Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sauce and Sauteed Apples

This year for Thanksgiving, I made a pumpkin cheesecake with a bourbon sauce and sauteed apples. I used a food processor and had great results. You'll need one with a large capacity. Mine is 11 cups, and the ingredients just barely fit as you can see from the photos below. I will definitely use a food processor for cheesecake again because this method allows very little air to get into the mixture which is important for minimizing a cracked surface.

I poured the mixture into an 8 inch springform resulting in a cheesecake which was about one and a half inches tall. A 7 inch springform would definitely give you a taller looking cheesecake, and that's the size I would probably use the next time I make this. I also baked the cheesecake at a slightly higher temperature than I usually do as I was in a bit of a hurry. The surface wasn't perfectly smooth, but all in all it turned out rather well.

pumpkin cheesecake
2 8oz pkgs neufchatel or cream cheese (not the whipped kind), room temperature
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, to taste
3 tbs cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, room temperature

Prepare a 7 inch or 8 inch springform by lightly coating the inner bottom and sides with butter. Cut out a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan. (You can easily make a circle by placing the paper over the outer bottom portion of the pan and lightly cutting it along the groove of the springform with a sharp knife.) Place the parchment circle over the greased (inner) bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Place the the neufchatel cheese, pumpkin, sour cream, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, into the bowl of a food processor with at least an 11 cup capacity. Pulse several times until everything is evenly combined.

Scrape down the sides and add all of the eggs. Pulse just enough until they are combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared spring-form. *Bake for 1 hr and 20 min. Turn off the heat and allow the cheesecake to cool completely in the oven; about 2 hours. Don't open the oven.

*I baked this is in a Breville counter-top convection oven. Using a conventional oven instead, might affect the baking and cooling times somewhat. After the baking time is up, I would probably prop the oven door open (on a conventional oven) a tiny bit with a wooden spoon while the cheesecake is cooling in the oven.

Cool the cheesecake further by refrigerating at least another 2 hours.

bourbon sauce, adapted from Simply Recipes/ makes about 1 cup
1/4 cup butter,(1/2 stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup *apple juice
1/4 cup *bourbon

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, then whisk in the sugar and egg. Continue cooking over low heat, whisking the mixture constantly until it thickens. Be careful not to allow the mixture to even simmer; you just want it hot enough to thicken. Whisk in the apple juice and bourbon and heat until bubbles begin forming around the sides. Do not bring to a simmer as it might curdle.

*The alcohol never really gets a chance to evaporate because the bourbon is added towards the end and just heated through. The resulting sauce is strongly bourbon flavoured using just 1/4 cup bourbon. Adjust the juice and bourbon ratio to your liking, if you prefer less or more bourbon. The sauce will be fine as long as you add 1/2 cup (total) liquid.

Remove from heat, strain through a sieve and cool. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.

sauteed apples
2 tbsp butter
3 firm organic apples, washed, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch wedges. Do not peel.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and fry until they are golden brown.

Remove from heat. You can serve these either warm or at room temperature.

to serve

Serve each slice of cheesecake with a few apple slices and a tablespoon or two of bourbon sauce.

Russian Salad

(4 servings)

Russian Salad,  also known as Salad Olivier, was named after the chef who invented it in the 1860's. It has gone through a number of transformations since then, and I doubt the version I like to prepare is anything like the original.

This is a substantial salad, in part because of the addition of the sausage. I often use German Leberkäse, but this time I made it with Schinkenwurst, a kind of ham sausage. I asked the fellow at the deli to cut it into quarter inch slices for me so I could cube it easily later.  I planned on adding petite peas, but I got distracted by a phone call and forgot, lol.

Russian salad keeps well and travels well.

1 lb cooked yukon gold potatoes, cut into small dice
3 hard boiled eggs, cut into small dice
3 medium cooked carrots, cut into small dice
1/2 lb ham sausage or ham, cut into small dice
1 cup frozen petite peas, defrosted and blanched (I planned on adding these, but forgot)
3/4 cup gherkins (sour, not sweet), cut into small dice
2 green onions, sliced
1/3 cup *mayonnaise
1/3 cup *Greek yogurt
1/3 cup *sour cream
small handful fresh dill, chopped
salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Place the potatoes, eggs, carrots, sausage, gherkins and onions into a large bowl.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt and sour cream in a small bowl. *(I use just enough of these three ingredients to bind the salad; feel free to add another tablespoon of each if you prefer more dressing). Stir in the chopped dill.

