Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of pumpkin pulp purée from a sugar pumpkin* or from canned pumpkin purée
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream or 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 1 good crust 

Direction

 

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Mix sugars, salt, and spices, and lemon zest in a large bowl. 
• Beat the eggs and add to the bowl. 
• Stir in the pumpkin purée. 
• Stir in cream. 
• Whisk all together until well incorporated.
•  Pour into pie shell and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. 
• After 15 minutes reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.

Serve with whipped cream.


* To make pumpkin purée from a sugar pumpkin: start with a small-medium sugar pumpkin, cut out the stem and scrape out the insides, discard (save the seeds, of course). Cut into sections and steam in a saucepan with a couple inches of water at the bottom, until soft. Scoop out the pulp from the skin. Or you can bake whole or halved in a 350°F oven until fork tender. Optional - put pulp through a food mill or chinois to make extra smooth.

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Cranberry Relish

Ingredients

• 2 cups washed raw cranberries
• 2 skinned and cored tart apples
• 1 large, whole (peel ON) seedless orange, cut into sections
• 1 to 2 cups granulated sugar (depending on how sweet you would like your relish to be)

Method

• Set up the grinder with a medium-sized blade on the edge of a table with a large roasting pan or bowl to catch the mix as it grinds. These old fashioned grinders tend to leak some of the juice down the grinder base, so you may want to set up an additional pan on the floor under the grinder to catch the drips. 
• If you don't have an old-fashioned grinder you can use a grinder attachment on a KitchenAid mixer, you can chop by hand (though that will take a lot of work), or you can chop in a food processor (be very careful not to over-pulse, or you'll end up with mush).
• Run fruit through a grinder. Use the entire (seedless) orange, peels, pith and all.
• Mix in the sugar. 
• Let sit at room temperature until sugar dissolves, about 45 minutes.
• Store in the refrigerator.

 

Cumin-and-Oregano Rubbed Turkey

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

16-pound turkey, fresh or defrosted

3-4 cups Stuffing 

Kitchen string

Cumin Rub 

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter



Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees
2. Remove any object in the cavity. Rinse the turkey inside and out with very cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
3.  Loosely stuff the turkey with the stuffing. 
4. Pull the legs together so that they overlap. 
5. Use the kitchen string to tie the legs together. 
6. Spoon any leftover stuffing into a buttered ovenproof casserole dish. Bake in a 350-degree oven, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. 
7.  Using your hands, gently rub about half to three quarters of the cumin rub over the exterior of the turkey, working it lightly into the skin. Reserve the remaining rub for basting the turkey during roasting. 
8. Place the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan. 
9. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes until the skin starts to brown, then cover with aluminum foil. 
10. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the 3 sticks of butter over medium heat. 
11. Stir in the remaining rub.
12. Set aside, covered, to keep warm. Use a pastry brush to baste the turkey with the seasoned butter every 30 minutes during roasting. 
13. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and roast the turkey for about 4 ½ hours, or until the juices run clear when the meat is pricked, the leg joints feel loose, and a meat thermometer registers 180 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.
14. Check the stuffing: the thermometer should register 165 degrees when inserted into the center of the stuffing. 

 

 

CUMIN RUB

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons cumin

5 tablespoons dried oregano

3 tablespoons smoked paprika (hot)

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons fresh-cracked pepper

¼ cup olive oil 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Combine the seasonings and olive oil in a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to mix well. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 4 graham crackers)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg yolk

Filling

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups (1 pound) brown sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree*
• 2 tablespoons bourbon or other whiskey

Pan

• 1 9-inch diameter, 3-inch tall springform pan

* You can make your own pumpkin purée by cutting a sugar pumpkin in half, scooping out the seeds, placing the pumpkin halves cut-side down in a roasting pan with a 1/4 inch of water in it, and cooking it in a 350°F oven for an hour, until soft. Scoop out the flesh and purée it in a blender or food processor. Strain out excess water.

