Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 15 oz pumpkin puree or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a pie plate and set aside.
- Roll out your pie dough to the pie plate and shape crust to fit size of your pie plate.
- Carefully transfer the dough to your pie plate.
- Make the filling by beating eggs in a large bowl.
- Whisk in the pumpkin, cream and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add sugar, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and mix until completely combined.
- Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and cover the crust with a pastry shield.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F.
- Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. It may be wobbly still, but it will firm-up as it cools.
- Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve will a dollop with homemade whipped cream.
Candied Yams
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp orange juice
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Scrub and score sweet potatoes around the center and place in large pot of boiling water. Cover and gently boil for 20-30 minutes until easily pierced with a fork.
- Drain potatoes, peel and cut into ½-inch slices or cubes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degress F.
- For the syrup, combine the sugar, juice, butter, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to a rapid boil.
- Place sweet potatoes in a 9×9 baking dish and drizzle with syrup.
- Top with marshmallows and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Traditional stuffing
Ingredients
- 16 slices day old white bread
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1½ cups chopped celery
- 2 leeks split in half, cleaned and sliced
- ¼ cup loosely packed fresh sage finely chopped
- 1½ tsp kosher salt divided
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups warm chicken stock plus more if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Grease a 8×11 baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- Add diced bread to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until toasted. Cool completely. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
- While the bread toasts, heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add butter. Once butter has melted, add onion, celery, leeks, sage and ½ tsp. salt. Sauté until leeks and onions are soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add poultry seasoning and chopped parsley. Cook another minute. Remove from heat.
- Add chicken stock, and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add toasted bread, warm veggies, parmesan cheese and remaining ½ tsp salt. Toss to combine.
- Transfer stuffing to prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and slightly crisp.
Brine for Turkey
Makes enough brine for one 18 to 20 pound turkey
Ingredients
- 7 quarts water 28 cups
- 1½ cups coarse salt
- 6 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp dried juniper seeds
- 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1 bottle dry Riesling
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 1 fresh whole turkey (18 to 20 pounds) patted dry, neck and giblets reserved for stock
Instructions
- Bring 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, and spices to a simmer, stirring until salt has dissolved. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Line a 5-gallon container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag. Place turkey in bag.
- To the bag, add salt mixture, remaining 6 quarts (24 cups) water, and the other ingredients. Tie bag. If turkey is not submerged, weight it with a plate. Refrigerate for 24 hours, flipping turkey once.
Brussel Sprouts with Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lbs brussel sprouts
- ¼ to ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven 425 degrees F
- Trim and cut brussel sprouts in half. Toss with olive oil and salt. Roast for about 20 minutes or until tender.
- Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in mustard seeds and Dijon. Remove from heat.
- Toss brussel sprouts with mustard sauce. Serve hot.
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces whole cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ orange zest
Instructions
- Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil.
- Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 lbs russet or gold potatoes
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes. Place into pot and cover with cold water. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Drain and place into mixing bowl. With a hand mixer, mix in butter and sour cream until smooth
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Squash Toasts with Ricotta and Cider Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1 2½ – 3 lb. yellow-fleshed squash delicata, acorn or butternut
- ½ to ¾ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp dried chile flakes
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup ricotta, goat cheese, feta or mascarpone 4 ounces
- 4 Tbsp mint leaves chopped
- coarse sea or kosher salt
- 4 slices country bread 1-inch thick
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. No need to peel your squash (as shown above), just halved, seed and cut your squash into 1/4-inch thick slices. Toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 to 2 teaspoons salt and chile flakes until evenly coated. Transfer mixture to prepared sheet and roast until tender and slightly colored, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes (depending on the density of the squash you use), flipping once about 2/3 of the way through. Once tender, you can cut the flesh from the skin and discard it. Leave roasted squash on the tray.
- Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add vinegar and syrup and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until onions are jammy and broken down, another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Pile onions on top of roasted squash, still on their baking sheet. Use a fork to gently half-mash the mixture; I like this best when the mixture is not uniformly combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil per slice of bread, and cook bread until just golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Spread cheese on toasts, heap with the squash-onion mixture, sprinkle with coarse salt and garnish with mint.
Pecan Pie
Crust
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea or table salt
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter cut it chunks
- ¼ cup very cold water plus additional tablespoon if needed
Instructions
- With a food processor: In the work bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and pulse machine until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits of butter are the size of tiny peas. Turn mixture out into mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup cold water and stir with a spoon or flexible silicone spatula until large clumps form. Use your hands to knead the dough together, right in the bottom of the bowl. If necessary to bring the dough together, you can add the last tablespoon of water.
- Wrap dough in a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 48 hours, or you can quick-firm this in the freezer for 15 minutes. Longer than 2 days, it’s best to freeze it until needed.
- Form the crust: On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12 to 13-inch circle-ish shape. Fold dough gently in quarters without creasing and transfer to a 9-inch standard (not deep-dish) pie plate. Unfold dough and trim overhang to about 1/2-inch. Fold overhang under edge of pie crust and crimp decoratively. If not parbaking, place in fridge until ready to fill. If parbaking, place in freezer for 20 minutes, until solid.
- Par-bake the crust: [Optional, but will lead to a crispier base.] Heat oven 400°F. Line frozen crust with lightly buttered or oiled foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or pennies. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and let cool a little before filling.
Pecan Pie
Filling
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup golden syrup
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp bourbon optional
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- pinch or two sea salt
Instructions
- Heat oven: (Or reduce oven heat, if you just par-baked your crust) to 350 degrees F (175°C).
- Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once or twice so that they toast evenly. Set aside until needed. If you like smaller bits, you can chop them, or as shown here, chop half of them (although I usually leave them whole).
- In medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in pecans, cider vinegar, vanilla and bourbon (if using). Pour into a bowl (so that it cools faster) and set the mixture aside to cool a little, about 5 to 10 minutes. Then, whisk in one egg at a time until combined. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
- Bake: For 40 to 45 minutes. The pie is done with the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is slightly firm to the touch but still has some jiggle to it. Cool on a rack. Serve slightly warm or room temperature.