Spiced Pumpkin Flan with Piñones

This is a perfect holiday dessert because it actually tastes better made a day ahead, freeing up the oven and your time on Thanksgiving morning for other dishes. Piñones is the local name for pine nuts.

ingredient list

Serves 8

Caramel

• 2 Tbs. sugar

Custard

• 2 cups puréed pumpkin
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 Tbs. dark rum, or 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Garnish

• 3 to 4 Tbs. pine nuts, lightly toasted (see Chunky Fresh Cranberry Relish recipe)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Place eight 8-ounce custard cups or ramekins in roomy baking pan, without crowding.
2. To prepare caramel: Place sugar in small heavy saucepan or skillet. Heat over low, watching carefully as sugar melts into golden-brown syrup. Do not stir unless sugar is melting unevenly. When sugar turns medium brown, immediately remove pan from heat, and carefully pour about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon melted sugar into bottom of each cup. Sugar syrup firms up almost immediately, so work fast.
3. To make custard: Combine all custard ingredients in large saucepan and heat over medium-low. Whisk about 1 minute, until mixture is well blended and starts to froth around rim. Remove from heat when mixture is warm throughout. Do not boil.
4. Divide mixture evenly among cups nearly to rims. Pour warm water into pan around cups, enough to cover bottom one-third of cups; refill if needed. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until custard is firm and slightly raised. Remove cups from oven and water bath. Cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Cover cups and refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 3 hours.
5. Just before serving, uncover cups and run small knife around outside edge of each cup. Cover cup with serving plate, invert and give brief shake. Custard should drop to plate. Repeat with remaining cups. Garnish with pine nuts and serve.

Wine Suggestions
If there are no other competing desserts offered, you could match this flan with a tawny port such as Graham’s Ten Years Old Tawny. Or try a Sauternes such as Peter Lehmann Nobel Semillon Sauternes.

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White Sangria with Fruit

In the summer, white sangria is a refreshing change from white wine.To peel peaches, cook them in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into ice water. The skins should slip right off.

ingredient list

20 servings

• 4 (750-ml.) bottles dry white wine
• 3 cups raspberries or blackberries
• 3 cups peeled, thinly sliced peaches (5 medium)
• 1 cup peach brandy (optional)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice (3 medium)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (3 to 4 medium)
• 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) well-chilled sparkling water

Directions

1. In very large pitcher, stir together all ingredients except sparkling water. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Just before serving, stir in sparkling water.

    Do ahead:  You can mix all the ingredients except sparkling water up to 1 day ahead.

Fideua

In Spain, special noodles are used to make this paella-like party dish, but angel hair pasta fragments work too. Break pasta strands 30 or so at a time to keep them from scattering. Broiling the dish is key to getting its crunchy texture. Serve with Quick Aïoli.

ingredient list

Serves 8

• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 8 oz. angel hair pasta, broken into 2-inch lengths (2 cups)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups sliced wild mushroom mix (such as fresh shiitake, cremini, and oyster mushrooms)
• 1/2 8-oz. pkg. soy chorizo (1 sausage), halved and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, optional
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 8-oz. can sodium-free tomato sauce
• 2 cups mushroom broth or low-sodium vegetable broth
• 8 oz. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

Directions

1. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in wok, paella pan, or large skillet over medium heat. Add pasta, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned and opaque, stirring constantly. Transfer pasta to paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

2. Add remaining 1 Tbs. oil to pan, and heat over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. Stir in mushrooms, soy chorizo (if using), bell pepper, 2 Tbs. parsley, garlic, and smoked paprika, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until most liquid has evaporated.

3. Stir in tomato sauce. Add pasta, broth, and 1/2 cup water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add asparagus, and cover; simmer 3 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to broil. If using wok or skillet, transfer pasta mixture to 10-inch or larger round cake pan. Place paella pan or cake pan under broiler, and broil 3 to 4 minutes, or just until pasta is crisp on top. (Watch carefully—it burns quickly.) Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs. parsley.    

Baked Peaches with Pine Nuts

Simplicity is key to most Spanish cooking, and this light dessert is no exception. Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche.

ingredient list

Serves 8

• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 large peaches, peeled, halved, and pitted
• 4 Tbs. butter
• 3/4 cup pine nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together wine and sugar in small bowl. Place peaches cavity-side-up on foil-lined baking sheet; fill each cavity with wine mixture. Bake 1 hour, or until tender.

2. Just before serving, melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until pine nuts are golden brown.

3. To serve: Place 2 peach halves on each plate. Top with 1 1/2 Tbs. pine nuts.

Stuffed Grape Leaves Casserole

If you like stuffed grape leaves, you’ll love this casserole, which has all the flavors of the bite-size appetizers without all the rolling. You don’t have to parboil jarred grape leaves, but a quick dip in boiling water tenderizes them and removes some of their saltiness. To freeze the casserole for future use, prepare up to the baking step, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place in freezer. Thaw completely before baking.

ingredient list

Serves 8

• 30 jarred or fresh grape leaves
• 2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for brushing top of casserole and casserole dish
• 1 large onion, finely diced (2 cups)
• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 cups low-sodium tomato juice or vegetable juice
• 1 cup chopped unsalted, hulled pistachios
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 cup raisins or dried currants
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 lemon, sliced, for garnish
• Pomegranate molasses, for drizzling, optional

Directions

1. Dip grape leaves in large pot of boiling water 2 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 7 to 10 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add rice and 21/2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 30 to 40 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and stir in tomato juice, pistachios, parsley, mint, raisins, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. (Mixture will be very wet.)

