Mom's Pumpkin Pie

Yes, yes, I know I missed the Thanksgiving deadline with this one, but isn't there some Christmas song that talks about passing around the coffee and the pumpkin pie? And that's coming up, right? So make this for Christmas instead, or your grandma's birthday (you know pumpkin pie is her favorite), or as a reward for making it through the Thanksgiving holiday without killing any of your relatives. Or just make it because it is freakin' awesome.

Last year I went all homesteader and cooked an entire pumpkin and pureed it.

But I've got to say I was a little disappointed. It wasn't very pumpkiny and a little watery to boot. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, but I think this is one instance where I prefer the canned over fresh. 

This is my Mom's recipe and I always make it in my Grandma's pie plate. 

This pie has all the requisite spices, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, plus rich half-and-half that makes it super silky and creamy. Simple, delicious, perfect.

Mom's Pumpkin Pie
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Makes 1 (9-inch) pie


For the crust: 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
4-6 tablespoons ice water
1 large egg, beaten

For the filling:
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves

Whipped Cream for serving

For the crust: 

1. Combine flour, sugar,  and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter pieces and toss to coat in flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour until the pieces are the size of small peas.

2. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture then use your hands to moisten the flour. Let the flour fall through your fingers, but avoid overly squeezing or pressing too hard. Gently squeeze a handful of dough, if it crumbles apart and does not hold together add a couple more tablespoons ice water and gently toss to moisten.

3. Squeeze again, if dough easily holds together, gather all in a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Press down to create a flat disk and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

4. Heat oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the bottom of the oven. Place a baking sheet in the oven while it is heating. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thick. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough and trim off excess, leaving a 1-inch border. Decoratively pinch edges together and prick all over with a fork.

5. Line crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place on the hot baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden on the edges. Remove parchment paper and beans and brush with beaten egg. Continue baking until bottom is lightly golden, about 5-10 more minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool slightly and turn oven down to 350°F.

For the filling: 


1. Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Place crust back onto the baking sheet and pour filling into pie crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until just set and slightly puffed on the edges.

2. Cool on a rack for at least 3 hours before serving. Can be made a day in advanced; let cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Can be served cold, or room temperature with whipped cream.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Scallions

I am not one to pass up the candied sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. Especially if they are made with fresh sweet potatoes and the marshmallows on top are all toasted and crisp. But every year I try to make as many things at my spread dairy-free and olive oil only goes so far.

Here's the other reason I make these on Thanksgiving....my husband. I can't tell you the thrill he gets out of seeing loads of thinly sliced garlic and jalapeños. What can I say, he loves condiments. You know when you go to a Vietnamese restaurant and they bring you the big bowl full of bean sprouts and Thai basil and mint? That right there is like a little slice of Shangri-la for my husband.

Last Thanksgiving he passed by the kitchen and noticed the pile of aromatics stacking up, Is that for me? He asked. Yes darling, Happy Thanksgiving.

If you are making these for Thanksgiving and are running out of oven space you can boil the sweet potatoes in heavily-salted water instead of roasting them.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Scallions
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Adapted from Saveur Magazine


Makes 6-8 servings

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into thick slices
6 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Toss sweet potatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and continue cooking until ginger is soft, about 15-20 minutes more.

3. Remove sweet potatoes from oven, toss with garlic mixture and serve.

Bay-Brined Roasted Turkey

The first turkey I ever roasted was for my brother and his girlfriend in their cookie-cutter apartment in Seattle. I was two or three years into college and had spent the summer before interning in Napa Valley, so I knew everything there is to know about cooking, end of story.

Just kidding, there's more....

I don't specifically remember how we brined the turkey, or for how long, but it came out lookin' good. I was very pleased with myself and proceeded to make gravy from the pan drippings (I'd seen my grandmother do this, so obviously this is what you do). As an aside, I'd also seen my grandmother "roast" many turkeys in a plastic bag so....

That gravy was so salty, but for some reason we ate it anyway. Shortly after the meal, my brother was sprawled out on the couch, moaning in a way that didn't indicate happiness. He was the kind of uncomfortable a pair of stretchy pants couldn't cure.

And this, my friends, is what Thanksgiving is all about—not brining your relatives with salty gravy, but those kitchen gaffes that can be retold in years to come. I'll save the one about cooking a 26-pound turkey in an apartment-sized electric oven with the bottom element burnt out for another time.

Bay-Brined Roasted Turkey
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Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Makes 12-14 servings

2/3 cup kosher salt
14 dried bay leaves, 10 crushed, 4 left whole
1 whole fresh, or thawed frozen turkey (22 to 24 pounds), neck and giblets removed
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
freshly ground black pepper


1. Combine kosher salt and crushed bay leaves in a small bowl. Rinse inside and outside of turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Rub 2 tablespoons salt mixture evenly inside turkey cavity, 2 tablespoons on each leg, 1 1/2 tablespoons on each wing, and 2 tablespoons on each breast. Set turkey on a baking sheet lined with a rack and refrigerate, uncovered, for 48 hours.

