Honey Cashew Cranberry Pie from The Modern Kosher Kitchen

Pecan pie is among my favorite desserts but I never bake it because one of my kids is allergic to pecans.

No problem. Recipes like this one are very forgiving.

I’ve made the pie many times substituting different nuts, such as cashews, the kind used in the pie photo above, by Glenn Scott Photography.

This recipe is from the dessert chapter of my new book, The Modern Kosher Kitchen (see the second photo).

There were other changes I made to the standard pecan pie, though. You can too, to suit yourself. For example, I thought the usual corn syrup didn’t seem right with cashews, so I switched to honey.

I also added fresh cranberries to give it a spike of something tart to balance all that sweet.

It’s still basically pecan pie, isn’t it?

Here’s the recipe, just in time for Thanksgiving:                                              

Honey Cashew Cranberry Pie from The Modern Kosher Kitchen

• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons melted Earth Balance Buttery Spread or margarine
• 1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
• 1 cup chopped cashews
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Preheat the oven the 350 degrees. Combine the honey, sugar, eggs, and melted fat in a bowl and whisk the ingredients until well blended. Stir in the flour, orange peel, salt, and vanilla extract and blend them in thoroughly. Stir in the cranberries and cashews. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is richly brown and crunchy.

Makes one pie serving 8 people

Roasted Turkey Half-Breast with Pineapple Glaze

The lovely image of a large and festive roasted Thanksgiving turkey is one thing. Actually cooking the turkey just right is another thing.

Lots of people, even some who are perfectly good home cooks and make delicious food, are sometimes afraid of roasting a whole turkey.

Here’s how I do it. We eat turkey throughout the year, so I change the basting fluids and seasonings whenever I cook one, but the method described in that blog post works whatever the seasonings. At least it has worked for us.

Turkey can also be easier if you roast separate parts. It’s a much better idea actually, especially if you have a small family or no one likes the white meat (or dark).

When I wish to roast a breast only, this is how I do it. As with a whole turkey, I change the basting fluids and seasonings often, but this recipe, which is vaguely sweet, with a refreshing acidic touch thanks to the pineapple juice, and a bit of heat because of the Sriracha, has been a winner at our house.

You can use the same seasonings for a whole turkey of course (double up on the glaze ingredients). In that case, add the glaze mixture later (after about 40 minutes).

Roasted Turkey Half-Breast with Pineapple Glaze

• 1-1/2 cups pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon Sambal or Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• turkey half breast, about 3 pounds
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, Sambal, ginger, thyme, and garlic in a saucepan and whisk ingredients until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until thickened slightly and syrupy. Set aside to cool. Rinse and dry the turkey breast and place it skin side up in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour half the juice mixture over the turkey. Continue to roast for another 20 minutes. Pour the remainder of the juice mixture over the turkey. Continue to roast the turkey for another 20-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast measures 160°F, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes before carving. Serve with pan fluids.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Sorghum “Filling” for Thanksgiving

My mother never made Thanksgiving stuffing. She called her version “filling,” which had more or less the same ingredients as basic bread stuffing, but substituted barley shaped egg noodle pasta for the bread.

That recipe is still one of my go-tos, except that I have made one important change recently. Instead of using the pasta, I make it with sorghum.

I discovered sorghum grain last summer at the Fancy Food Show. Although I was familiar with sorghum syrup, I hadn’t realized the grain itself was available and so was intrigued when I saw the Wondergrain booth where there were pots of cooked sorghum for tasting.

Of course I tasted.

I loved it and ever since have been working with sorghum grain to make all sorts of comforting cold-weather casseroles (and also some refreshing summer salads).

I will be serving Sorghum Filling for Thanksgiving because the grain has so many benefits. I will never go back to the pasta version.

Wondergrain sorghum is:

gluten free

cholesterol free

Non GMO

kosher

a good source of fiber and iron

It’s also pleasurably chewy and tasty. A fabulous pasta substitute.

