Chico, We Are Go for Pie

Yay! Glen and Tammy-Lynn are pie-bakers extraordinaire! Here are the blessed arrivals. Are those pies going to last until Thanksgiving?

National Public Radio's 10 Best Cookbooks of 2008

NPR has produced their list of ten best cookbooks of 2008, and I'm pleased to say I own at least one, Lynne Rossetto-Kasper's The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper.

Easy Cranberry Relish (cooked version)

This is an easy recipe for Cranberry Relish you can knock off in 10 minutes. It has a lot of flavor without tons of sugar.

1 12 oz bag whole fresh cranberries
2 11 oz cans mandarin oranges
1/2 t ginger paste
4 T white sugar

Rinse and drain cranberries and place them in a food processor. Process berries to desired consistency; rough chunks work for me. Pour berries into an enameled heavy pan, or other heavy non-aluminum pan. Add sugar and ginger paste and place over low heat. Meanwhile, drain the cans of mandarin oranges into the pot. Dump the remaining oranges into the processor and puree. Add pureed oranges to pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and chill.

Correct seasonings; more or less sugar or ginger. If relish seems dry add orange juice for desired consistency. Remember, there are very few rules with this recipe. The cranberries will come apart somewhat with sugar and heat, so feel free to try this recipe with whole berries.

If I remember correctly from last year this relish will freeze without problems.

Note: Ginger paste can be found in specialty food stores - usually Indian and Middle Eastern places will have it. Avoid the stuff with added sunflower oil and salt. Fresh ginger can certainly be used here - start with a little less and work up to the right amount of bite.

Have a great holiday, and again, send your recipes!

Squash Pie edges out the Great Pumpkin

In my family squash pie is preferred to pumpkin, in part for it's creamier taste. Due to requests (thanks Glen!) I submit it with pleasure.

Squash Pie
1 1/2 c mashed, cooked squash (instructions for wrangling squash follow)
1/2 t salt or salt sub
12 oz can evaporated milk
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t each cloves, ginger & nutmeg
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla essence
1 T melted unsalted butter
2 eggs or 1/2 c egg substitute

1 unbaked 9" deep dish pie shell

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

1 medium butternut squash will produce about 1 1/2 c squash puree. I cut the squash into chunks, place it on a microwaveable plate, cover it with a microwave-safe bowl and nuke it for 3 minutes or so. You can then allow it to cool, peel the skin off and mash the flesh as uniformly as possible. To be sure the chunks are gone I've also mashed the flesh with a potato masher and then used a hand blender to create a puree, and even simmered the puree in an enameled pot to remove the excess liquid. Any way you do it the result should be a squash puree without obvious chunks. This puree freezes well.

Once you're ready to make your pie assemble all your ingredients and combine then in a large bowl (or measuring cup) with a rotary beater. Add the eggs last - you don't want to beat air into them, you just want to incorporate the egg into the batter. You can use a blender, but I'd start with the squash puree and evaporated milk to make sure they are mixed completely, and again add the eggs at the end and combine only until they are mixed well into the batter.

Pour your batter into the pie shell, perhaps with the pie shell on a baking sheet. Some people heat a baking stone in the oven, place the pie shell on the baking stone and pour in the batter, which often leads to more even cooking. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes; reduce oven temp to 350 and continue to bake until custard is set, approximately 50 minutes. Insert a knife into the center of the pie to test for doneness - knife should come out clean. Be sure to keep an eye on the crust - if it becomes dark too quickly you'll want to put foil over the edges to prevent them from burning.

I hope you enjoy this new take on an old favorite. What are some of your favorite holiday recipes? Please share, and have a happy Thanksgiving!