn syrup mixture evenly over them.With reserved whole pretty pecans, lay in circles on top of pie. Bake on hot baking sheet until filling is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool completely.

Happy Thanksgiving

The perfect turkey!  Dry brined and roasted to perfection!  Best of all..... my grandmother's apron!!! The same one she wore for so very many Thanksgiving feasts, year after year.  Traditions are meant to be carried on by the next generation, and I for one intend to do so!

Brussels Sprouts

These are my favorite brussels sprouts to make at home.  I love the flavor combination of the garlic, salty pancetta, and smoky pine nuts with the mellowed and sweetened sprouts.  At Thanksgiving time I love to incorporate all forms of pork products with one or two side dishes, because I find them so complimentary to the turkey.  So whether it is bacon, pancetta, speck, prosciutto, pork sausage, chorizo or any other pork product, find your favorite and use it.  Make your Thanksgiving feast exceptionally flavorful!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

16 oz. brussels sprouts

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 oz. pancetta, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

Extra Virgin olive oil

salt to taste

 Wash brussels sprouts, trim off ends, cut in 1/2 lengthwise.  Heat skillet to medium high, drizzle in some olive oil, add chopped garlic and chopped pancetta.  Saute for 1-2 minutes, add brussels sprouts.  Toss to coat.  Turn all sprouts cut side down.  Leave, untouched, until the cut side begins to darken. Toss, add salt to taste, and continue cooking until sprouts are tender. Add pine nuts, and toss one more time let cook an additional 30 seconds, until nuts are heated through. Serve

Cranberry Sauce

A beautiful deep red, flecked with bits of apple and orange rind.

Give as a gift, if you are an invited guest to a Thanksgiving feast.

Over the years, I have tasted many types of cranberry sauce, from chunky to smooth, from cooked or raw or jellied. By far, hands down, this is my favorite cranberry sauce.  It has bits of apple and orange rind, and the cranberries are cooked just until they burst.  That gives this sauce such a fresh taste, which is a wonderful complement to all the other foods that will be on your Thanksgiving dinner plate.  It is so quick to prepare, I hope you will give it a try!

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 orange, rind only, dice the peel.

3 cups cranberries ( 1 - 12oz. package)

1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced

1/2 tsp.ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp.ground cloves

1/2 orange, juice

1 1/4 cups sugar

   Boil the diced orange peel for 10 minutes.  Drain and discard the water.  Return peel to pot and add all ingredients. Stew for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst. 

   Can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.  Serve at room temperature.

Autumn Leaf Cutters For Cookies and Pie

These cutters are so cute and useful.  I purchased these from William-Sonoma in 1991, and I use them every Thanksgiving.  They come in so handy when decorating pies.  Use them to cut out your steam vents ( as you can see I have done in my two previous posts with pies), or make a wreath of leaves around your crimped edges, or even, make overlapping, concentric circles, to cover the top surface of your fruit pie, instead of a lattice top.

The Holly leaf, Maple leaf, Acorn and such, make charming decorations for cookies as well.  Be creative and start cutting some cute dough pieces to decorate whatever delicious goodies you will be baking for your Thanksgiving feast.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Crimson Pie

The berries, cooked together and thick

Hot out of the oven with a beautiful golden crust

Obviously the title of this pie is interesting, in that it is a color.  Webster's says Crimson is deep-red.  From looking at my first photo, you can see that  is true.  Once you cook the BLUEberries with the RED cranberries, you get the beautiful crimson color. 

This pie is my youngest daughter's favorite Thanksgiving pie.  It original came from Bon Appetit, 1990, November issue.  One of my very oldest collected recipes from Bon Appetit.  I was just telling a good friend about this recipe, because it is so easy and the filling can be cooked ahead of time.  It is a wonderful fall berry pie compared to what you might make in the summer.  I hope you will give it a try since it has been a long time family favorite, and is one of our Thanksgiving traditions!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 small orange(unpeeled), cut into pieces, 

      seeded

4 cups frozen blueberries (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

   thawed

12 ounces cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 Tbs. cornstarch

2 pie crust disks for 9" pie pan

Coarsely grind orange in processor. Transfer to heavy medium saucepan. Add blueberries, cranberries, sugar and cornstarch. Boil mixture over medium high heat, until thick, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Cool completely. Can be made a few days ahead.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out one pie disk and line a 9" pie pan.  Spoon berry filling into crust, mounding slightly in the center. Roll out second disk.  Lay over filling. Trim and crimp edges.  Cut steam vents in top crust. Place pie on rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on rack before serving.

Belgian Endive Salad

A wonderfully light and refreshing salad to go with your Thanksgiving feast.  The crunch of the apples and the crispness of the endive are a great compliment to many of the heavy flavors that may accompany your Thanksgiving dinner.  Like most salads, it is very easy and quick to put together.  Toast the walnuts a day ahead and store in a ziplock bag.  The apples and endive can be sliced and put in a bowl, covered, and refrigerated before your guests arrive.  Add the dressing just before serving and toss, then add the toasted nuts and shaved cheese.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Serves 4

2 large heads Belgian Endive

1/2 granny smith apple

1/2 honeycrisp apple

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

1/4 cup shaved parmiggiano, pecorino or asiago

1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

3 Tbs. EVO oil

1 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

In a small bowl or jar add dressing ingredients, mix and set aside.

Cut endive lengthwise, trim ends and cut into chunks.  Cut apple in half, core, and slice lengthwise into 1/8 inch slices. Toss endive and apples together in serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Toast walnuts.(Can be prepared one day ahead).  When ready to serve, add walnuts and shaved cheese to bowl, add dressing and toss. Serve immediately.