Wondergrain — who did NOT pay me to write this post — sells both whole grain and pearled sorghum. Their website offers some good looking recipes plus a video on how to cook the grain. The product does not have wide distribution yet, but I hope it soon will. Meantime, if you don’t live near one of the retail shops listed in their store locator, you can order online at http://www.wondergrain.com/shop/. 

Sorghum “Filling”

• 1 cup sorghum grain, whole grain or pearled
• vegetable stock and/or water
• 5 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 10-12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the sorghum with stock or water according to the instructions on the package (pearled sorghum will take 35-40 minutes, whole grain sorghum will take 45-55 minutes). Set the cooked sorghum aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Spoon the vegetables and any cooking fluids into the pan with the sorghum. Stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. Stir in the eggs, parsley, remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and salt and pepper. Spoon the ingredients into a baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy.

Makes 6-8 servings

Sriracha Spiced Baked Beans

It’s cold and windy, and the peak day for our gorgeous New England fall foliage passed last Saturday. 

I need warm, winter foods. My go-to avocado/tomato side dish, the quick-and-easy asparagus salads and cold soups don’t seem right now.

So I’m thinking, baked beans. 

Yes, yes, I know there are all sorts of baked beans in a can and it’s oh so easy to open a can and have baked beans with dinner. I remember the green labelled Heinz Vegetarian baked beans that were a standard item at my house when I was a kid.

But homemade? Much better. Because you can, as they say, have it your way.

My way recently, was a recipe for spicy baked beans, seasoned with a dose of Sriracha. Perfect for cold weather. A nice side dish for Thanksgiving dinner.

Sure, it takes time. Do it on the weekend when you aren’t as rushed. Baked beans are fine, stored in the fridge, for a week. How’s that for make-ahead!

Sriracha Spiced Baked Beans 

• 1 pound dried navy or Great Northern Beans
• 6 cups water
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the beans and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and let rest for one hour. Bring to a second boil over high heat, lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for one hour. (Alternately cover the beans with water and let them soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours.) Drain the beans. Place the beans in a casserole. Add the onion, brown sugar, molasses, tomato sauce, olive oil, Sriracha, mustard, cloves, salt and pepper to the beans and stir to blend them in. Stir in 2-1/2 cups water. Cover the casserole. Place the casserole in a cold oven and turn the heat to 300 degrees. Cook for 4 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if the mixture seems dry, or until the beans are tender.

Makes 8 servings

Three Ingredient Sweet Potato Casserole

Need a last minute Thanksgiving or Thanksgivvukah dish? Try this sweet potato recipe. It has three ingredients (plus salt if you wish). Its other virtue is that it is barely sweetened, because I think sweet potatoes are so naturally sugary they don’t need much more.

You can make this ahead and reheat it. Even put marshmallows on top (a few minutes before serving, and after the casserole is already hot).

I use Sarabeth’s Orange-Apricot Marmalade. But you can use either plain orange marmalade or apricot jam (or mix the two).

Three Ingredient Sweet Potato Casserole

• 4 medium sweet potatoes

• 3 tablespoons orange-apricot marmalade

• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread, margarine or butter

• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the sweet potatoes, prick them with the tip of a sharp knife and roast them for about one hour or until tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh into a bowl (discard the skin or eat separately). Add the marmalade and Earth Balance and mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Makes 4-6 servings 

Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie

Every family has its own particular cast of characters. You know, the people comedians joke about when they say “wow, can you imagine what it’s like at their Thanksgiving dinner?” 

Well, we have ours too, although not along the lines the jokes are about. Our family loves getting together, we enjoy each other’s company, mostly think along the same lines socially and politically, think its okay for a few of us to go into a different room to watch football and generally consider it a very good, festive day.

Our cast of characters has to do with the food. There are kosher, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarians and nut-free among us.

That could make planning dinner a challenge for some, but I love figuring out solutions to all of these culinary matters.

Here’s my answer to the dairy-free thing: Coconut Milk Pumpkin Pie. The crust is not gluten free, but if you need one, try this. 

Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie

1-3/4 cups mashed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) (one 15 ounce can)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1-1/2 cups coconut milk

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 9-inch unbaked dairy-free pie crust

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Beat the pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar with a whisk or electric beater set at medium for a minute or until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the coconut milk until well blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt and beat ingredients for a minute or until well blended. Pour into the pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Makes one pie serving 8 people

Dairy-free Pie Crust

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

8 tablespoons cold Earth Balance Buttery Spread

4 tablespoons cold shortening

4-5 tablespoons water or juice, approximately          

Combine the flour, salt and lemon peel, if used, in a large bowl. Cut the Spread and shortening into chunks and add to the flour mixture. Work the fat into the flour mixture using your fingers or a pastry blender until the ingredients resemble crumbs. (If using a food processor, give the ingredients several quick, short pulses, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.) Add the liquid, using only enough to gather pastry into a ball of dough. Cut the dough in half and flatten each half to make a disk shape. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it stand at least 30 minutes. Makes enough for a one crust pie or two bottom crust only pies

Grilled Cheese and Cranberry Sauce Panini

Every year, on Thanksgiving, I make a roasted turkey. 

Every year, on Hanukkah, I make a roasted goose.

This year, Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah are on the same day.

So, what to do? Turkey or goose?

I thought about turducken but that’s a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey. No goose. Even if it included goose, turducken isn’t my thing. Too much work and the chicken and duck inside is steamed, not roasted.

Not for me.

I could make goose the night before, on the first night of Hanukkah, but that’s always the latke fest and to eat potato latkes without sour cream is unthinkable.

So, I’m in a quandary.

If anyone would like to voice an opinion, I’m all ears.

Actually, Hanukkah lasts for 8 days. AND, it’s a holiday featuring food with dairy, especially cheese. AND everyone loves grilled cheese. AND there are always leftovers of everything.

So, during the long holiday weekend when the entire clan is here, we are sure to be eating one of these Grilled Cheese and Cranberry Paninis.

Grilled Cheese and Cranberry Sauce Panini 

2 slices rye bread

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon orange marmalade

1 ounce slices Muenster, cheddar, Manchego or fontina cheese

1/4 cup cranberry sauce

Spread one slice of the bread with a half tablespoon of the butter. Spread the other slice of bread with the marmalade. Place the cheese and cranberry sauce on top of one of the bread slices, then cover the sandwich with the other slice. Melt half the remaining butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, place the sandwich in the pan. Place another, heavier pan on top. Cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the heavier pan, lift the sandwich with a spatula and add the remaining butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, turn the sandwich on the uncooked side, weight down with the heavier pan and cook for another minute or so or until second side is golden brown. Makes 1 serving

Turkey Breast, Southwest Style

Some things never change. I’m thinking petty political squabbles over nonsense.

Like the one I wrote about last week, about when President Franklin Roosevelt, at the behest of business leaders who wanted more Christmas holiday shopping days to pump up business during the Depression, changed the date Thanksgiving was celebrated from the last Thursday in November, to the 4th Thursday in November. That was in 1939.

What I didn’t mention last week, was that this caused such a squall in Republican circles that for years, in several states, Republican governors refused to comply with a Democratic president’s plan and celebrated Thanksgiving, as had been usual, on the last Thursday.

For years there were two Thanksgivings: Republican and Democrat.

Even after a joint resolution in Congress (in December 1941, the country now at war) setting the official date of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, some states refused to comply. For years.

It wasn’t until 1957 that every state celebrated Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday.

The last holdout was Texas.

Somehow I wasn’t surprised to read that.

Here’s to you America. I am thankful and happy to celebrate Thanksgiving with everyone else on November 28th, the fourth Thursday.

Here’s to you Texas: United we stand! In your honor, here’s a recipe for Southwest style turkey breast for those who don’t want to roast a whole turkey on Thanksgiving or any other time. If you do, double the seasonings and juice.

