For Your Thanksgiving Feast: Fresh Pumpkin Cheesecake & Roasted Fall Vegetables

alright folks, this is the time to get down and dirty in the kitchen.  dishes piling up in the sink and on the counter, one of the many courses baking, broiling, roasting and simmering.  the near-palpable smells of Thanksgiving filling the hallways throughout the house – onions, carrots, sage, pumpkin, sweet cranberries – and maybe some unfamiliar ones as new favorites are added to the annual feast. 

thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays – I look forward to it for months, thinking about my favorite pistachio-mint-pomegranate stuffing, the big turkey, the many sides from which to chose.  this is a particularly special thanksgiving for me because it’s my first one as a chef – or at least a line cook – so my head is buzzing with menus showing off this years' autumnal bounty!  my goal this year: to make my pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkins, and instead of a pie to try a pumpkin cheesecake.  use the recipe below to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth & mandatory pumpkin flavored dessert, but with twist.  (this recipe does not take as much time as it seems at first glance.  it’s fun to work with the real food rather than a can, and your guests will think you’re a true culinarian..try it out!)

and if you haven’t been to the farmer’s market yet, get down there and check out all the fall/early winter foods overflowing at each stand.  pick up some fresh vegetables to roast for your thanksgiving table – the ones in the recipe below are my suggestions but you can pick your own.  but definitely try out the Jerusalem artichoke – you will be happy you did!

*If you don’t have a Cuisinart to crush the graham crackers for the cheesecake, simply place them in a clean kitchen towel and roll over them with a rolling pin.

Fresh Pumpkin Cheesecake

 Crust:

2 cups crumbled graham crackers or butter biscuits

¼ cup turbinado (raw cane sugar, or light brown sugar)

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

1 small sugar pumpkin, enough to yield 1 ½ cups of flesh after draining

3 packages cream cheese

3 large eggs

¼  cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg           

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cardamom

½ teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup heavy cream

 

cheesecloth

 

For Pumpkin Puree:

1.              Clean the outside of the pumpkin with water. 

2.              Using a large serrated knife, cut pumpkin in half lengthwise and pull out all of the seeds (I like to save them for roasting).  Scoop out the dangly innards and throw away.  Cut each piece in half again, lengthwise.

3.              Using either a double steamer or a steamer basket with a large pot, fill with water until just above the steam holes.  Bring to a boil and add pumpkin, turning heat down to simmer. 

4.              Steam pumpkin for 30 minutes or until thoroughly soft – make sure to check that your water doesn’t completely evaporate and add more as needed, each time bringing back up to a boil and then down to a simmer. 

5.              Once pumpkin is done, remove from pot and place on cutting board. Scoop out the flesh and place in a bowl.  Using a hand/immersion blender, a regular blender, or hand mixer, blend pumpkin until completely pureed.

6.              Place a large piece of cheesecloth in a colander in the sink,transfer pureed pumpkin 

to cheesecloth. Bring all of the ends of the cheesecloth together and squeeze out excess moisture from the pumpkin.  Keeping the ends of the cheesecloth twisted so no puree leaks out, place something heavy over the puree (like a pot) and allow to drain for at least 20 minutes. 

For Crust & Filling:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until a crumb mixture forms, then press onto the bottom of a 9” – 9.5” springform pan.  Bake crust until golden, 8 - 10 minutes, and allow crust to cool.

2.  Beat cream cheese until smooth in a KitchenAid mixer or with a hand mixer.  Add sugars and mix well.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add pumpkin, seasonings, vanilla, and cream, and beat on medium speed to quickly incorporate all ingredients. 

3.  Pour filling over cooled crust.  Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes.  The cake is done when you shake it and it stays mostly still but the middle still wobbles a bit.  Allow to cool completely.

4.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to allow flavors to develop.

 

* * * *

Roasted Fall Vegetables

 

2 medium Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes

10 small potatoes

6-8 small carrots, greens attached

1 sweet potato

2 cups brussel sprouts

2 tablespoons EVOO + ½ tablespoon EVOO

1 teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon salt

3 large sprigs rosemary

Fresh cracked pepper

2 large cloves garlic, skin on

2 bay leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Oil a roasting pan and set aside.
2. Clean all veggies well.  Slice Jerusalem artichokes into ½” rounds, and chop potatoes into small 1” pieces.  Cut all but 1” of greens from the carrots.  Peel & cut sweet potato into thick slices. 
3. Mix all veggies except brussel sprouts.  Chop 1 sprig of rosemary leaves and sprinkle on veggies.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt & pepper and mix well.  Spread out on oiled pan (saving the used bowl) - use 2 pans if necessary, so veggies are arranged in a single layer.  Add remaining sprigs of rosemary, bay leaves and garlic, and cover with aluminum foil.  Pierce several times with a fork.
4. Bake for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut off the very bottom of the brussel sprouts, then cut them in half.  Mix them in the bowl used for the other veggies, allowing them to be coated by the remaining oil & herbs.
5. Remove foil and add the brussel sprouts.  Add remaining olive oil & salt (adding more if necessary) and bake for 20 minutes more. ***If you are cooking this as a side dish to meat, cook at the same time and add ½ cup of juices from the meat at this point.
6. Turn oven to broiler and broil on high for 2-3 minutes until gently browned.
7. Remove from oven and enjoy!

