Thanksgiving 101 (29 page)

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a 9½-inch round springform pan. Wrap the outside bottom of the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

2.
In a small bowl, toss the amaretti crumbs with the melted butter. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside on a wire cake rack.

3.
Rub the brown sugar through a wire sieve to remove the lumps, and set aside. Rub the ricotta cheese through the sieve to lighten the texture, and set aside.

4.
In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer at high speed, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar just until smooth. Beat in the cornstarch. Reduce the speed to low. One at a time, beat in the whole eggs (but not the yolk). Beat in the heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the ricotta and beat just until smooth.

5.
Pour 1½ cups of the cheese mixture into a medium bowl. Add the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg yolk, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Beat on low speed until smooth.

6.
Pour the plain cheesecake into the prepared pan. Top with large spoonfuls of the pumpkin mixture. Using a table knife, swirl the two mixtures together to get a marbleized look.

7.
Place the pan in a large roasting pan and put in the oven. Add enough nearly boiling water to come ½ inch up the sides of the pan. Bake until a sharp knife inserted 1 inch from the edge of the cake comes out clean, about 1¾ hours. The center may seem slightly unset, but will firm upon chilling. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and place on a wire cake rack. Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to release the cake from the sides. Cool completely.

8.
Remove the foil. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (The cheesecake can be baked up to 2 days ahead.)

9.
Remove the sides of the pan. Serve chilled, dipping a thin, sharp knife into a tall glass of hot water before cutting each slice.

Note:
Amaretti are crisp almond cookies, often wrapped in pairs with colorful tissue paper and
sold in pricey tins. There are also brands that come in boxes, and they are a less expensive option for making crumb crusts. Amaretti can be found in Italian delicatessens, specialty food stores, and many supermarkets.

Cranberry Cheesecake

Cranberries give this cheesecake an attractive pink tint and a tartness that cuts through the rich, thick, New York–style cream cheese filling. Like any cheesecake, part of its appeal is that it must be made well ahead of serving, so there is little last-minute fussing at serving time.

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9½-inch springform pan. Wrap the bottom outside of the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

2.
In a small bowl, mix the cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until well combined. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside on a wire cake rack.

3.
In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, 2 cups water, and ½ cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often to avoid scorching, until very thick and reduced to about 2 cups. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely, stirring often.

4.
In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the remaining ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and beat for 1 more minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. One at a time, beat in the eggs. Beat in 1½ cups of the cranberry mixture, the sour cream, and the cornstarch. Pour into the prepared crust, and dot the surface with heaping tablespoons of the remaining ½ cup cranberry mixture.

5.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325°F and continue baking until the edges are puffed and lightly browned, 50 to 60 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and run a thin knife around the inside of the pan to release the cheesecake from the sides. Cool completely on a wire cake rack. Remove the foil and the sides of the pan. Cover the cheesecake tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (The cheesecake can be baked up to 2 days ahead.)

6.
Serve chilled, dipping a thin, sharp knife into a tall glass of hot water before cutting each slice.

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée remains a favorite restaurant dessert, and every kitchenware store has a handheld butane or propane torch to help the home cook make the requisite caramelized topping in their own kitchen. It can also be accomplished in a broiler. The real secret to crème brûlée topping is using turbinado sugar, whose beige, coarse crystals are actually easier to control during melting than any other types.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.

2.
In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat, stirring often, until tiny bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar until it has dissolved.

3.
In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Gradually whisk in the hot cream mixture. Pour equal amounts (about ½ cup) of the pumpkin custard into eight 6-ounce custard cups. Transfer the cups to a large roasting pan, and place the pan in the oven. Pour enough boiling water around the cups to come ½ inch up the sides. Bake until a knife inserted in the center of the custard comes out almost clean (the custards will continue to cook when removed from the oven), about 1¼ hours. Remove the custards from the water and cool completely on a wire cake rack.

