As I said in the introduction [of Desserts LaBelle], “Sweet Talk from Patti,” sweet potato pie is in my blood. Any and every sweet potato pie I make is compared to the OG: Chubby’s version, which was also the inspiration behind my dear friend Norma’s recipe. (It’s in my first cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine. If you don’t have the book, last time I checked the recipe was also online.) Why I can’t leave a good thing alone, I don’t know. This is my current rendition, which starts with Chubby’s pie and throws in some new tricks, too. If you have been boiling sweet potatoes for your pie, try the microwave method here. It is a lot quicker.
Dukkah—a condiment of nuts, seeds, and spices—has its origin in ancient Egypt, but this innovative recipe from chef Chris Feldmeier redefines dukkah in the modern spirit of vegetable-based cooking. Chris, who ran the kitchen at Bar Moruno, now closed, transforms butternut squash into a spectacular vegetable main dish with heaps of toasty, crunchy spiced nuts. It could even be the centerpiece for Thanksgiving if you celebrate sans turkey.
The hallmark of Dutch apple pie is its creamy apple filling, but we didn’t rely on the traditional cream to achieve it. Instead we added melted vanilla ice cream to the apple filling for extra creaminess and a rich vanilla flavor that nicely complements apple pie.
We find supermarket pumpkin pie spice are acceptable in most recipes, but if you’d like to make your own, here’s our formula.
Canned pumpkin puree adds a bit of subtle flavor to these muffins, but more important, it also makes the muffins ultramoist.
The caramelization makes these an addictive snack as well as a crunchy addition to soups, frostings, and salads.
In October, there are so many pumpkins for sale for carving and decoration. (In fact, every year Americans buy about 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins, according to the national Agricultural statistics service.) Seeing all this American plenty got me energized to cook them. Whole pumpkins come in so many different shapes, sizes, and colors, so rather than developing a one-size-fits-all recipe, I came up with two different cooking methods, based on size. We are not going to mislead you into thinking there is a secret equation that x pounds of pumpkin equals x cups of puree. larger pumpkins can have less puree if they are hollow. Some small pumpkin varieties have more flesh.
Enjoy this chewy and intensely flavored jerky as a snack or use to finish dishes with beautiful color and pumpkin flavor.
This recipe began as an experiment and turned out great. It uses the bottom of the pumpkin as a natural crust. Then again, maybe it’s not as new as I think: I have heard that European settlers made the first pumpkin pie from a whole pumpkin by scooping out the seeds and filling the inside with honey and milk and then baking it in hot ashes.
A Prairie Home Compansion host Chris Thile has been obsessed with sherry lately. He shares this recipe for a sherry cocktail for the holiday season.