Thanksgiving Dessert Explosion!!

Pies, Pies, Pies! What really makes Thanksgiving great is not the turkey, but the desserts. I was in charge of making the desserts for the family and turned to the holiday's favorite flavors; pumpkin and apple. But I was not about to make just any dessert, I aim to impress when I make my food and this was no exception. Below find the recipes used, the changes I made, and how they were received.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie
First up is Oprah's Favorite Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie!! To get a feel for that, say it out loud in your best Oprah voice, "ITS THE BEST PIE EEVVVEEERRRR!!!!" It was more of a custard consistency than a regular pumpkin pie, but tasted so good! I took out the walnuts and substituted more cookie crumbs.

Ingredients:
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp butter, melted
2 cups canned 100% pumpkin
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup whole milk
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325° F. In a small bowl combine cookie crumbs and butter, transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Press crumb mixture firmly and evenly into bottom and sides of pan (I used the bottom of a glass to pack in). Bake 10 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack.

In a large bowl, gently whisk remaining ingredients together. The mixture should be smooth and have no bubbles. Place cooled piecrust on a baking sheet; pour in pumpkin filling. Use an offset spatula or the back of a large spoon to smooth the top; transfer to oven. Bake until pumpkin filling is set but still has some wiggle in the center, 60 to 75 minutes. (If edges of pie get too dark toward the end of baking, cover them with aluminum foil.) Cool on a rack.

For the decoration I traced a turkey cookie cutter onto a piece of card stock and cut out shape leaving all edges intact. Lay paper over pie plate. Place 1 Tbsp powdered sugar into a sifter or sieve and dust sugar 5 inches above over paper cut out. Carefully remove paper from pie.

Voila! An easy touch to fancy up a pie!

Say it with me now in your best Oprah voice, "YOU GET A PIECE! YOU GET A PIECE! YOU GET A PIECE!"


French Apple Pear Tart
I knew immediately the apple dessert I wanted to make was Ina's French Apple Tart. Lately my husband has been wanting pears, so I substituted two pears for two apples. I cut back on the sugar and butter in this recipe, it bubbled over and burned with the amount called for in Ina's (I made the changes in the recipe below).

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water
2 Granny Smith apples
2 Bosc pears
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
2 tablespoons water

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the filling. Peel the apples and pears and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler or spoon. Slice the apples and pears crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples and pears diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with slices. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the water and brush the filling and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Leftover Hand Pies
One of my favorite parts when baking pastry like pies is what to do with the leftover dough. Sometimes I will make small "cookies" out of it, this time I made small hand pies.

Ingredients:
Left over dough
2 Tbsp filling of your choice
(apples, pears, chocolate chips, jam)
1 egg beaten with a touch of water
Sanding sugar for decoration

Roll out the dough and add cut into two matching shapes per hand
pie. For the filling I finely minced pears, mixed with cinnamon and sugar. Place filling in between layers of dough. Brush egg wash around the edges, pinch to seal. Brush the top of the shape with egg wash, cut slits for steam, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the oven with your pie or in a toaster oven until cooked through. Keep an eye on it, it will cook quickly. Eric was so impressed by these "leftover" creations!!

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Nothing goes better with pumpkin pie than whipped cream. And I thought it would be so much better with a touch of cinnamon!

Ingredients:
1 pint whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon

Start by placing the bowl and whisk attachments in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. When ready to make the whipped cream start by slowly mixing the cream. As you speed up the mixer add the remaining ingredients and whip until soft to medium peaks form.

I think its needless to say the desserts came out great! Everyone was impressed and I had leftovers for breakfast all weekend!