at last...dessert. {pumpkin cheesecake & pumpkin pie}

so here we are.
where is that you asked? we are at the best part of the meal. at the part, where even if your pants are feeling a little tight, you are still looking forward to that sweet treat. that hit of pumpkin and cinnamon that is synonymous with thanksgiving. the dessert that screams fall. the thing that caps off the night so well that you welcome those heavy eyelids and fall to sleep with a smile.

for us, that dessert is usually pumpkin cheesecake OR pumpkin pie. {sometimes there is both...you just never know what people are in the mood for!}. i have made many a pie & cake over the years and have come to settle on a few recipes that i think...take the cake? {too much??}

12 years ago i had my own little apartment in downtown vancouver - well kitsilano to be exact - a hop skip and jump from the beach. finally i had felt like a grown up. no more commuting from the north shore. no more feeling like i had someone to answer too {although i really didn't}. i was independent.
it was because of this that i decided to hold a proper grown up dinner party.
to host my own thanksgiving.

{i was so excited.}

i invited 10 people from different parts of my life - some knew each other, some became fast new friends.
the obstacle - my apartment was small. and it was lots of rooms - how i like it. not very conducive to hosting a dinner party but it did have a great feature - the walls between the bedroom and living room opened. so here is where i decided to rent a table and chairs + dinnerware & stemware - i wasn't messing around - i pushed my bed up against the back wall, set up the table and chairs in my bedroom and opened the wall up between my bedroom and living room and really you had no idea you were dining in my room! i brought in pumpkins and corn stalks, waxed leaves for decor, lots of candles and set the mood.
i felt like bridget jones fixing her own birthday dinner for all her friends. the catch: mine actually turned out! i roasted a salmon, made chevre mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, stuffing {of course} and brussel sprouts. but the two things i was most excited about were my desserts. i should have known then where my life path was to take me, i was just too stubborn.
it was at this meal that i was introduced to my ability to make desserts.
i made 2 pumpkin pies and a pumpkin cheesecake.

i never knew that desserts could taste like this. okay check that...i never knew that dessert I MADE could taste like that. they were wonderful and thus commencing my role as pumpkin dessert maker from that day on. and i was proud of it.

pumpkin cheesecake
crust:
2/3 cup of butter
3 tablesspoons of sugar
a pinch of kosher salt
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

filling:
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
4 large eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree {homemade or canned}
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
3/4 tsp of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of all-spice
1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

preheat oven to 325F.
crust: combined all the ingredients together. press into the bottom {and up sides - optional} of a 9 inch springform pan. bake the crust, on a rimmed sheet, for about 10 minutes. remove from oven and set aside. leave oven on.

filling:
in a large mixing bowl, beat creamcheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. beat in flour and add eggs one at a time while neating. stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice and vanilla. pour over crust.

bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the center is raised and set. turn off oven, open the door slightly and let cool in oven for about 2 hours. this prevents cracking on top. if you can't do this step ie: there are kids running around - remove from oven, put on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate {still in the pan! do not remove the side portion of your pan!} for at least 6 hours or overnight. if you do end up getting a crack down the middle put a big dollop of the vanilla whip cream you are whipping up to serve with it anyways!

pumpkin pie
for the crust i use my sweet classic pie dough.

one batch of pie dough.
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree {homemade or canned}
3 large eggs {lightly beaten}
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

1 tbsp heavy cream
one extra egg

turn on your oven to 425F.
roll out your pie dough, place it in your pie plate & decoratively pinch edges. freeze crust for 30 minutes.

meanwhile mix together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin, eggs and milk.

in a small bowl beat together the egg and heavy cream. when 30 minutes is up get your pie shell and glaze your edges with your egg mix. add pumpkin mix.

bake for 10 minutes then reduce he heat to 350 an bake for 60 minutes more {check it at the 50 minute mark - if the center is still wobbly leave it in for 5 minute increments. turn off oven and open door and allow to cool in the oven to prevent cracking. if you can't do this step ie: there are kids running around - remove from oven, put on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. if you do end up getting a crack down the middle put a big dollop of the vanilla whip cream you are whipping up to serve with it anyways!

sour cherry slab pie. {from the archives.}

everyone is doing it.
so since i HAVE done it i thought i would offer my two cents.
i'm talking about slab pies. the most genius thing ever invented.
i love them and this is why:
they feed a crowd.
they are forgivable.
they are drizzled in glaze.

sold yet?
i have seen many a variety made & showcased but have yet to see one offering sour cherries so i thought i would wriggle my big toe in here and reserve the spot.
can you guess how in love with this pie i am?
i disappeared as soon as it arrived as did the cherry season {for this variety} so we got what we got.
what we got was good.
flaky. syrupy. sweet. and just the right bite of tart.
perfect.

i think i may have to hunt some down now......

sour cherry slab pie

from the angus family cookbook submitted by me.
Yield: Varies, but I cut mine into 20 2 1/2-inch by 3-inch pieces

1 1/2  All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough (recipe down below), divided, patted into thick rectangles, wrapped in plastic and chilled for at least an hour in the fridge
6 cups sour cherries, pitted (fresh or frozen will work; if frozen, defrost and drain first)
3/4 to 1 1/4 cups of sugar*
1/4 cup cornstarch
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch or two of salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream or one egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water or 1 tablespoon water plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I did this to make the glaze more interesting)

Preheat oven to 375°. have your half sheet pan ready.