 

go ahead, have one lick too many

last Saturday my classmate Larry and his family Deana & River - some of my favorite people on the planet - ventured uptown to have brunch with me and my fiancée. after a lovely homemade meal we set out for a walk and maybe some ice cream to cool us off on that hot, sunny day. sure enough, it was there…that evil and delicious ever-present fixture on our street – the Mister Softee truck. we ordered up a variety of cones & sundaes and began scarfing them down before they could melt all over our grubby little hands. mine was a tall soft-serve cone dipped in some maraschino-red mystery shell which I didn’t necessarily like, but dug into regardless. after a few bites I felt nauseated, tired, and generally disgusting. there’s no doubt that that shell – an eerily bright red - was a mass of refined sugar & ingredients whose names you either can’t pronounce or don’t want to know about.

thanks to the Natural Gourmet, below are a couple recipes for a healthier alternative to that refreshing, cooling, quintessential summer treat. both are vegan, and ridiculously delicious. you’ll need an ice cream maker – if you don’t have one yet I promise you it’s worth it (thank you Mama Perlman & fam for our wonderful engagement present!)!

enjoy these desserts knowing that the ingredients are unprocessed, unrefined, and put together with your own two hands. no mystery foods here, just pure, refreshing deliciousness.

* * *

delicious on its own or paired with a creamy ice cream – think creamsicle - this is literally the perfect summer sorbet. when we made this at school my classmate Dom served it in the scooped out orange peels…adorable. we ate them so quickly I almost missed the picture entirely! (you could also add extra vodka to make a summer cocktail slushy!)

Orange Sorbet
Yield: 3 cups

2 cups orange juice, freshly squeezed and strained (about 8 cups)
½ cup grade A maple syrup
½ cup rice syrup
1 tablespoon vodka or brandy
pinch sea salt
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1. In medium bowl, combine orange juice, maple syrup, rice syrup, lemon juice, vodka or brandy, and sea salt. Stir until dissolved.
2. Pour mixture into ice cream machine and churn. When mixture starts to firm up, add zest and continue to churn until fluffy.

Copyright by Lisa Boymann and Jenny Matthau. All rights reserved.

* * *

this recipe calls for Rich Almond Milk (recipe below). if you can help it, don’t substitute with boxed almond milk as the flavors & texture will change.


Vanilla Almond Ice Cream (Vegan)

¾ cups “Rich Almond Milk” (recipe blow)
¾ cup grade A maple syrup
¼ cup rice syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
1 vanilla bean
optional: 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1. Combine almond milk, maple syrup, rice syrup, vanilla extract and salt in blender. Split vanilla bean in half and scrape out seeds. Add seeds to blender.
2. Process almond milk mixture until well blended. If using coconut oil, drizzle into blender with motor running. Process until mixture is emulsified.
3. Pour cooled mixture into ice cream machine and churn, occasionally scraping sides of bowl, until creamy and somewhat firm.
*to make 3 cups “milk” use 4 ½ cups water, 2 ¼ cups blanched almonds, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

* * *

fresh almond milk is a healthy alternative to cow’s milk or other substitutes like highly-processed soy milk. it’s easy to make and packed with protein and nutrients. almonds themselves are tridoshic according to ayurvedic philosophy, and are therefore a good food for everyone. For this recipe, try soaking them in water overnight and then taking the skin off for easier digestion and will yield a beautiful, soft cream.

Rich Almond Milk
Yield: approximately 2 ¾ cups

1 ½ cups blanched almonds (skin off)
3 cups water
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small pot bring water to a boil, pour over blanched almonds and let sit covered for 20-30 min.
2. Put all ingredients in blender. Process for a few minutes on “liquefy” setting until well homogenized.
3. Rinse a piece of cheesecloth (double thickness) with cold water and wring thoroughly.
4. Pour small amount of almond mixture over sieve or chinois lined with double layer of prepared cheesecloth, wringing and squeezing the cheesecloth to extract as much liquid from the pulp as possible. discard each batch of almond pulp when no more liquid can be extracted. rinse cheesecloth well in cold water and proceed with the next batch, repeating this process until all of the almond mixture has been “milked”.
5. Strain almond milk through sieve.

Copyright by Jenny Matthau. All rights reserved.