Direction

1. Pulse pecans, flour, sugar, and crumbs in a food processor. 
2. Add butter and egg yolk. Pulse until mixture is homogenous. 
3. Press into bottom of 9” springform pan and bake for 10 minutes at 375°F. 
4. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Drain or strain any liquid from pumpkin purée. 
6. Take pumpkin purée and place on several layers of paper towels. 
7. Cover with several layers of paper towels and use your hands to gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the purée. Not that you will probably go through a lot of paper towels (can use tea towels too). Two 15-ounce cans of puréed pumpkin should yield a little more than 2 cups of purée, with the excess moisture removed. You want exactly 2 cups of the purée.
8. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, grated nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl. 
9. With a wooden spoon (no need for a mixer for this step), mix in the salt, pumpkin purée, vanilla, and bourbon. 
10. Beat in the eggs.
11. In a large bowl, (helps to use a mixer for this step) combine the cream cheese and the brown sugar until fully creamed and smooth (no lumps). 
12. Gradually add the pumpkin mixture until fully incorporated. 
13. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
14. Place crust-baked springform pan in the middle of two layers of large sheets of aluminum foil (to help prevent water-bath moisture from leaking into the pan). 
15. Fold the aluminum foil up the sides of the pan and trim. 
16. Place the aluminum wrapped pan in a large roasting pan (large enough so that there is room on all sides). 
17. Pour the pumpkin cream cheese mixture into the springform pan.
18. Place the roasting pan containing the springform pan in a 325°F oven on the middle rack. 
19. Pour boiling water into the pan so that it comes halfway up the side of the springform pan. 
20. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. 
21. Turn off the oven heat and prop the oven door open. 
22. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven, cooling for another hour. 
23. Then remove from oven and let come to room temperature. 
24. Once it has cooled down, chill for several hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
25. When ready to serve, gently remove the cake from the springform pan...To help ensure that the cake doesn't stick to the springform side as you unlock it, first run a blunt knife around the cake and then warm the sides of the pan with a hair dryer. Then carefully unlock the springform and lift off the sides.

Caramelized Nut Tart Recipe

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons ice water


Filling Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds
Whipped cream (optional)
9 1/2 inch tart pan with removable bottom

 

 

Direction:

Crust:

• Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in processor. 
• Add butter. Using pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. 
• Mix in vanilla and enough ice water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. 
• Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. 
• Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. 
• Roll dough out on floured surface to 12-inch round. 
• Transfer dough to 9 1/2-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. 
• Fold overhang in and press, forming high-standing double-thick sides. 
• Pierce dough all over with fork. 
• Freeze 15 minutes.
• Bake crust until set but still pale in color, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. Increase oven temperature to 400°F

Filling:

• Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. 
• Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. 
• Increase heat. Boil without stirring until caramel is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. 
• Reduce heat to medium.Gradually whisk in cream (mixture will bubble). 
• Stir until caramel is smooth. 
• Add butter, honey and vanilla. 
• Stir until well blended. Mix in all nuts.
• Pour caramel mixture into crust. 
• Bake until entire filling bubbles, about 20 minutes. 
• Cool completely on rack.

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Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake

 

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 large tart cooking apples cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (half a stick) butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace (can substitute ground nutmeg)

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Slice and peel squash and apples.
3. Put squash cubes in ungreased 7x11-inch baking dish. 
4. Place apples on top and then cranberries. 
5. Mix the flour, salt, sugar, and mace and sprinkle on top. 
6. Dot with butter. 
7. Bake 50-60 minutes.

 

Baked Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• 1 Acorn squash
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
• Dash of Salt

Method

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Using a strong chef's knife, and perhaps a rubber mallet to help, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. 
• Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. 
• Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. 
• Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. 
• Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out.
• Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. 
• Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. 
• Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. 
• Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.
• Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. 
• When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.

Yucca Stuffing

Looking for a less traditional Thanksgiving side.. and with a Latino flare to boot??

 

Inredients

 

4 lb fresh yuca (also called cassava; preferably 2 inches in diameter) or 3 lb frozen cubed

6 slices bread moist with ½ cup hot milk
1/2 pound cured ham good for cooking
2 pounds ground pork (without fat)
1/4 cup chopped cilantrillo or cilantro
1/4 cup chopped culantro (or long-leaved flat Chinese parsley)
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
2 chopped tomatoes
1 green pimento, seeded and chopped
1 chopped red pimento
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon drained cocktail capers
10 stuffed green onions, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 can pimentos, drained and sliced.
salt and pepper to taste
Sofrito



Directions

• Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Combine yucca and bread. 
• Sauté tbsp of Sofrito.
• Add the ham. 
• Add the ground meat with a little bit of salt and pepper and sauté until it changes color. 
• Add the cilantrillo, culantro, oregano, tomatoes, green and red pimento, the onion and capers. 
• Cook for approximately 15 minutes. 
• Drain milk from the yucca/bread mixture and add the solids to the meat mixture. 
• Cook for additional 5 minutes. 
• Add all the remaining ingredients, mix well and let cool slightly. 
• Stuff and truss the turkey. 
• Put the remaining stuffing in a greased baking pan and bake with the turkey, at 350 for 30 minutes. 
• Uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and keep covered until ready to serve with the turkey, which will take longer to cook.