In a large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger piece of dough into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. I won’t lie: this can be kind of a pain because it is so large. Do your best to work quickly, keeping the dough as cold as possible (and tossing it in the freezer for a couple minutes if it softens too quickly; it is summer after all) and using enough flour that it doesn’t stick to the counter.

Transfer to a 15-by-10-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet, (pastry will hang over sides of pan). I went ahead and lined mine with parchment, just to ensure I’d be able to easily lift it out. Pour cherry mixture into lined baking sheet; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining piece of dough into a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Drape over filling. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Pinch edges to seal. Using a fork, prick top crust all over. Brush with heavy cream or egg wash.

Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk, water or lemon juice (or combination thereof) until desired glaze consistency is achieved. Use a spoon to drizzle over top. Serve warm or room temperature.

* Martha had suggested 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar for 6 cups of sour cherries. I balked, imagining my beautiful okanagan cherries drowning a syrupy death, and used 3/4 cup, which yielded a lightly-sweetened pie with the tartness of the cherries still coming through, just as we like. Please adjust this to your tastes, and according to the tartness of the cherries you brought home.

Some tips for replacing the sour cherries with other fruit: This pie is roughly 100% of a regular pie filling with 150% percent of the crust. Thus, if you’re looking to use something besides sour cherries, you can swap in 6 cups of any other fruit. Adjust the sugar accordingly — you’ll probably want less sugar with peaches or berries than you would with very sour cherries, or the same amount, if you like your pies on the sweeter side. (Remember, I kept this one very lightly sweetened.) Adjust the cornstarch accordingly too — peaches and berries usually let off more liquid than apples, but only slightly more than cherries.

One other route you can take is to use the filling part of your favorite pie recipe, as most standard fruit pies contain 6 cups of berries or chopped fruit. This way you’ll already know what spices, if any, you want to add and that the amount of sweetener and/or cornstarch/thickener is already spot-on.

All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough

Makes enough dough for one double-, or two single-crust pies.
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces, 16 tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
Gather your ingredients: Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl — I like to use a very wide one, so I can get my hands in — whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Dice two sticks (8 ounces or 1 cup) of very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces. Get out your pastry blender.

Make your mix: Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with the pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas — this won’t take long — stop. Yes, even if it looks uneven; you’ll thank me later.

Glue it together: Start by drizzling 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes, if there are any left!) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 1/4 cup of cold water to bring it together, but add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling large clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your hands in there (see how that big bowl comes in handy?). Gather the disparate damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.

Pack it up: Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. I like to use the sides to pull in the dough and shape it into a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

Do ahead: Dough will keep in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer longer. If not using it that day, wrap it in additional layers of plastic wrap to protect it from fridge/freezer smells. To defrost your dough, move it to the fridge for one day before using it.

a taste of lemon: curd + tarts.

 lemon. such an obvious choice for flavour, taste and scent. to add brightness, texture and complete yumminess. and one ingredient around here that was reserved for fish and water only. until now.

years ago when our old faithful, martha stewart, landed her pretty little self in prison she cut herself off. no visitors except her lawyers and daughter i believe. but somehow that sneaky little rosie o'donnell got herself in there to visit her dear friend. they chatted about the experience not getting into it to much but just being there to enjoy each others company. during the conversation rosie asked martha what she is missing the most from her regular life as opposed to her prison life. and you know what martha said? she said she missed the taste of lemon. that's it. i remember watching this (i think on the view) and scrunching up my face and going what? how bizarre. that was before i succumbed to my legacy in this life and let food lead my path. now i get it. fully.

what power it has!! and how completely wonderful and enjoyable! i always seem to reach for the chocolate, the butter, the vanilla and the more rich fruits for baking and the peppers, onions, tomatoes and root vegetables for cooking but now i find myself reaching more and more for the lemon for both equally. and that has prompted this series of recipes that i want to share centering on lemons.

today let's talk curd. personally i think it is an awful name for something so delicious, so decadent. something that transforms before your eyes as you can't take your eyes off it for a minute. to watch it take form from a pile of ingredients - all stars in heir own right - and become something so brilliant, so yellow, so silky.