Turkey Breast, Southwest Style

1 half turkey breast about 3 pounds

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, mashed

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup apricot or orange juice

salt if desired

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and dry the turkey and place it skin side up in a roasting pan. Combine the olive oil, garlic, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper and brush the turkey with this mixture. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour the juice over the turkey. Roast for another 40-65 minutes, basting occasionally, or until a meat thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the breast reads 160 degrees. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes before carving. Makes 4 servings.

Sweet Potato Latkes with Cranberries

The words “holiday season” usually conjure up notions of Christmas and Hanukkah, decorated trees and candle-lit menorahs, because these two celebrations usually come at about the same time during December. But this year is different, because for the first time ever — maybe — Hanukkah is on the same day as Thanksgiving. And it won’t happen again until the year 79811 — maybe.

I say maybe because Jewish holidays always begin at sundown the night before, and so Hanukkah actually begins on Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving. 

Also, in 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation changing the the day we celebrate Thanksgiving from the last Thursday to the 4th Thursday. So if you consider that, then Hanukkah and Thanksgiving actually did fall on the same day back in in 1888.

There’s more, much more to this story, including the usual political nonsense that happens when a president of one party says something, does something or is eager to try something and the other party doesn’t like it. In 1939, for example, one Republican (Tom Taggart of Atlantic City) was so incensed by FDR’s proclamation that he referred to Thanksgiving as “Franksgiving.”

Btw, in case you watch Boardwalk Empire, you might like to know that Taggart was a one-time favorite of Enoch L. “Nocky” Johnson, (the GOP party leader on whom Nucky Thompson is based).

But all of this amusing stuff aside, the question for the actual celebration is:

"what do we eat?"

With two holidays overlapping (it’s being called “Thanksgivukkah”), there’s a lot of cooking involved. And a lot depends on when families will be getting together — Wednesday night for Hanukkah and Thursday for Thanksgiving? Only on Thursday?

Because Thanksgiving is a meat meal; Hanukkah is typically dairy and for folks who keep kosher, you don’t mix the two.

Thanksgiving usually involves a roasted turkey, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes; Hanukkah is potato latke time plus anything fried.

My first thought: sweet potato latkes, stuffed with cranberries. Takes care of two Thanksgiving essentials and delivers it in a form familiar for Hanukkah. Suitable for a meat meal. 

I tried them out to see if this was something we could sink our teeth into this year and the answer was a resounding “yes” so this is one of our “Thanksgivukkuh” recipes this year.

Sweet Potato Latkes/Pancakes with Cranberries

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and finely shredded

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs

Vegetable oil for frying

Shred the potatoes in a food processor. Squeeze the shreds to remove as much liquid as possible. Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Chop the cranberries into small pieces. Add to the potatoes and toss to distribute the ingredients. Stir in the flour, orange peel, salt, ginger, cinnamon and baking powder and toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the eggs and blend them in thoroughly. Heat about 1/8 inch vegetable oil in a saute pan. Form portions of the mixture into pancakes about 3-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Fry the pancakes in batches over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Makes about 20

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pepitas 

As soon as I see that pumpkins have replaced the corn and tomatoes at the market I start hungering for food that’s autumn-like. Mostly pumpkin bread and muffins to snack on when I need a little something in the late afternoon with my last cup of coffee for the day. 

I don’t make pumpkin muffins as often as I do banana bread, but almost. This is my latest version, which has kefir because I happened to have some in the fridge. But buttermilk is fine too. 

Reheat leftovers in a toaster oven for a few minutes if you need a quick breakfast. 

Btw, I used to bake and mash the pumpkin insides to get the puree, but most of the time I use canned pumpkin or squash. NOT pumpkin pie mix. I want to mix in the spices of my choice, not theirs.

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pumpkin Seeds

• 3  tablespoons butter

• 1-3/4 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 cup mashed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

• 3/4 cup kefir

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 1 large egg

• 2-3 tablespoons crushed pumpkin seeds 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 9 muffin tin cups. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, kefir, molasses, egg and cooled, melted butter. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix only long enough to combine. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin cups. Scatter the pumpkin seeds evenly on top of each muffin. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 9