A Kitchen Keeper Original - Pumpkin Cheesecake with Orange Caramel Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know that all families have holiday traditions. Ours are probably different than yours. While we'll be having turkey with all the trimmings this year, the bird has never been the focus of our Thanksgiving feast. Thanksgiving was, is, and probably always will be about dessert in this house. When the children were home, everyone got to pick the dessert they wanted to end the meal. There was always a pumpkin, an apple, a mincemeat and a lemon meringue pie sitting on the sideboard, and because they were so popular back in the day, you'd also find loaves of cranberry and pumpkin bead waiting to be sliced. This year I'm updating some of those traditional desserts, so I'm going to serve a luscious pumpkin and orange cheesecake instead of pumpkin pie. It's a bit of a pother to make, but one bite of this rich and creamy cake will have your socks going up and down. Despite what you may have heard, I do not have nerves of steel, so I make and freeze the cake the weekend before the holiday. I move it to the refrigerator to thaw the night before I want to serve it, so while it takes up valuable space, it makes the cook's life much easier come the big day. This cake has a lovely creamy texture and its faintly orange flavor is enhanced with a caramel sauce that is also orange flavored. It's a lovely riff on an old favorite and I know those of you who try the recipe will love the cake. Here is how it is made.

A Kitchen Keeper Original - Pumpkin Pudding Cake with Pecan Sugar Crust

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Years ago, I kept my freezer stocked with treats for friends who dropped by for a quick visit. These days, those same friends, who, by the way, are some of the best looking seniors in Oregon, usually avoid sweets. As a result, my freezer is heavy on vegetables and fish, and desserts and snacks are kept to a bare minimum. We do, however, make an exception during the holidays, and this weekend I began to feed the freezer for Thanksgiving and Christmas visitors. This pumpkin cake is one of Bob's favorites. It is spicy and moist and has a texture much like that of an apple pudding cake or fudgy brownie. I cut the cake into serving size pieces, individually wrap and freeze them, then reheat them when needed in the microwave. I love to serve this cake warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of ice cream. The pumpkin make it seasonally appropriate, but it is different than most of the desserts that are served at this time of year. This is a very rich cake, so you'll want to keep serving size reasonably small. If you do not freeze the cake, keep it in the refrigerator for safe keeping. I know those of you who try this pudding cake will love it. Here is how it's made.

Easy No-Bake Pumpkin Pudding Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Excuses, excuses! I hope you're ready for them, and I'll apologize now for the one that is about to come. I pride myself on baking and cooking from scratch, but there are times when a gal has to kick principles aside and take the low road to glory. This past weekend, I was asked to bring a dessert to a potluck supper. I normally go out of my way to make something special for functions such as this, but I've attended other suppers with this group and knew there would be a lot of mac n' cheese and enough pasta salad to feed the island of Santorini. This was a pie and pudding crowd and, rather than fuss over tortes or mousse, I decided to give them just that. During the Thanksgiving holiday, I make an icebox dessert for my family that is made with homemade cinnamon crackers and a pumpkin mousse that is laced with orange liqueur. It is really good and will make your socks go up and down. Well, to make a long story short, I decided to simplify that dessert for the potluck, and make it using ready made ingredients that would make it nearly effortless to prepare. I order spiced pumpkin pudding in quantity at Thanksgiving time. I enjoy the pudding and make it throughout the year, though I always give it a flavor boost with additional spices when I make it. I decided to use it and packaged cinnamon grahams for my potluck contribution. The cake turned out well and it is very tasty, though it is a bit messier to cut than I like. That aside, this cake is so easy to make that I thought you might want to add it to your roster for potlucks that are similar to the one I attended. Here is how it's made.

Pumpkin Pudding

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been known to joke that my house is always ready for company, except when it's not. A while back the phone rang at one of my most "not" moments and left me with about three hours to sanitize, beautify and cook for folks whose company we enjoy, but don't see often. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, a plan for an easy but festive meal came together. I fell back on my three fall P's of pork, potatoes and pumpkin. Years ago, I made an icebox cake that was always well received. While I had no time to make or set the cake portion of the dessert, I could make the filling and serve it as a creamy, almost mousse-like, pudding. I think you'll really like this one. It is a novel way to serve pumpkin, but it still is in keeping with the spirit of the season. I've used whole milk and heavy cream to make the dessert, but low-fat and non-dairy products can also be used. I love to serve this with my favorite Swedish gingersnaps. A crackling fire, great coffee and a brandy are also wonderful accompaniments. Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wish I had a wonderful story to accompany today's feature, but the truth is I had unclaimed Halloween treats that I wanted to get rid of. Chocolate covered raisins are under appreciated by my family, so I had boxes of them left from the holiday and did not want to throw them out. I've had a recipe for pumpkin muffins for a while now and I thought the raisins would be a nice addition to the muffins which are based on a recipe created by Dorie Greenspan. While the muffins are a bit dense, they are tasty and very easy to make. They were also a great way to rid myself of the coated raisins before they went stale or spoiled. If you have an extra can of pumpkin puree in your kitchen, you might want to give these muffins a try. One caution. They stale quickly, so plan to eat them the morning they are made. They'd be great for Thanksgiving breakfast. Here is how they are made.

