Fresh Pumpkin Pie in Hazlenut Crust

This is the Thanksgiving classic, just like your great-grandma used to make. Unlike the more "modern" recipes that use canned pumpkin (or the really modern ones that use a frozen pie and a tub of Cool-Whip), this one uses a real, honest-to-God pumpkin.

Give it a shot. Sure, it's a little more challenging than using canned stuff, but it has no additives or preservatives.

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Fresh Pumpkin Pie in Hazelnut Crust

Making the Crust:
2 C. vegetable shortening
4 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. ground raw hazlenuts
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 C. ice water
1 egg, beaten
1 T. distilled white vinegar

Sift the flour, salt, and sugar together, then cut in the shortening until well-mixed. Mix the ice water, egg, hazlenuts, and vinegar together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat to combine (mixture will be stiff.)

Press the dough into pie pans (no need to roll it out.) Cover tightly, and chill or freeze until ready to use.


Preparing the Pumpkin:
1 medium pie pumpkin
Water

Scrub the pumpkin with warm water. Chop the pumpkin in half, remove the stem, and scoop out the seeds. Cut into quarters, and place in a large saucepan with 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover tightly. Steam the pumpkin for 20-30 minutes or until very tender. Remove from heat, drain away the water, and allow to cool.

Scoop the cooked pumpkin off of the rind into a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.

Line a collander with cheesecloth or paper towels, and place in a large bowl. Pour the pumpkin mush onto the cheesecloth, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight to drain. The next morning, discard the water and scrape the pumpkin mush into a bowl.


Making the Filling
3 cups of pumpkin mush
1 cup sugar
12 oz. evaporated milk
3 eggs
1/2 t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and blend with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into 2 uncooked pie shells (do not overfill...leave about 1/2" of head space.)

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45-60 minutes longer. The pie is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.


Making the Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. powdered sugar

Place all ingredients, as well as the mixing bowl, in the refrigerator and chill until very cold. Beat the cream with an electric mixer until almost stiff, then blend in remaining ingredients. Mix on the highest speed setting until it reaches the desired stiffness. Chill until ready to use.

TIP: be careful not to over-mix the cream...too much, and the butter fat will separate out and make a lumpy, oily mess.

Wild Mushroom Pate

If you love hummus as much as we do, you've gotta give this a try. It makes a pretty good vegan sandwich, too.

Wild Mushroom Pate

2 lbs. fresh wild mushrooms (morel, oyster, chantrelle, shitake, etc.)
1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
1 oz. dried fig
2 T. olive oil
1 t. balsamic vinegar
2 T. barley flour
1/3 C. dry sherry
Paprika

Finely chop the mushrooms, garlic, figs, and onion. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the mushrooms, garlic, onion, and vinegar. Cook over medium heat until the onions are carmelized, the mushrooms are wilted, and most of the liquid has evaproated.

Mix the flour with the sherry, and add to the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes (mixture will be thick.) Spoon into a shallow serving dish, sprinkle with paprika, and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Serve with your favorite hummus, feta cheese, and pita bread.

Cranberry Hazlenut Compote

Ah, Thanksgiving! The foodie's favorite holiday! You work so hard in the kitchen, slaving and basting over a hot oven to prepare a delicious, moist, perfectly-roasted turkey. To go through all that trouble, only to dump a gelatinous blob of canned cranberry jelly on top of it, would be a crime. That's like grilling a t-bone steak to perfection, only to dump catsup all over it.

Try this instead.

Cranberry Hazlenut Compote

1 C. raw hazlenuts, chopped
1 T. butter
1 lb. fresh cranberries
1/2 c. orange marmalade
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. sweet wine
1 t. fresh grated ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan. Add the hazlenuts, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the nuts are lightly toasted.

Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the cranberries disintegrate. Uncover, and boil over medium heat for 10-20 minutes or until reduced to desired thickness.

Serve with sliced, roasted poultry, pork, or fish.

Poached Pears in White Wine

Tisha e-mailed me this recipe, for our annual Thanksgiving feast. We wanted a challenging, pear-based dessert...and I think this one will fit the bill.

Poached Pears in White Wine

6 large, firm Anjou pears
1 bottle (750ml) of Reisling wine
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 T. honey
2 cinnamon sticks
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. fresh ginger, grated

Combine the water, sugar, wine, honey, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla in a large (4-quart) saucepan or stew pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the honey and sugar have dissolved. Peel and add the pears. Simmer for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender.

Remove the pears with a slotted spoon, and place stem-up on a serving dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside to cool.

Reduce the liquid over medium heat until it is thickened into a heavy syrup (about 30-45 minutes.) Remove the cinnamon stick.

To serve, place a pear in a shallow bowl or dessert dish, and drizzle with the hot syrup. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a cinnamon stick.

TIP: place the pear on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or your favorite puffed pastry, before drizzling the syrup.