4.
Cover each custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight. (The custards can be baked up to 2 days ahead.)

5.
Just before serving, sprinkle about 1½ teaspoons of the turbinado sugar over each custard. Ignite the torch and wave the flame in a circular pattern about 2 inches above each custard to melt the sugar. Serve immediately.

Cranberry Granita

To most of us, the more sinful the Thanksgiving dessert selection, the better. But I admit that sometimes a lighter finale is in order. Even dessert hedonists will love this granita for its refreshing flavor and bright pink color. When serving a very formal, large meal with many courses, you can serve small portions of this granita as a palate cleanser. Note that the recipe makes only 6 healthy or 8 moderate servings, so this is not a dessert for a crowd. If you want to double the recipe, freeze the granita in two separate pans, as a double recipe takes too long to freeze in one pan. (Or use the biggest shallow metal pan that fits into your freezer.) Serve the granita in well-chilled stemmed glasses—I freeze martini glasses for 30 minutes to get them good and cold.

1.
In a large pot, bring 4 cups water, the cranberries, and sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring often, to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes until all of the cranberries have burst. Pour into a wire sieve placed over a heatproof bowl and drain well. Press gently on the cranberries to extract as much juice as possible, but don’t force the solids through the sieve. Stir the lemon juice into the cranberry liquid. Place the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and let stand, stirring often, until the liquid is chilled, about 30 minutes.

2.
Meanwhile, place a metal 9 × 13-inch baking pan in the freezer to chill.

3.
Pour the cranberry liquid into the chilled pan. Freeze until the mixture freezes around the edges, about 1 hour, depending on your freezer’s temperature. Using a large metal spoon, mix the frozen edges into the center (leave the spoon in the pan).

4.
Freeze again, repeating the stirring procedure about every 30 minutes until the mixture has a slushy consistency, 2 to 3 hours total freezing time. Serve immediately in well-chilled glasses, garnished with mint sprigs, or keep frozen until ready to serve. (If the granita freezes solid, allow it to soften slightly in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, and try again. Or break it into large chunks and process in a food processor until slushy.)

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Experienced cooks may think it’s silly to give a recipe for whipped cream, but a lot of novice cooks are scared of this simple, important ingredient. When Thanksgiving comes around, whipped dessert toppings go on a lot of shopping lists. I hope this recipe convinces those cooks to scratch the artificial stuff and just buy a carton of good old heavy cream. Have we become so lazy in our culture that we can’t take a couple of minutes to whip a bowl of delicious, thick,
real
cream? Here’s how to do it right, and in record time. Of course, this recipe can be multiplied as needed.

• For the very best whipped cream, use pasteurized (not ultrapasteurized) heavy cream, available at most dairies and natural food stores. This cream has been less processed than ultrapasteurized, and you can really taste the difference.
  
• Don’t serve
  un
  sweetened whipped cream—it does nothing for your dessert. It tastes almost like butter.
  
• The heavy cream must be well chilled. To keep it cold during whipping, which helps it whip more quickly and hold its shape longer, chill the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
  
• It doesn’t matter if you use granulated sugar or confectioners’ sugar. Granulated sugar must be added to the cream at the beginning so it dissolves by the time the cream is stiff. However, I prefer confectioners’ sugar because it dissolves rapidly and can be mixed in any time. Also, the small amount of cornstarch in confectioners’ sugar helps stabilize the whipped cream.
  
• Use a handheld electric mixer to whip the cream quickly. A large balloon whisk with many thin wires to beat lots of air into the cream is a good second choice. A whisk with thick wires won’t work as well. Use large standing mixers only for large amounts (over 2 cups) of cream.
  
• If you wish, beat in up to 2 tablespoons brandy, Cognac, dark rum, or bourbon to every cup of cream toward the end of the whipping.
  
• If whipped cream stands for a few hours, liquid sometimes separates from the cream. Just beat the cream again until the liquid reincorporates itself.