COLUMN: Enjoy your Thanksgiving with a twist on old favorites
This year for Thanksgiving I’ve been wanting to branch out and try some new twists on old favorites. If you want to do the same, even if it’s just in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, here are some interesting recipes I’ve tried and liked, using traditional seasonal ingredients in a fresh and delicious way.
Yeast-Raised Cornbread Rolls
Even though these are more like rolls than cornbread, they are still great with a dollop of honey butter on top.
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 package (2 3/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
2 cups corn (if using frozen, defrost to room temperature)
– Whisk together the four, cornmeal and salt.
– In a separate bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add about 2/3 of the flour cornmeal mixture. Then add the olive oil, honey, eggs and corn and mix using an electric hand mixer.
– As the dough comes together, add more of the flour cornmeal mixture a little bit at a time until you get a soft dough that isn’t too sticky. (You may not end up using all of the flour cornmeal mixture).
– Dump the dough out onto a floured countertop and knead for 3-5 minutes.
– Gather the dough into a ball and rub with a little olive oil. Place the ball in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let it sit in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
– Once the dough has risen, dump it out onto the counter and use a knife to cut it into equal sized pieces. An easy way to do this is to keep cutting it in half until you have 18 equal sized pieces.
– Shape each piece into a ball and place them into greased muffin tins. Cover and let rise another hour.
– Bake them at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until rolls are golden. Serve with honey butter.
Ruby Pears
This recipe combines two seasonal ingredients, cranberries and pears, in a delicious alternative to the old jiggly can of cranberry.
2 (15 oz.) cans pears
1 (14 oz.) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
– Drain pears and place them, cut side up, in an 8-inch baking dish.
– In a medium saucepan combine cranberry sauce, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is heated through.
– Spoon over the pears, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until hot.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingerbread Crust and Marshmallow Sour Cream Topping
This sophisticated dessert is refreshing in a sea of plain pumpkin pies this time of year.
For the Crust:
1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the Filling:
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon gloves
dash of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
For the Topping:
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
– To make the crust, combine the cookies, pecans, brown sugar and ginger in a blender or food processor until well ground. Remove and add butter. Spread in the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-inch round pan. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
– To make the filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and beat well. Beat the eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add flour, spices and salt and beat just to blend. Stir in the vanilla.
– Pour filling into the cooled crust. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the middle is set and it’s just starting to crack. Allow to cool for 1 hour before refrigerating overnight, uncovered.
– To make the topping, combine the marshmallows and milk in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Let mixture cool to room temperature and then fold in the sour cream.
– Spread over the chilled cheesecake and refrigerate until topping is set, about 1 hour.
– jenn.nelle@gmail.com