i had forgotten this taste as when i opened my specialty food shop and this recipe was a clear hit i was not the one producing it anymore - i had moved on to the deli/cafe food and had left someone else prepare the baked goods. and since then the baking bug had left me for awhile since selling and moving out east i took a little break from all things desserty but unfortunately for my hips and bum it has hit me harder than before

this other thing i love about this is the versatility of it. you can put it on anything to make it stand out from the crowd. fill a layer cake with it. top some shortbread cookies. bake off a sheet of puff pastry and smear it on top (technical term here!). stuff cupcakes. spread it on grilled pound cake - yes i said grilled pound cake!! (more on that later). add it to semifreddo. the list is endless and the taste will shock and amaze you everytime - every bite will feel like the first.

sweet life bakery lemon curd.
i only have one reservation about this - the butter. as i was making it i was tasting along the way so i could feel the impact from start to finish. on the last stage - where the curd comes together and before you add the butter - the impact of the lemon was outrageous! it knocked me over, fireworks on my tongue and i was begging for more. then i added the butter and the curd went down a note. little more subdued but still amazingly flavourful in every way. this is where i am torn as i believe a whole tart of the impact creating curd would be too much and the butter infused one was just right but i was left wanting more. but my hips thanked me for stopping. 

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice - about 6 lemons
grated zest of 2 lemons
2 large eggs
7 egg yolks
3/4 cup of sugar
4 tablespoons butter - softened

in a glass measuring cup measure out your lemon juice then add the zest as well to allow the zest to softened up and let stand for about 10 minutes.

in a medium glass bowl (suitable for double-boiling) whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until combined. add the lemon juice mixture and whisk once more.

set the bowl over a pot of simmering water but do not let the water touch the bowl! cook, stirring constantly with heatproof spatula, until the mixture has thickened to a pudding-like consistency, 6 to 8 minutes.

remove from heat and whisk in butter till emulsified. strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. allow to cool, then use immediately or place in a sealed container and pop it into the fridge for up to one week!

to make the tarts:
prepare one batch of my sweet pie dough (recipe below) and, using a 3-inch in diameter round cookie cutter, cut out rings from the rolled out dough. place each ring into a cup on a mini cupcake pan and press into the mold and pierce all over with a fork - place prepared sheets into the freezer and freeze for at least 1 hour/preferably though overnight. remove from freezer, place a square of parchment in each shell and fill with baking beans (you can buy special baking beans but i just use raw beans that are designated only for this purposed, live in a jar marked baking beans and are used over and over . pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and bake off your shells for approx. 18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and when checked the bottoms look cooked. pull out and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove beans, remove from pan and let cool completely. one recipe makes approximately 30 to 36 tart shells.

raw tart shells filled with baking beans prior to baking.

my sweet pie dough. 

after tinkering with other recipes and my tastes this is what i have come up with. enjoy.
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
3/4 cups ice cold water

place in food processor the flour, sugar and salt - pulse a few times to mix up. place butter in flour mix and pulse a few times till butter roughly the size of peas/hazelnuts. while pulsing in quick short bursts add the water slowly (a drizzle) through top tube. as soon as dough comes together into a ball remove from processor and divide into two equal balls. flatten to a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour minimum. dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to three months. thaw in fridge before rolling out if using frozen.

makes 2 balls of dough. enough for two 9-inch single crust pies or one double crust.

baking: smooth as silk.

After watching Julie & Julia for the ump-teenth time (I got the book years ago and devoured it three times before mailing it north to my mom and sister's with an urgent "read me!!" note attached - a rare gem scooped from the mile long costco book table) and watching "Julie" make that chocolate cream pie for the ump-teenth time I decided to try my hand at it.

The problem was I didn't know where to start. This is something I have never made before, never thought to attempt and hopefully will make again very soon. I hunkered down amongst my bought and homemade cookbooks - the which are the bain of my husbands existence. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a den/office with one wall of floor to ceiling bookshelves filled only with cookbooks? The ultimate reference? (with my secret desire being filled that one of them is mine!) I met a man in the ER one night who had such a beast, but I am getting off track. 

After much search I discovered a recipe that intrigued me and I suspected that I could make it mine without much difficulty and this is what I got. 

Totally worth the effort. *bliss*.

chocolate cream pie

*makes one nine inch pie or six individual ones.

3 egg yolks

6 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temp

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

graham cracker pie crust (recipe follows)

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium, heavy saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, all but 1/4 tsp of the sugar and the cornstarch over medium heat. Add the milk slowly, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the chocolate and butter, lower the heat and continue whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and place bowl in a larger bowl of ice water until room temperature, about 35 minutes. Pour mixture in to the crust (or divide amongst the individual crusts) and refrigerate until set, about one hour.

Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl mix together the remaining sugar and the cinnamon. Spread or dollop the whip cream on the set pie(s) and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on top.

 

graham crust

Makes one 9-inch crust

6 1/2 ounces graham crackers (12 crackers), finely ground (1 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pulse graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined.
Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake until crust is fragrant and edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack.
*crust recipe courtesy of martha stewart.

happy munchkins ready to pounce.