Pumpkin Pie...from scratch

Last year at Thanksgiving I urged you all to consider fresh pumpkin, not canned, but I did not give you my recipe. This year I'm making amends...

Ingredients

1 cooking pumpkin
an unbaked pie crust for a 10" pie dish (I use the magical Silver Palate no-roll crust)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each ground ginger and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400º F. Take a big knife and split the pumpkin in two. Scoop out seeds and set aside. Also remove any remaining fiber. Place the pumpkin, cut side down, on an oiled baking sheet. and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the pumpkin flesh and mash until very smooth. Measure out 2 cups of the puree. Add the sugar, milk, cream, butter and seasoning; mix together thoroughly. Beat eggs lightly in a separate bowl, then incorporate into the pumpkin mixture.

Butter pie dish. Line with crust, or tip the no-roll crust in and pat down. Place on a baking sheet. Pour filling over. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350º F and bake a further 30 minutes or until the filling is set.

Now, remember I said to set the seeds aside? Here's why: rinse them to remove the pumpkin fiber and allow to dry. Use your hands to toss seeds in a little olive oil, then use your oily hands to grease a baking sheet. Spread out the seeds on it in a single layer. Bake at the top of the oven (at 400º F) until the seeds start to color (5-10 minutes, but keep checking). Toss in sea salt while still warm. Perfect to serve with cocktails.

On a Sweeter Note

Just as I've refused to post a recipe for turkey, I am not going to touch pumpkin pie either. But I do want to urge you to use fresh pumpkin not canned. Yes, I know I promised you recipes that won't tax you, but the taste difference is enormous. So please, for me... This year I have made a small pumpkin pie, and on Sunday I made up a batch of pecan squares (because they keep well and go down even better), but for my piece de resistance I have broken with tradition this year and used my old friend and great baker, Peg's fabulous caramel torte recipe. It's quite involved, but it is delicious and you now have a whole year to practise it!

Peg's Caramel Walnut Torte

Crust:
10 oz butter, 8 egg yolks, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 3.5 cups flour
- Roughly beat butter and sugar (not to a cream, just so there are still small lumps of butter in the mix). Incorporate egg yolks and vanilla, then flour and salt. Form into a ball and chill well.

Filling:
3 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 2 cups heavy cream, 7 oz butter, 5 cups walnut halves
- Heat sugar and water to 320 degrees. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Heat up to 225 degrees then allow to cool.

Topping:
8oz best quality bitter chocolate, such as Ghirardelli or European. 1 cup walnuts, finely crushed.

Assembly and baking:
- Grease a 6" round cake tin. Place a circle of pastry in the base, and use rest to line the sides. Seal joints with an egg-white wash. Add cooled filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Presentation:
- Allow cake to cool and solidify. Remove from mold. Ice top and sides with chocolate and roll sides in crushed walnuts.

Get Stuffed

I have no intention of telling you how to cook your turkey. But I can give you some ideas for dressing and stuffing.

I love the Barefoot Contessa's Sausage and Herb Stuffing recipe below, though I am omitting her suggestion of 1 cup dried cranberries because I like to make up a pot of cranberry relish for the table (a pack of fresh cranberries, a cup or two of sugar and a few slivers of freshly pared orange rind cooked together gently for 20 minutes or so).

Ina Garten's dressing complements Paula Deen's selection of cornbread stuffings, but forgive me, girls, I have opted for my grandmother's simple recipe this time.

Sausage and Herb Stuffing

16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or sourdough (1 1/2 pound loaf)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
2 granny smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large-diced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, parsley, salt and pepper. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes.

In the same sauté pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.

Add the chicken stock to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 x 12 inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle.

Old Ma Grant's Home Country Stuffing

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup onion, finely sliced
handful each of celery leaves and parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon each dried thyme, sage and rosemary
1/2 loaf day-old white bread, grated to crumbs
sautéed turkey livers, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Melt butter. Add onion and cook until tender. Mix in bread, liver, celery leaves and herbs, and bind with the two beaten eggs (mixed with a little water if the bread is particularly dry). Season with salt and pepper. Fill the bird loosely, allowing space for expansion during cooking.

Succotash

At Thanksgiving I like to pay tribute to our Native American heritage, and this beautiful, healthy side is an excellent contrast to the turkey. Some succotash recipes are heavy on the cream and butter, which is great as a vegetarian main, but can be a little too much at Thanksgiving.

My recipe gives a more refreshing succotash, and here's a bonus: prepare it ahead of time - in fact it just improves as the flavors mingle.

Ingredients for 4 people

3 ears of corn, unshucked
1 10-oz package frozen baby lima beans
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons butter
handful torn fresh basil leaves (or flat-leaf parsley)
Salt and pepper

Method

Add unshucked corn to pan of boiling, salted water and cook for 3 minutes. Unshuck corn and strip kernels from cobs. Sweat onion in butter in a pan large enough to add the frozen beans. When onion is translucent add the beans and cook, stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes. Add salt, freshly ground pepper and the corn kernels, and cook for a couple of minutes more. Allow to cool and add the basil.

On the day reheat the dish gently until warmed through.

Giving thanks Jesse-style

Thanksgiving week is upon us again! I hope to be surrounded by friends and family over the coming days, and I thought it would be good to share the recipes I plan to include in my own celebrations. So please spare a few minutes of your own precious time in the next few days to look over my site because I'll be including some time-saving tips to get us all through the week stress free.

Let's get the party off to a punchy start with this simple (and simply delicious) classic cocktail.

Cosmopolitan - serves 2

1/3 cup premium Vodka
1 tbsp Triple Sec orange liqueur
1/3 cup cranberry juice
couple dashes lime juice

Shake all ingredients with plenty of ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into two frozen Martini glasses and serve immediately.

(I notice that clever old Martha suggests serving with a little skewer of frozen, candied cranberries, and I must say this is great for keeping your drink cool. Here's a quick way: spread 2 cups of washed cranberries on a baking tray and sprinkle with 2 cups of sugar. Place in oven preheated to 275 degrees F. Bake for an hour, watching and turning occasionally. Thread onto cocktail sticks (4 per stick), freeze in a sealed bag or container until required.