Himalayan-Style Curried Pumpkin Soup - Mountain Kingdom Recipes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Over the course of the next few days, I plan to share a handful of recipes from our recent Himalayan adventures. I must begin by telling you that people don't make this long journey for the food they'll be eating in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. The food is very basic and what is served to visitors is repetitive, and most of the bland and tepid dishes are served buffet style. Ruth Reichl has been quoted as calling Bhutan's food "the world's worst cuisine." That's a bit harsh. I know she is at the top of her game, but when I talk about food from another country, I constantly remind myself that someone's mother has slaved over dishes I'm tempted to criticize and brush aside. That being said, while the food in Nepal is decent, that in Tibet and Bhutan tends to be bland because chilies, probably with good reason, are removed from dishes prepared for Westerners. One constant on our buffet tables was a dish called "chili cheese", a casserole made with yak cheese and fiery chilies. I tend to be an adventurous eater and I'll try anything once, but my first experience with chili cheese left me gasping for air and praying that St. George would appear and slay me before the fire I was breathing, torched the room. Soups, which we had every night, were on the other end of the spectrum and generally made with pumpkin or mushrooms that were watered down and desperately in need of seasoning. Dried meats are used throughout this area and they are difficult, if not impossible, to find in most state-side markets. For that reason, I decided the first recipe I wanted to share with you would be a simple soup made with pumpkin or yellow squash and ingredients you already have in your pantry. While you want to check the soup for seasoning before it is served, the spices used are typical of those used in the mountain kingdoms and the only liberty I've taken with the basic recipe is to offer a choice of coconut milk or cream. Coconut milk is not an ingredient used in the region, but I had a can of it and thought I could make good use of it here. This is a basic soup and very easy to make. If you are curious, here is how it is made.

A Holiday Favorite - My Recipe Rotation - Pumpkin Panna Cotta

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you are looking for special fall dessert, I suspect your search is over. This is, unequivocally, my personal favorite holiday dessert. While it does not come together in seconds, it is easy to make, and the pumpkin and orange combination will light up your palate and deliver something different to your table. My only caution about this dessert regards the molds in which you make it. Panna Cotta is a soft set custard and it will be very difficult to remove from intricate molds. Stick with simpler custard cups and you will be fine. No special ingredients or liqueur are required and what you do need can be found in any large grocery store. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. It gives new meaning to delicious and the orange-caramel sauce is divine. Here is what I had to say about it when it was first published.

Pillow Soft Whoopie Pies from the Pumpkin Patch

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These delicious "sandwiches" are a riff on the chocolate version that most folks are familiar with. According to food historians, Amish women would bake these desserts (known as hucklebucks, or creamy turtles at the time) and put them in farmers' lunch pails or lunch boxes. When farmers would find the treats in their lunch, they would shout "Whoopie!". Hence the name. It is thought that the original whoopie pies may have been made from leftover cake batter. As the harvest season draws to a close, the appearance of pumpkins in farmer's markets is a sure sign that it's time to put the heady spices associated with fall to work, and there is no better way to do that than to whip up some pumpkin treats. Duly motivated, I pull out my pumpkin recipes, of which there are an admittedly ridiculous number, and start to work my way through the lot. We, of course,  have favorites, and, if there are young boys or teenagers around, these pumpkin whoopie cakes, known to the grandchildren as poltergeist pies, are always among the first of the recipes to be made. The pies are a bit more work than cookies, but anyone sitting at your table will love them, and you may even garner you a round of applause when they appear on your table. They are not a pretty treat but they are enormously flavorful and will please those who like sweet treats. These pies are filled with a marshmallow buttercream rather than the more common cream cheese filling, so you will find them to be quite rich and filling. The pies are not hard to make and you can have them on the table in about an hour. Here is how they are made.

