It's as easy as pumpkin pie

Thanksgiving is not just about dinner; it's an all-day affair in the kitchen. It's a holiday centered on food: on food you eat only once a year, on traditions, on coming together to prepare a feast. So, as you and your family come together for the feast, the last thing you need--as you simultaneously watch the cranberries, the turkey, the stuffing, the breads, and the rolls--is something complicated and time-consuming.

Every year my family and I make this pie on Thanksgiving. It's not what you'd expect. It's not a complex array of ingredients tactfully concocted together and lovingly prepared for hours. It's your average pie made from prepared ingredients, and cooked on the morning of the big turkey day.

This is Libby's famous pumpkin pie recipe. Who's Libby? Oh well. You know the Libby's brand pumpkin purée? Yeah, that's her.

The Recipe:

1 (15oz) can Libby's pumpkin purée
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon*
1/2 tsp ground ginger*
1/4 tsp ground cloves*
2 large eggs
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
2 pre-made 9-inch pie crusts OR 1 pre-made 9-inch deep-dish pie crust (either plain or graham cracker)

*if you do not have all of these spices readily available, feel free to substitute the cinnamon, cloves, ginger combination with 2 tsps of pumpkin pie spice (available from McCormick)

Preheat your oven to 425'F. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In another, larger bowl, whisk together the eggs and the pumpkin purée, then add the dry ingredients. Slowly add the evaporated milk, whisking after each addition. Place the pie crusts on a cookie sheet to avoid any spillage or leaking. Fill the pie crusts, so that they are 3/4 full and place them on the center rack of the oven. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350'F, baking for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours, serve with whipped cream.

A Taste of Autumn : Apple Tarts

Today was a bit of a rough day: I worked on things that I don't care about and had no motivation to do, I didn't leave the house because I didn't have to, and, to put the icing on the cake, I stepped on my mother's laptop which was on the floor and broke the screen (and spent a few subsequent hours planning repairs, shipping, and file back-up).

What made my day better? Listening to She & Him and deciding to put the apples I had bought to good use by making a French style, thin apple tart with an apricot glaze. I recently bought a tart/quiche pan with a removable bottom, so this needed to happen.

The Recipe:

This recipe is based on the Joy of Baking recipe for a French apple tart (http://www.joyofbaking.com/FrenchAppleTart.html), but I tweaked it a bit in the process.

Sweet Pastry Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter

1 egg


Apple Filling:

6 medium apples

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/4 - 1/2 cup white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided


The Glaze:

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1 tablespoon Rum

***

Mix butter and beat until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beating just until incorporated. (Don't over mix or the butter will separate and lighten in color.) Add flour and salt and mix just until it forms a ball. Refrigerate about one hour or until firm. Prepare a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 - 12 inch circle that is uniformly 1/8 inch thick. Unroll onto top of tart pan and gently press to the sides of the pan. Cover and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Place an empty cake pan on the dough to make sure it doesn't puff up. Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly browned.

For bottom layer of apples: Peel, core, and slice three of the apples. In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and stir in between 2 - 4 tablespoons of the sugar, the lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the apples and saute over moderate heat, stirring occasionally for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Gently mash the apples with the back of a spatula or spoon and stir the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.

For top layer of apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into slices 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick. Melt 1 tablespoon (13 grams) butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the other 2 - 4 tablespoons (25 - 50 grams) sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the apples and saute until they begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Set the cooked apples aside.

Spoon the applesauce mixture into the cooled pre-baked tart shell. Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles over the applesauce, and brush with 1 - 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake the tart on a baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the apples are nicely browned and soft. Once the tart has cooled lightly glaze the apple slices with warm apricot glaze.