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 2-qt. baking dish with olive oil. Pat grape leaves dry. Line bottom and sides of baking dish with grape leaves, allowing leaves to hang over sides. Spread half of rice mixture over grape leaves. Top rice with more grape leaves, then top with remaining rice mixture. Cover casserole with remaining grape leaves, and seal by folding over grape leaves around edges. Brush top with olive oil. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until grape leaves on top darken and casserole looks firm and dry.

4. Dip knife in cold water. Cut straight down with tip of knife to make 8 servings, then remove servings with spatula. Garnish with lemon slices, and drizzle with pomegranate molasses (if using).

Cornish Pasties

Like Ireland, Cornwall is a Celtic region, so it’s no surprise that these turnovers are a favorite in pubs all over Ireland.

ingredient list

Makes 16 pasties

Dough

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 Tbs. cold margarine, cut into cubes

Filling

• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced (1/4 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 small rutabaga, peeled and diced (1 cup)
• 1 small potato, finely diced (1/2 cup)
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbs. spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup grated reduced-fat Gruyère cheese

Directions

1. To make Dough: Sift flour and salt into bowl. Cut in margarine using pastry cutter, 2 knives, or your hands. Mixture should resemble coarse meal. Stir in 6 to 8 Tbs. ice water, or just enough to hold mixture together. Pinch dough between your fingers; if it sticks, dough is wet enough. Shape into disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour.

2. To make Filling: Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until onion is lightly browned. Add rutabaga, potato, carrot, and thyme; cook 3 minutes, then add 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat, cover, and steam vegetables 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender.

3. Whisk 1 egg with mustard in large bowl. Stir in vegetables and Gruyère, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Whisk remaining egg with 2 Tbs. water in separate bowl to make egg wash, and set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

5. Divide Dough in half, and roll 1 half out on floured work surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 8 discs with 5-inch round cutter. Add leftover Dough to remaining Dough, and repeat to make 8 more Dough discs. Roll each disc out to long oval; brush edges of each oval with egg wash. Place 3 Tbs. Filling on 1 side of oval, and fold Dough over to make semicircle. Press Dough around Filling to remove any air, making sure no Filling leaks out of edges. Crimp edges with fork tines to seal. Repeat with remaining Dough and Filling until you have 16 pasties. Brush tops with egg wash, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake on prepared baking sheet 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt

A lightly sweetened vanilla yogurt is prepared over fruit preserves for a stir-in option. For best results, choose preserves that aren’t too firm.

ingredient list

Serves 8

• 4 cups low-fat milk
• 1/3 cup instant skim milk powder, optional
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup fruit preserves, such as fruit-only jam
• 1/4 cup organic live-culture plain yogurt or 5 g freeze-dried yogurt culture

Directions

1. Heat milk to scalding point (170°F; 77°C) in saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk in skim milk powder, if using. Remove from heat, and stir in honey and vanilla. Cool 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until milk temperature reaches 110° to 120°F (44° to 49°C) on instant-read thermometer, stirring once or twice.

2. Spoon 1 Tbs. preserves into each empty yogurt cup.

3. Whisk together yogurt and 1/2 cup milk mixture in bowl. Whisk yogurt mixture into remaining milk mixture. Pour into cups over preserves, and place in yogurt maker. Set timer for 8 hours. Check 1 container after 8 hours; if yogurt has reached desired texture, remove cups from yogurt maker. If not, replace test cup, and ferment 1 to 2 hours more. Chill.

Blueberry-Cucumber Smoothie

Blended cucumbers thicken a lightly sweet smoothie for a low-cal breakfast or a refreshing afternoon snack.

ingredient list

Serves 4

• 2 large garden cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks (2 cups)
• 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1–2 Tbs. honey or agave nectar
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice

Directions

Place all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.

Kung Pao Sliders

This recipe, created by flavor chemist Mariano Gascon, won Best Appetizer in VT's 2011 Chefs' Challenge. Gascon knows all about developing snacks and seasonings in a laboratory. "Instead of using onions and garlic, we use chemicals X and Y," he says. Mariano enrolled in culinary school to understand food from a different perspective, but he still approached his vegan take on kung pao chicken with scientific precision. "I made tons of attempts at the tofu," he says. "I microwaved it, I baked it, I compressed it, I froze it. It was a project."

ingredient list

Makes 16 sliders

Sliders

• 1 14-oz. pkg. extra-firm tofu, patted dry
• 4 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. natural cane sugar
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 16 wheat or white slider-size buns

Slaw

• 3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. vegan mayonnaise
• 2 Tbs. no-salt-added creamy natural peanut butter
• 5 tsp. natural cane sugar
• 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, optional
• 4 medium carrots, julienned (8 oz.)
• 2 medium zucchini, julienned (8 oz.)
• 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Directions

1. To make Sliders: Cut tofu into 8 slices lengthwise; halve slices to make 16 pieces. Transfer to baking dish. Whisk together soy sauce, sugar, oil, and cornstarch in bowl. Pour over tofu, cover, and chill 1 hour.

2. To make Slaw: Whisk together soy sauce, mayonnaise, peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, oil, garlic, pepper, and cayenne (if using) in bowl. Stir in carrots, zucchini, and peanuts. Chill.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Drain tofu, and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes. 
Flip, and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, or until crispy. Fill buns with 1 tofu slice and 2 Tbs. Slaw.