Issue Date: November 16, 2003
Simply impressive desserts
Thanksgiving is pie time. But during the holidays, who has the patience to struggle with a complicated crust? Pam Anderson shows you how to make three holiday classics without the bother.
A Thanksgiving without pie is about as rare as one without turkey. But why do so many of us delegate pie baking to the grocery store or bakery? I suspect it's that darn crust, which requires some skill, practice and patience. The latter is in short supply just now.
Although I believe every cook ought to learn how to make a good pie crust (see my Perfect Pumpkin Pie recipe), this may not be the year. Fortunately, frozen puff pastry is a simple, high-quality stand-in for the real thing. Roll out the sheet of dough just a little bit more and fit it into a tart pan for Rich Chocolate Tart or bake it free-form for Apple-Cranberry Crostada.
Pumpkin cheesecake is not technically a pie, but it does have a crust and has become a Thanksgiving classic. And I've simplified its crust, too: Simply lay whole graham crackers in the pan, then spread melted butter and sugar over the crackers, and bake.
The crusts are simple, and so are the fillings. So there's no excuse: Let them eat your homemade dessert this year.
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Perfectly Simple Pumpkin Cheesecake
6 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup sugar
7 to 8 whole graham crackers
1 15-ounce can 100% pure pumpkin purée
1 1/4 cups plus 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. each: ground nutmeg and ground allspice
4 large eggs
1 1/2 pounds (3 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature (to quickly warm, remove the blocks of cheese from their packaging and microwave until soft, about 30 seconds)
1 16-ounce carton sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Optional garnish: Toasted or candied pecans
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat butter and sugar in a saucepan until butter melts. Meanwhile, line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with a 12-by-20-inch sheet of foil so it hangs over the long sides of the pan (you'll use this as a "handle" to pull the cooked dessert from the pan). Arrange graham crackers over foil-lined pan bottom, cutting the final few with a knife so they'll fit snugly. Pour butter mixture over crackers; spread with knife to cover. Bake until butter-sugar mixture starts to harden, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees.
As crust bakes, heat pumpkin, 1 1/4 cups brown sugar and spices in a medium pan over medium-high heat until mixture is sputtery hot. Process eggs on high speed in a blender. Transfer pumpkin to a pourable container. With blender running, slowly add pumpkin mixture; purée until smooth. Add cream cheese, one block at a time; purée until smooth. Pour mixture over crust; bake until set, about 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix sour cream, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and vanilla. Remove cheesecake from oven. Pour sour cream mixture evenly over top; carefully spread so top is completely covered. Return to oven. Bake
to set topping, about 5 minutes longer. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate (can be made up to 2 days ahead).
To serve, run a knife around the pan perimeter to loosen cake. Use foil handles to pull cake from pan.
Cut into squares (up to 15) and garnish with optional pecans.
Serves: 12 to 15.
Per serving, based on 15: 433 calories, 7g protein, 39g carbohydrates, 29g fat (17g saturated), 0.7g fiber, 268mg sodium.
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Apple-Cranberry Crostada
3 Tbs. butter
2 pounds Granny Smith apples (or other firm, crisp apples), peeled, quartered, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 pound Macintosh apples (or other soft-textured apples that fall apart when cooked), peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup plus 1 Tb. sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 sheet puff pastry from a 17.3-ounce box, thawed but still cold (follow package directions)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Optional: Ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, 1/2 cup sugar and cranberries; cover and cook until apples release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until soft apples fall apart and juices thicken to a thin-syrup consistency, about 5 minutes longer. Pour onto a large-lipped cookie sheet or jellyroll pan and cool to room temperature. (Can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days.)
Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Open puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a rectangle, about 10 by 16 inches. Transfer to a large cookie sheet. (I suggest lining the sheet with parchment paper; this ensures the crostada doesn't stick and allows easy cleanup.)
Spread cooked apples over pastry, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold up pastry borders over apples. Unfold corners and form ruffled creases to keep dough from overlapping. Brush pastry border with egg white and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tb. sugar. Bake until pastry is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with optional ice cream or whipped cream.
Serves: 6 to 8.
Per serving, based on 8: 371 calories, 3g protein, 55g carbohydrates, 16g fat (5g saturated), 4g fiber, 127mg sodium.
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Rich Chocolate Tart
1 sheet frozen puff pastry from a 17.3-ounce box, thawed but still cold (follow package directions)
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut in small dice
1 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks (if using raw eggs is a concern for you, substitute the yolks of 2 pasteurized eggs)
Optional garnish: 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks, and 1 cup raspberries
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Unfold pastry on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a12-inch square. Fit into a 9-by-1-inch round tart pan, making sure the pastry is not stretched. Trim excess pastry from pan by pressing around the perimeter with the tip of your thumb. Prick pastry all over with a fork.
Spray the bottom side of a 9-inch Pyrex-type pie plate with vegetable cooking spray, then place it in the tart pan to keep the pastry from puffing excessively. Bake until crisp and golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove pie plate and let tart shell cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, microwave cream and chocolate in a 1-quart Pyrex-type measuring cup on high power until cream is hot enough to melt chocolate, about 3 minutes. (Or heat cream and chocolate together in a double boiler.) Whisk until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly whisk a cup or so of the chocolate mixture into the yolks (this keeps them from curdling). Whisk this chocolate-egg mixture back into the remaining chocolate and stir until completely blended.
Pour chocolate filling into tart shell. Cool until filling has set. (Can be covered loosely and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Serve with whipped cream and optional raspberries.
Serves: 12.
Per serving: 352 calories, 3g protein, 22g carbohydrates, 29g fat (13g saturated), 1g fiber, 69mg sodium.
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