Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

All I can say about this dessert, is absolute show stopper! I was a bit skeptical about the banana in this dish but it really isn't a strong component and actually just serves to mellow the pumpkin flavor a bit. I loved the graham cracker crust with the pumpkin, for me a far better compliment than a traditional pie crust. This tart is not too sweet, not too heavy and the filling has the perfect velvet like texture. I know this dish will have a regular spot at our future Thanksgiving dinners.

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

For the crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (14 crackers)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 extra-large egg yolks
• 1 package (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 1 ripe banana, finely mashed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For the decoration:

• 1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Orange zest, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Pour into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and then the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool to room temperature.

For the filling, heat the half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them, then pour the egg-pumpkin mixture back into the double boiler and stir well. Heat the mixture over the simmering water for another 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. You don't want the eggs to scramble. Remove from the heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, banana, and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to cool.

Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture and pour it into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

For the decoration, whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream decoratively on the tart and sprinkle, if desired, with orange zest. Serve chilled.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Clarkson Potter, 2002.

Cranberry Fruit Conserve

I have to admit for many years I was not a fan of whole berry cranberry sauce or fresh cranberry relish. When I host Thanksgiving I always serve both whole berry and jellied cranberry sauce since there always seems to be fans in both camps. This recipe has changed my opinion of whole berry sauce. Simple combination of flavors produces an fantastic result. The combination of citrus juices adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Ina recommends using this for day after Thanksgiving sandwiches and I can see why. I can't imagine finding another recipe I would like better than this one.

Cranberry Fruit Conserve

• 1 (12-ounce) bag of fresh cranberries, cleaned
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 orange, zest grated and juiced
• 1 lemon, zest grated and juiced
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cook the cranberries, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the skins pop open. Add the apple, zests, and juices and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add the raisins and nuts. Let cool, and serve chilled.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties, Clarkson Potter, 2002.

Thanksgiving Menu

Here is the menu for our Thanksgiving feast. Recipes and reviews to follow!

Apple Cider

Triple Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Pastry Wrapped Raspberry Baked Brie (from Central Market)
Marinated Cheese
Mixed Nuts

Cape Cod Chopped Salad
Apple Cider Brined Turkey
Sausage and Herb Stuffing
Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Marshmallow Topping
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Fruit Conserve
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Cloverleaf Rolls

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart
Pear Ginger Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream

Thanksgiving Dinner

We had dinner with family on Thanksgiving Day, however, I didn't want to be without turkey left overs and couldn't pass the chance to cook my favorite meal too so I made my own dinner on Sunday. I fully intended to have pictures of all of my dishes but got so consumed with making the meal and setting up for dinner that it wasn't until everything had been eaten that I realized I forgot! Since this meal was so amazingly delicious, I decided to go ahead and post the recipes with a review.

Apple Cider Brined Turkey-Having heard so much buzz about turkey brining, I decided to give it a try this year. I initially planned to make my own brine, but ended up purchasing one at Williams Sonoma instead. Luckily, I have a 20 quart stock pot and an extra refrigerator which makes this process much easier. I can honestly say my turkey turned out really moist and tender. Probably the best turkey I have ever made. I'm completely sold on the brining process. I don't think the brine imparted that much flavor, but it did enhance the meat tremendously. I used a 14 lb fresh free range turkey. After rinsing the brine off the turkey, I seasoned the turkey with an herb butter consisting of herbs de provence, paprika and freshly ground pepper. Taking the advice of Bon Appetit, I roasted the turkey at 450 degrees for the first 30 minutes then, 350 degrees for the remaining 3 hours. I also was careful to tent the turkey about an hour or so in when it started to brown to avoid an burning.

Corn Bread Sausage Stuffing with Apples-This was the first recipe I tried from my Silver Palate Cookbook and if it is any indication of the quality of their recipes, I can't wait to try more. I decided to forgo my favorite family stuffing recipe to try something new. This one got rave reviews and had similarities to my favorite recipe. I liked the mix of corn bread, white bread and wheat bread. I used a chicken and sage sausage instead of pork. We were really happy with this stuffing. It definitely runs a close second to our family recipe. I omitted the nuts because they seemed out of place in a stuffing. I also used organic chicken broth in mine instead of using the turkey juices.

Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Marshmallow Brulee-This recipe was a combination of a recipe from 101 Cookbooks and one from the Whole Foods website. These were definitely a hit and probably the best sweet potatoes I have ever had. This dish makes you stop and say wow! I hadn't originally planned to brulee the marshmallow topping but I put it on a bit too early and they melted completely. It ended up creating a really great dish.

Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Marshmallow Brulee
Source: As adapted from 101 Cookbooks and Whole Foods

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cleaned and left a bit damp
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream ( I didn't have quite enough heavy cream, so I added milk to equal the total amount needed)
1/3 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped (I used Vanilla Bean Paste)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
kosher salt
white pepper in a mill
natural marshmallows purchased at Whole Foods
finely shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender to a fork tip, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cook until warm enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel and discard the skin. Put the potatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Meanwhile, pour the cream into a 2-quart pot, add the vanilla bean and orange zest, if using, and set it over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Use tongs to fish out and discard the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the processor and add the butter.

Puree the potato mixture until smooth. Season with salt and 4 grinds of pepper, or to taste. Prior to serving add marshmallows and coconut. Cover with lid. Marshmallows will dissolve. Finish off under the broiler until nicely browned. Keep covered and warm until ready to serve.

Serves four.

Sauteed Green Beans and Mushrooms-I made this recipe awhile back and it has since become my favorite green bean recipe. Definitely beats a green bean casserole any day!

Pumpkin Roulade Trifles with Ginger Butter Cream-I started out making this Ina recipe as a Roulade. However, when I took my cake out of the oven and rolled it, it cracked badly. It was clear I wasn't going to be able to unroll it in one piece. As a result, I decided on trifles as plan b. I have the most adorable mini trifle dishes so I knew I could make an elegant presentation out of this dish. I sliced up the cake and layered it with the butter cream in the dishes. I topped it with a little more candied ginger and a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg. Definitely a winner, there was none left! The candied ginger adds a wonderful spicy crunch this dish. I will definitely make this again.