2. Remove turkey from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Combine 1/2 cup olive oil, wine and whole bay leaves in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Heat oven to 425°F and arrange rack in the lowest position. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Rub remaining olive oil all over turkey and season with black pepper on all sides and inside the cavity. Place turkey in a rack set over a roasting pan and tie legs together with twine.

4. Place turkey, legs first into the oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then baste with wine mixture. Reduce temperature to 350°F, rotate pan and return to oven. Continue rotating pan and basting every 30 minutes, for 2 1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh without touching any bone reads 165°F.

5. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let sit 30 minutes before carving.

Mixed Greens with Pomegranates and Pickled Shallots

Now this is my Thanksgiving salad. I make it every year at Thanksgiving and it seems no other time, which is ridiculous because it's so darn fantastic. It is tart and bright and has tons of texture which is needed in what can sometimes be a monotonous and overly rich meal.

There are some steps involved. You will need to pluck the pomegranate seeds from their paper-thin membranes. You can cheat and buy the unleashed seeds, but this becomes a fantastic project for little hands to do while you are elbow deep in turkey gizzards.

Then there's the pickling of shallots and making the dressing.

And of course, segmenting the orange.

But all this can be done up to 3 or 4 days in advance, so all you need to do on Turkey Day is toss, toss, serve.

Mixed Greens with Pomegranates and Pickled Shallots
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Makes 8-10 servings

2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 orange
1 pound mixed greens, washed and thoroughly dried
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the shallots and blanch until tender, about 30 seconds. Drain and run the shallots under cold water until cool. Place shallots in a small heat-proof bowl and set aside.

2. Combine vinegar, salt, and sugar in the same saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour boiling liquid over shallots and let sit at room temperature until cool. Drain shallots into a strainer set over a medium bowl; set shallots aside.  Add mustard and a little black pepper to the pickling liquid and stir to combine. While whisking, slowly add olive oil until dressing is emulsified.

3. Cut orange into segments by slicing off the top and bottom of the orange. Then with the orange laying flat on the cutting board, remove the peel by following the curve of the orange with a pairing knife, cutting downward to remove all the peel and white pith. Then slice between the membranes to release the orange segments. Squeeze the juice from the membranes over the bowl of dressing and stir to combine. Slice each segment in half, or thirds if really large.

4. Combine greens, pomegranates, orange segments and pickled shallots in a large salad bowl. Drizzle about 1/3 of the dressing over the top and toss to combine. Add more dressing and salt and pepper as needed.

Buttercup Squash and Spinach Salad

For my Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes post numero three.... something green and squashy. 

With all the gluttony that Thanksgiving entails, it shouldn't be an all out carbfest. Something green is always welcome. Green beans are nice, and Brussels sprouts have been featured on every gourmand's Thanksgiving table since about 2002, but I like a good salad. Salads are crisp and crunchy and offer a nice textural contrast to the soft mashed potatoes, stuffing, and yams.

I made this salad last night to have with a pork tenderloin and we had quite a bit leftover. Today was my daughter's turn to bring a snack to preschool and The Professor suggested I send along the leftover salad. I was picturing my sweet-faced little girl handing over this Tupperware filled with wilted day-old salad. I was tempted to do it, just to see the look on the teacher's face. How priceless would that conversation be:

Teacher: Oh thank you, what'd you bring?

Me: Leftover salad.

I imagine silence is what would come next.

Anyway, this salad is truly delicious (the first day, not the second). If you slice the squash super thin, it cooks in mere minutes under the broiler and gets all toasty and crisped. A mandolin is very helpful in getting the squash thin enough.

You could add some cheese too if you want, ricotta salata, feta or shaved Parmesan would all be good. As would some toasted pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds, but then this salad would be a meal unto itself and not so much a side dish.

The saba adds a nice sweet and sour note, but it's completely optional or you could drizzle regular balsamic instead, although that would be a lot more sour and not so sweet, up to you.

Buttercup Squash and Spinach Salad
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Makes 6 servings

2 pounds buttercup or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces chopped bacon
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
9 ounces spinach, washed, dried and tough stems removed
Saba, for drizzling (optional)

1. Heat broiler and arrange rack in middle. Place squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and arrange in a single layer again. Place squash under the broiler until browned and tender, 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Place bacon in a medium frying pan and cook over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

3. Add shallots to the bacon grease in the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until browned. Add vinegar and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

4. Combine spinach, bacon, and squash in a large bowl. Pour shallot mixture over the top and toss to combine.  Season with more salt and pepper as needed. Drizzle a little saba over the top if desired and serve.

