You don't have to stick to traditional holiday fare this year if you're feeling adventurous.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner and Christmas and New Year's within shouting distance, it's time to be shoring up your holiday menus. This just might be the year you want to add a new tradition to the holiday dessert table. Or maybe you want to totally ditch the tried-and-true for something new and exciting. If so, here are some alternatives you might want to consider:
Apple Butter Pie
When we were kids, my mother used to buy big jars of apple butter to turn plain toast into delicious, economic treats. Now apple butter is a nostalgic flavor. Who knew you could make such a delicious dessert with a kitchen mainstay. This is a simple, tangy pie made from ingredients that are likely already in your pantry, a delicious alternative to a traditional pumpkin pie.
1 single-crust pie crust (recipe below)
1½ cups apple butter
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare pie crust and put in a 9-inch pie plate. Set aside
In a large bowl, combine apple butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in eggs, one at a time.
Gradually add evaporated milk, mixing well. Pour the filling into the pie crust.
Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely on a wired rack before serving. Top with fresh whipped cream, cinnamon whipped cream, vanilla ice cream and/or chopped nuts
Grown-up Pecan Pie
Pecan Pie has earned its way onto America's holiday with its generous helping of nuts and its sweet gooey goodness. But not everyone appreciates the overwhelming sweetness. This recipe adds salty bacon to even out the sweetness and then kicks up the complexity with a punch of bourbon and cayenne.
One-crust whole wheat pie crust (recipe below)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, adjusted to taste
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
4 strips bacon, well cooked (until crispy) and roughly chopped
1½ cups chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter and sugar with a wire whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each. Add salt, cayenne, vanilla, corn syrup and bourbon. Whisk until everything if completely mixed together. Stir in bacon and 1 cup of pecans. Set aside.
Prepare the crust and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Place the lined pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
Arrange the remaining ½ cups of pecans in a layer on the bottom of the pie shell. Give the filling a final stir to ensure nothing settled at the bottom of the bowl. Pour the filling over the pecans and place in oven. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until the crust and pecans are golden and until the middle of the pie no longer wobbles.
Allow to cool at room temperature until the filling is set (about an hour) before serving. Serve with whipped cream.
PEAR AND GOAT CHEESE TART
Looking for something reminiscent of your favorite apple pie but a little fancier, a little trendier, a little "more." Try this Pear and Goat Cheese Tart. It incorporates the traditional flavors of autumn desserts with the slightly tangy, creamy goat cheese. It's rustic yet sophisticated, quick yet artful, sure to garner rave reviews and definitely delicious enough for any holiday table.
One crust Whole Wheat Pie Crust (recipe below)
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 to 3 pears (preferably Bartlett), peeled or unpeeled, cored and roughly chopped or thinly-sliced (equal to 2 cups)
2 ounces fresh goat cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Stir together the sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a small bowl until combined.
Place the pears in a large bowl and pour the sugar mixture over them. With your hands or a large spoon, gently toss the fruit to coat evenly.
Roll out the crusts. Divide into two equal pieces and form each half into a 1-inch thick disk. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with second disk, placing it next to the first crust on the baking sheet.
Arrange 1 cup of pears (half the mixture) in the center of the first crust, leaving a 1-inch edge. (If the pears are too juicy, strain off half the liquid before placing on the crust.) Crumble half of the goat cheese evenly over the pear filling.
Starting on one side, fold the edge of the crust up and over the edge of the filling. Make your way around the circle, folding up the extra crust and pleating as you go around. The crust should not meet in the center.
Repeat the filling, topping and folding with the second crust.
Bake until the crusts are golden brown and the cheese has browned on top, 30-40 minutes. Serve warm.
Roasted Blackberry Chess Pie
Sometimes after your satisfying holiday feast and the nap and football game that follow, you don't want to close out the day with another heavy bite. No more room for pumpkin or pecan pie. Enough with the cinnamon and nutmeg. A little bite of sweetness that isn't too cloying, something lighter and a little fresher would be much more satisfying. If that's what you're looking for, try this simple chess pie. It might just be the light bite you're looking for to close out the day.
1 single-crust pie crust (recipe below)
2 cups blackberries
1¼ cup granulated sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare pie crust and put in pie plate. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Blind bake 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake another 15-20 minutes, until the crust has firmed up.
Meanwhile, cut some of the blackberries in half and then arrange all the blackberries on a baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 10 minutes. (It’s OK to roast alongside the crust for the final 10-12 minutes.) Remove from oven; cool. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of the sugar; toss to coat. (I used raw turbinado sugar to add a rich, earthy flavor). Transfer to the baked crust and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 cup sugar, cream, butter, lemon juice, cornstarch, cornmeal, vanilla and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pour slowly over blackberries in the crust. (If the fruit migrates to the sides of the crust, move them so they are evenly-spaced and all parts of the pie gets blackberries.) Bake 40-50 minutes, until center is set, covering loosely with foil the final 10 minutes of baking.
Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover; chill at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours before serving.
WHOLE WHEAT CRUST
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour or unbleached whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup cold vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons cold vodka
8 tablespoons cold water, plus extra as needed
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and sugar until everything is thoroughly combined. Add the butter and shortening and cut the mixture together using a pastry cutter until it forms small pea-size crumbs coated in flour.
Pour the vodka evenly over the dry ingredients, a few tablespoons at a time, using a rubber spatula to press the dough together. Add the water, a tablespoon or two at a time, and continue to press the dough together to form a large ball. If the dough doesn’t come together or seems dry, add a little extra ice water a tablespoon at a time until everything comes together easily. (Be careful to work the dough as little as possible; otherwise the crust may be tough.)
Divide the dough into two equal balls; press each into a disk, wrap each in plastic wrap; and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to two days before rolling out. If you only need a single crust, you can freeze one of the disks for up to three months and use it later. Or you can easily halve the recipe to make a single crust.
BUTTERY ALL-PURPOSE CRUST (ONE CRUST)
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¾ sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) cold vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons cold vodka
3 tablespoons cold water, plus extra as needed
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the butter and shortening and cut together with a pastry cutter until the mixture forms small pea-sized crumbs.
Pour the vodka over the mixture, a tablespoon at a time, using a rubber spatula. Add the water and press the dough together to form one large ball. If the dough seems dry or does not hold together, add extra water a tablespoon at a time until all the ingredients come together. (Be careful not to work the dough too much to prevent the crust from being tough.)
Press the dough into a 1-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour — or up to two days — before rolling out.
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