Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, I originally wanted to keep this blog as the place where I would share recipes I created, but these turned out so good I can't keep them to myself. That would just be cruel!

I LOVE making dessert for family get togethers, so when my husband and I were invited to his Aunt Sue's house for Thanksgiving along with 23 other people I jumped at the chance to make all of the desserts. I was told I should probably make enough pumpkin pie for everyone to have a piece, but that I could make whatever else I wanted. The pumpkin pie recipe I used is from Paula Dean, and you can find it here. The pie turns out super creamy and I've never had a problem with the middle falling in or the edges cracking. So please, use this recipe! Alex's Aunt Sue said it was the best pumpkin pie she'd ever had, and she's a great family cook!

The next dessert I made was a lemon cheesecake. I wanted something a little lighter with a bright taste, and this definitely did the trick. This ended up being Alex's grandmother's favorite dessert. It's another Paula Dean recipe and you can find it here. Don't let the "total time" scare you - 6 hours of that is chilling time in the fridge, and 1 hour (ish) of it is baking time. It really only takes about 15 minutes to put everything together - probably less. The lemon curd recipe for the topping is AMAZING! That is what I got the most compliments on. I also added a little bit of powdered sugar to the top just before serving. I tried to do it earlier (a few minutes before the picture was taken), but it all soaked into the lemon curd.

The last dessert I made was a pair of toffee apple pies. I wanted something with a caramel flavor, and I was really looking for a pie with a crumb topping, but I'm really glad I went with this recipe. There is a crumb topping underneath the top pie crust! You can find the recipe here. I used Jonathan apples for the recipe - 6 in each pie and used deep dish pie plates. This pie was my husband's favorite. I nailed the filling, the streusel topping and the sugary crust.

One thing that I did differently on the pie recipes is I used a different crust recipe. I'm sure the one that comes along with the apple pie recipe is to die for, but I have a favorite recipe. You can find the recipe I use here. The name of the recipe is "Perfect Pie Crust" and it really is. I have never had a problem with this crust, whether I'm using it as a double or a single or for little tarts, it's so butter and flaky, I love it. Bonus - it comes together very nicely in my food processor, which is really great since I don't have a stand mixer! I've rolled out the dough after chilling and without chilling it, and it turns out either way. So - if you don't have time to let the pie crust chill, it will still turn out (and it's easier to roll then!) I usually make the recipe, split it in half, wrap each section in plastic wrap, and then let it chill while I make my filling. It really doesn't need any more chilling time than that. So, I hope you guys try these recipes out. They do taste amazing! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Baking!!!

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