Whiskey Cream Gravy

So in continuation with our Thanksgiving theme, I bring you..dum, dum, dum.....the gravy. 

A good gravy is the superhero of Thanksgiving. If you are planning a potluck Thanksgiving you want to make sure the best cook of the bunch is making the gravy, because a well-seasoned, delicious gravy will save all lackluster dishes.

Overcooked the turkey? Oh well, a little gravy over the top and they'll never know.

Aunt Marge is on a diet and decided to omit the salt and butter from the mashed potatoes? The gravy will pick up the slack.

The pumpkin pie isn't cooked all the way through? Okay, gravy can't help that, just eat the parts closest to the edge and dump the rest.

I love this whiskey and cream infused gravy not only because it has whiskey and cream, but because it is really hard to mess up and can be made without the cumbersome steps of whisking flour into a roasting pan or separating the fat from the pan drippings. Not to mention you can make it completely in advance, like 2 days in advance people.

You get some turkey essence from browning the neck and giblets.

Then in the same pot, brown your veggies (don't forget to season them!)

Then after you've added your stock and herbs, you add the magic.

If you're worried about giving alcohol to little kids you can add the entire whiskey amount all at once instead of saving some for the very end. The alcohol will cook out and even if it doesn't cook all the way out, is it really a terrible thing to have all small children pass out after the meal is over? That's what we call quiet time in our house.

Even if you get a few lumps in this gravy you strain it all before serving so who cares? Easy right?

If you do make it in advance, just strain it, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, pour into a medium saucepan, add the remaining whiskey and cream and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Whiskey Cream Gravy
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Adapted from CHOW.com

Makes 8 servings

Reserved neck and giblets from your turkey
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 quart turkey or chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 cup whiskey
1 Bay leaf
4 fresh sage leaves
1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Pat turkey neck and giblets dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and coat with 1 tablespoon flour.

2. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place neck and giblet in the pan and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate and pour out any excess oil. Return pan to the heat and add remaining oil. Add onion, celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened and browned.

3. Sprinkle remaining flour over vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently until flour is lightly toasted. Slowly pour in chicken broth, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup whiskey, bay leaf, and sage leaves then return to heat. Add neck and giblets and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 30 minutes or until reduced and thickened.

4. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into medium saucepan. Stir in cream and remaining whiskey, then return to stove over low heat to warm. Season with salt and pepper.

Pearl Onion and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing

Okay, straight-away, who out there is thinking about Thanksgiving? 

Let me hear ya say Ho!

You know I am, it's really something I think about all year long. I'm not even having a Thanksgiving dinner this year and I'm still thinking about what I'd make.

I've been fantasizing about it since way before Halloween, picturing this fantastic party with tons of awesome people who like (and can) eat tons of delicious food. The turkey, the gravy, the mashed potatoes, the cranberry sauce, some lovely other little side dishes, the stuffing, the stuffing.

But I'll have to wait another year for that Thanksgiving. This year it will me, The Professor (who can't eat anything remotely Thanksgivingy) and my 'lil one (who won't eat anything remotely Thanksgivingy).

To compensate, I've decided to make all the things I love over the course of this month, so I can share them with you. So what if I'm the only one who will eat them, I'm going to make that sacrifice for my dear readers and the good standing of this blog. I'm dedicated.

I'm starting off with one of my favorite, only-make-it-once-a-year-at-Thanksgiving foods...stuffing. "We always called it dressing," I'm hearing my 89-year-old grandmother say. She always made the dressing..er.. stuffing in our family and on the phone last night she told me she was to bring it to my Aunt's house again this year. So she asks me, "How do I make the dressing again?"

So I tell her, it's really very simple Grams. First you start by sautéing some sweet pearl onions, celery, and garlic.

Then chop up some parsley and sage.

Then toss it all in a bowl with some day-old bread and chicken broth and bake it. I didn't mention anything about the roasted pumpkin seeds salvaged from my Jack-O'lantern, she would've just scoffed at that.

This version is dairy-free, but if you are feeling indulgent you can substitute a stick of butter for the olive oil and sprinkle another few tablespoons of cubed butter over the top of the stuffing before baking.

Pearl Onion and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing
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Makes 10-12 servings

1 (1-pound) loaf crusty bread, cut into 1-inch dice
1/4 cup olive oil
10 ounces pearl onions, peeled and quartered
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh sage
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

1. Spread bread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and let dry overnight.

2. Heat oven to 375°F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are just starting to brown. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.

3. Meanwhile combine bread, sage, parsley, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. Remove onion mixture from the heat and pour over bread mixture. Stir to combine, add more salt and pepper as needed, and transfer to prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more or until toasted and brown on top.