New England Pumpkin Walnut Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I just can't seem to help myself. I need another recipe for pumpkin bread like I need a hole in the head, but, as you can see, that hasn't stopped me from looking. The oatmeal topping on top of this bread caught my eye and I simply had to give the recipe a try. Strangely enough it doesn't add much flavor to the finished loaf and it seems to be used more for the sake of appearance than flavor. This is a very sweet cake, similar in flavor to a Passover honey cake, and if you like honey cake you'll love this sweet quick bread. The pumpkin puree keeps the loaf moist and its flavor improves as the loaf ages. This is a very simple bread to make and if you have a strong arm it can be prepared with a couple of bowls and a wooden spoon. The recipe comes Taste of Home magazine and while I increased the amount of cinnamon, cut back a smidge on the cloves, this is their recipe. If you are looking for a new pumpkin bread, you might want to give this one a try. Here is how the bread is made.

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Some foods are so closely associated with the holidays that it seems crass to overlook them. Every time I try to retire one of our holiday pies, the ghosts of Thanksgiving past come back to haunt me. Mincemeat gained a permanent place at our table because it was Grandpa Andy's favorite, and despite the fact that no one eats it, everyone insists we have one for the holiday. I go through the same dance with pumpkin pie. It has never been anyone's favorite, but it's so much a part of Thanksgiving tradition that it, too, always appears on our table. I do have a confession to make. I play with pumpkin pie, as a matter of fact I shamelessly play with pumpkin pie, and every year I give a new recipe a try. This year I came across a version that uses hot caramel syrup to sweeten the pumpkin custard. Given my track record and the fact the recipe came from Food and Wine magazine, there was no question as to what this year's version of the pie would be. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised with the results. This pie is less spicy than most, but what could be bland pumpkin comes alive with notes of butterscotch flavoring the custard. I think you'll like this and those of you who enjoy butterscotch might even love it. Be sure to use a large saucepan when making the syrup. It will foam and bubble furiously when cream is added to it and you are going to want a pan large enough to contain it and prevent burns. This pie is a bit more involved to make than most, but if you are looking for a modern take on an old favorite, you might want to give this one a try. Here is how the pie is made.

Pumpkin and Chocolate Bundt Cake with Bittersweet Chocloate Glaze

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I don't want you to think I've forgotten about Thanksgiving Day. I plan to devote this week, save for Tuesday, when I'll be featuring a new Table for Two recipe, to cakes and desserts that are perfect for the holiday. I wanted to start with this very simple bundt cake because it is just that. Very Simple. I believe the recipe first appeared in Eating Well magazine, but it has so proliferated that I can't state that as an absolute fact. The cake uses pureed pumpkin to replace much of the oil that's used to make a standard bundt cake, so it is a bit healthier for you than most. It also makes the cake incredibly moist and lends a holiday touch to what would otherwise be just another chocolate cake. I've made this cake several times and have come to the conclusion that it really needs the added flavor that a bittersweet chocolate glaze provides. The cake was originally made with a simple sugar glaze and topped with miniature chocolate chips. It was good, but my family prefers strong flavors and the version made with bittersweet chocolate was their hands down favorite. The cake stays fresh for days and it transports really well. It also makes a terrific base for "Death by Chocolate" type dessert. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. It would make a great addition to your holiday dessert table. Here is how the cake is made.

Pumpkin Panna Cotta - Away A While Recipe Favorites

Pumpkin Panna Cotta with Orange Caramel Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I suspect I might be a bit early with this recipe, but I love Thanksgiving and  the memories associated with it. Our first Thanksgiving was spent below street level in a l-shaped  apartment in the Hyde Park region of Chicago.  Papa and Mama S. lived above us and while Papa embraced us quickly it took Mama a bit longer to warm up to the Silver Fox and me. Once the barriers came down, we became family and she was determined to pass on those life skills she thought every girl should know. Mama's world was full of ghosts, border guards and fears held, just barely, at bay. I made the mistake, that first Thanksgiving, of sharing with her my desire to leave school. Oh, my! I have an ear for languages and dialect but I won't use either to color portraits of the people I've loved. It can, too, easily be seen as sport, so I'll share only the anglicized version of the advice I received from Mama S. In her world babies did not have babies, women wore all their jewelry all the time (as bankable as cash) and those fortunate enough to receive an education did not leave school because they were tired. The keystone of her argument..."assure your future lest you have to move your tent to another village." God bless her; that wise old survivor, whose tent had moved to many villages, predated the women's movement by a decade. All of this was said over the components of a custard the night before Thanksgiving. Mama made a pumpkin flan that was not to be believed, but the flan, unusual back then, is common now, so I thought I'd share this with you instead. Pumpkin custards --- made rich with cream, flavored with orange and spices, and stiffened with gelatin --- are served with a sauce of brown sugar, butter, and orange. It's an easy, elegant alternative to pumpkin pie, it's gorgeous to look at and the recipe can be doubled. What's not to like? The recipe can be found here.

                    

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