This year my mom has charged me with the task of picking and making THE Thanksgiving dessert. Oh, the power. And with great power comes great responsibility, so I went to the most trusted and decadent food site I could think of: Gourmet.com. After some twiddling around I found four dynamite (albeit lengthy) recipes. My attitude towards it all is this: It’s the Holiday Season so get crazy with your food! Expand your culinary horizons, flex your culinary muscles, and, while mom and dad are footing the bill, develop your culinary resume. These recipes may seem intimidating, but if you’ve got the time and the desire to try them out this break, the rapturous faces of everyone at your thanksgiving table will be well worth trouble.
Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart
Serves 10
Active time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 2 1/2 hours
* 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel, and cooled
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, softened
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* tart shell
* 3 firm-ripe Bosc or Anjou pears
* 1/4 cup apricot preserves, heated and strained
*Preheat oven to 350°F.
*Pulse hazelnuts with 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground, then add flour and pulse to combine.
*Beat together butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. Reduce speed to low and mix in nut mixture until just combined.
*Spread frangipane filling evenly in tart shell. Peel, halve, and core pears, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, holding slices together to keep pear shape intact. Arrange pears decoratively on filling, fanning slices slightly. Bake until pears are golden and frangipane is puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Brush pears (not filling) with preserves and cool tart completely in pan on rack, then remove side of pan.
Apple Cider Beignets with Butter-Rum Caramel Sauce
Serves 4 to 6
* Active time: 40 minutes
* Start to finish: 50 minutes
For sauce
* 1 cup sugar
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
* 1/3 cups water
* 1/4 cup dark rum
* 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
For beignets
* About 8 cups vegetable oil, divided
* 2 Golden Delicious apples
* 1 3/4 cups self-rising cake flour, divided
* 1 large egg
* 3/4 cup sparkling apple cider
* Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
*Special equipment: a deep-fat thermometer and a 1-inch round cookie cutter or a melon-ball cutter
Make sauce:
*Heat sugar in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber. Stir in butter, water, rum, vinegar, and a pinch of salt (caramel will harden and steam vigorously) and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramel has dissolved. Add cream and bring to a boil, stirring, then remove from heat. Cool to warm.
Make beignets:
* Preheat oven to 250°F with rack in middle. Set a cooling rack in a large shallow baking pan.
*Heat 2 inches oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat to 375°F.
*Meanwhile, peel apples and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut out core with cutter, then pat apple rings dry.
*Put 1 1/4 cups flour in a large shallow bowl and make a well in center. Beat egg in a small bowl with a fork, then stir in cider and 1 tablespoon oil and pour into well. Stir with fork until a lumpy batter forms.
*Working in batches of 3 or 4, dredge apple rings in remaining 1/2 cup flour, shaking off excess, then dip in batter to coat, letting excess drip off, and fry, gently turning over once with a slotted spoon, until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes total per batch. Transfer to rack and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 375°F between batches.
*Just before serving, dust warm beignets with confectioner’s sugar. Stir sauce, then serve on the side.
Cooks’ notes:
* If you can’t find self-rising cake flour, you can substitute self-rising all-purpose. Use 1 cup in the batter and 1/2 cup for dredging. Increase cider to 1 cup and follow recipe as directed.
* Sauce can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Warm before serving.
* Beignets are best freshly made but can be fried 2 hours ahead and kept, loosely covered, at room temperature. Reheat beignets (they should not touch) on a rack set in a large shallow baking pan, uncovered, in a 325°F oven until hot, 15 to 20 minutes.
Orange Cinnamon Sweet Rolls
Makes 12 rolls
* Active time: 30 minutes
* Start to finish: 4 1/2 hours
* 3 tablespoons warm water (105-115°F) plus 2 teaspoons water at room temperature
* 1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
* 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
* 5 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh orange zest
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 cup warm milk (105-115°F)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
* 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bowl
* 4 large eggs at room temperature 30 minutes, or submerged in a bowl of warm water (105°F) 5 minutes
*Special equipment: An instant-read thermometer (for checking water and milk temperatures); a stand mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments; a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth); parchment paper
*Accompaniment: Orange butter
*Stir together warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar in bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
*While yeast is foaming, whisk 4 cups flour with zest, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
*Add milk, vanilla, butter, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to yeast, then mix at medium speed until combined. Beat in 3 eggs, 1 at a time, then add orange cinnamon flour and mix until combined well.
*Replace paddle attachment with dough hook attachment and mix at medium-low speed, adding more flour (1 to 1 1/2 cups), 1/4 cup at a time, until a smooth but slightly sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to a work surface and knead by hand until smooth and elastic (dough will remain slightly sticky), about 3 minutes. Form dough into a ball and transfer to a large buttered bowl, turning dough to coat with butter.
*Cover bowl with kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
*Line a 17- by 14-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
*Turn out dough onto work surface and knead several times to remove air. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces. Cup your hand over 1 piece and, using your thumb and pinkie to keep ball inside your cupped hand, push dough with heel of your hand against work surface while rolling in a circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise) to form a smooth ball. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough, arranging balls 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
*Cover loosely with kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
*Whisk together remaining egg with remaining 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl. Cut a 1-inch X (1/4 inch deep) in top of each roll with kitchen shears. Brush rolls lightly with egg wash and bake until golden and rolls sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer rolls to a rack and cool, at least 15 minutes.
Cooks’ note: Rolls can be baked 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then kept in sealed plastic bags or a large airtight container at room temperature. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven 10 minutes.
Red-Fruit Puddings
Serves 8 to 12
* Active time: 25 minutes
* Start to finish: 4 hours (includes chilling)
* 3 (12-oz) packages unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed
* 2 (1/4-oz) packages unflavored gelatin
* 1 cup bottled pomegranate juice
* 2 cups bottled wild lingonberry sauce or lingonberries (from two 14-oz jars)
* 1/2 cup sugar
*Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream
*Purée raspberries with their juices in a food processor, then force though a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
*Sprinkle gelatin over pomegranate juice in a medium saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Cook over low heat, stirring, until gelatin has dissolved. Stir in lingonberry sauce and sugar. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved and sauce has melted. Stir into berry purée.
*Quick-chill in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to mound, about 30 minutes. Pour into dishes or glasses and chill until set, at least 3 hours.
Cooks’ note: Puddings can be chilled up to 3 days.