Add this to the vegetable mixture and toss. Season with salt and pepper as you are tossing until it's to your liking.

Serve, or refrigerate for up to a day or two.

Chicken Braised in Wine & Vinegar

(4 servings)

I'm very partial to braised dishes. I love the depth of  flavour that develops as well as the ease of making a simple meal.

In this case  boneless and skinless chicken thighs are cooked in a balsamic vinegar and red wine mixture. It still surprises me at times how delicious something can turn out, with so little effort.

This economical dish reheats really well. You might consider making extra for leftovers.

braised chicken
1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup shallots, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped or diced fine
1 carrot, chopped or diced fine
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp Harissa or 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

polenta for serving, if desired

Combine the cornstarch, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Add the chicken and toss until the thighs are evenly coated. Discard the remaining cornstarch mixture.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid. Fry the chicken pieces until browned on one side, then remove them to a plate.

Lower the heat and add the garlic and shallots. Stir and scrape up the browned chicken bits as you cook the garlic and onion mixture for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chopped celery and carrot. Cook, stirring from time to time for about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat if needed to keep the mixture from burning.

Pour in the vinegar and wine. Stir in the honey and Harissa. Add the chicken pieces, keeping them all in one layer; fried sides up. Set the flame to the lowest setting and cover the pot. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and turn the chicken pieces over. Increase the heat a small amount and cook for another 10 minutes (lid off).

Remove the chicken to a warmed dish and increase the flame. Cook until the liquid has reduced by about one third.

Serve over polenta, if desired. Spoon the sauce over the chicken

2 Way Salad with Chunky Dressing

( 4 servings)

This tasty salad can easily be served two ways depending on your preference. It can be a wedge salad or a chopped salad. The addition of sliced eggs, bacon and cheese, makes it great for lunch or a light supper. I used blue cheese because I love the sharp, salty flavour, however if you don't care for it, then feel free to substitute a nice Gouda or Swiss type cheese in its place.

The dressing for this salad is loosely based on the Thousand Island dressing I loved as a child. I have lightened it up by replacing part of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt and sour cream, and I've increased the amounts of the chopped ingredients considerably, resulting in a nice chunky style dressing.

dressing
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup chopped gherkin pickles
2 tbsp chopped pimentos
2 tbsp chopped bread and butter pickles
1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
2 tsp small capers, drained
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
*freshly cracked pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl until evenly mixed and set aside. *I've only added cracked pepper as most pickles tend to be high in sodium. Allow the mixed dressing sit for a few minutes, then taste to see if you need any salt at all.

salad
4 wedges of iceberg lettuce, or chop those up for the chopped version
2 medium tomatoes, sliced or chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced or chopped
4 slices crisp bacon, drained, cooled and crumbled
2-3 oz cheese, sliced or crumbled (blue cheese, Gouda, Emmentaler, Comte)

Arrange one wedge of lettuce on each plate or alternately divide the chopped lettuce among the plates. Divide and arrange the remaining ingredients evenly between the four servings.

Spoon the dressing over the salads or serve it on the side.

Fennel, Orange and Pomegranate Salad

(4 servings)

Sadly this was the last of my pomegranates from the garden this year. It was wonderful in this delicious salad, its seeds providing vibrant colour and a pleasing juicy crunch.

I will admit I'm not the biggest fan of raw garlic, however I do like it in the dressing for this particular salad. I'll add a very small amount initially, stir the dressing with a fork, wait a few minutes and then check to see if it needs more. The garlic shouldn't be too intense, just enough to be noticeable without overwhelming the rest of the ingredients.

2 medium fennel bulbs
2 navel oranges
1 pomegranate
1/4 cup orange juice, *give or take from the oranges
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 **small clove garlic, pressed (optional)
1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste


Wash, then slice the fennel bulbs as thin as you can. Place them into a large bowl.

Section the oranges, catching the juice on a plate as you do so. Add the orange segments to the fennel. *Squeeze out the remaining core as best as you can; I'm usually able to get about 2-3 tablespoons of juice from each orange that way.

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and add them to the fennel and orange segments.

Combine the orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and horseradish in a small bowl. **I add just a touch of garlic initially, then more if needed so it doesn't overwhelm the rest of the ingredients. Add enough salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle over the salad and toss lightly.

Serve immediately.