October 12, 2009

Thank-full!
Yesterday I made a Thanksgiving feast for my family! This marks the second year that I have undertaken this feat. The menu consisted of roast turkey (a no-brainer there....), stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, a giant vegetable platter (broccoli, carrots, raw rutabaga, yellow bell peppers, celery and radishes) and dip, baked acorn squash, and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. Early arrivals and my own adult daughters enjoyed bruschetta and a glass of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon - good stuff :)

Successful Sequence
Later a few of us played three rounds of Sequence and listened to Oscar Lopez (not in person, although he used to live in Winnipeg and I was fortunate to hear him live many times at the bohemian Al Cafe venue!). My Mom and I were paired together and we took the best of three rounds -- two fearless competitors, my employer lovingly calls me Xena!

More to Love xo!
I am happy to report that I have quite a good amount of turkey left over! The first thing I did this a.m. was get some stock rolling on my stove top. My son was asking at the dinner table last night when I would be making soup next -- we hadn't even made the halfway point of dinner! Also, my dearest friend in the world fell ill yesterday and could not join us, so I will bring her some leftovers and hot soup for lunch today. Also sent some distant healing her way via Reiki!

Here is my recipe for the cheesecake which is wonderfully creamy and not heavy/gummy like some you will come across. The secret weapon is Cherry Grand Marnier -- oooh la la Fifi, this packs a culinary wallop! Pretty low maintenance to make too, as cheesecakes go - try it, you won't be sorry :)

The Grandest Pumpkin Cheesecake

Base:
1-1/2 cups finely crushed ginger snap cookies
(I use Shoppers Drug Mart Organic brand)
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Filling:
375 g (12 ounces) softened brick cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
398 ml (about 1-1/2 cups) solid pack pumpkin
1 tsp. ginger
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/3 cup Cherry Grand Marnier
(If you cannot get this liqueur, try substituting brandy)

Topping:
500 ml (approx. 2 cups) whipping cream, whipped
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. white vanilla extract
Freshly grated whole nutmeg

Method:
Combine base ingredients and press firmly into a 9" springform pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with foil and set aside. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Next, beat the cream cheese and sugar together for the filling, adding the eggs one at a time and beating well after each addition. Add in pumpkin, spices and brandy. Mix well and pour over the prepared crust.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until set. When time is up, turn off oven and allow the cake to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar -- this will help to prevent cracking. After 45 minutes, remove cake, cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until serving time. At serving time, add a dollop of whipped cream to each slice and grate a small amount of whole nutmeg over top.