Saturday, November 17, 2012

Thanksgiving! The dessert...

And last, but not least, some recommendations for dessert. Make one, make two, heck make all of them...you know you want to! ;)




   (Image from Gourmet.com)
Caramel Pumpkin Pie  (A little involved, but amazing)
For pastry
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
For filling
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 cups heavy cream
1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin (not pie filling; a scant 2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Equipment:
a 10-inch fluted metal quiche pan (2 inches deep) with a removable bottom; pie weights or raw rice

Make dough:
Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.)
Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all of dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round, then fit into quiche pan and trim excess dough flush with rim of pan. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Bake pie shell:
Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights. Put quiche pan on a baking sheet and bake pie shell until side is set and edge is pale golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shell until bottom is golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.
Make filling while shell cools:
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 3- to 3 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, washing down side of pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in cold water and gently swirling pan (do not stir), until mixture is a deep golden caramel, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to moderate and carefully add 1 cup cream (mixture will bubble vigorously), stirring until caramel is dissolved. Stir in remaining cup cream and bring just to a simmer.
Whisk together pumpkin purée, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in hot cream mixture, then add eggs, whisking until combined well. Pour filling into cooled crust and bake until puffed 1 1/2 inches from edge and center is just set, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. (Pie will continue to set as it cools.) Remove side of pan before serving.


  (Image from Gourmet.com)

Gingersnap and Pecan Sweet Potato Pie
For crust
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for buttering pie plate
Flour for dusting
1 cup finely crushed gingersnap cookies (5 oz; 20 2-inch cookies)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (2 oz), toasted
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
For filling
2 lb sweet potatoes (4 medium)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
lightly sweetened whipped cream and toasted pecans

Make crust:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour pie plate, knocking out excess flour.
Toss together all crust ingredients in a bowl with a fork until crumbs are moistened, then press evenly over bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake crust 6 minutes, then cool on a rack.

Make filling:
Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
Prick each sweet potato once with a fork. Roast in a foil-lined shallow baking pan until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Halve potatoes lengthwise and cool.
While potatoes cool, cook sugar in a dry 8-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Remove from heat. Carefully pour water down side of skillet (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously), then return to heat and simmer, stirring, until hardened caramel is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel, then cut away any eyes or dark spots. Purée potatoes in a food processor until smooth, then add eggs, cinnamon, and salt and blend until smooth. Add milk, caramel, rum, and vanilla, and blend until combined well.
Pour filling into crust. Bake until filling 2 inches from edge is slightly puffed and center trembles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes (top may crack; filling will continue to set as it cools). If the crust begins to brown too much before the filling is done, crimp a ring of foil or use a pie shield to protect it. Cool pie on rack about 1 hour.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
 





Honey Oat N Granola Pie (Officially Bill's favorite, and maybe the most delicious pie in the world.)
1 pie crust
½ cup Butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 pouches Nature Valley® Oats 'n Honey crunchy granola bars, crushed
¼ cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate baking chips

Heat oven to 350°F. In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter on High 50 to 60 seconds or until melted. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup until blended. Beat in salt, vanilla and eggs. Stir crushed granola bars, oats and baking chips into brown sugar mixture. Pour into crust-lined pan.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. 




Apple Pie
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water (minus 1 tbsp)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1 tbsp vanilla
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.
 



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