Awesome Pie Crust

I love, love love this crust. The original is in Dorie Greenspan's baking book. She uses shortening and makes it in the food processor; I use all butter and make it in the mixing bowl. If you haven't made a crust before, use this one--it's super-easy and tastes amazing.

Dorie Greenspan's Awesome Pie Crust, non-food processor style

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 T sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 sticks (14 T) very cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces

About 1/4 cup ice water, or as needed

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine, Add the butter and use your fingers to blend it into the dry ingredients. It doesn't need to be perfect what you're aiming for is to have some pieces the size of green peas and others the size of barley. Add 1 tablespoon of the water and blend in, then add water a little at a time to until the dough is evenly moistened--it should stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a work surface.

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling.

To roll out the dough: Have a buttered 9-inch pie plate at hand.

You can roll the dough out on a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper. If you're working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to life the paper, plastic or cover frequently so that it doesn't roll into the dough and form creases.

Fit the dough into the pie plate and, using a pair of scissors, cut the excess dough to a 1/4- to 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge. Alternatively, you can finish the crust by pressing it with the tines of a fork. Freeze the crust for about 15 minutes while the oven heats.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Better the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil, fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust and fill with dried beans or rice or pie weights. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 25 mins. Carefully remove the foil and weights and, if the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, return the pie plate to the oven and bake for about 8 minutes more, or until the crust is very lightly golden.

Brined Turkey

Brining makes turkey so juicy and flavorful you'll never roast a turkey without it again! Keep in mind you'll probably have to rearrange your refrigerator racks to accommodate the brining bucket. I suggest ding this before putting the turkey in the brine, with an empty bucket, just to confirm that it will fit in your fridge. (I speak from experience.)

I like to decorate the turkey platter with bunches of Roasted Grapes. They are beautiful and pretty yummy, too!

Brined Turkey

1 (14- to 16-pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

1 cup coarse kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon juniper berries

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 gallons water

4 cups ice cubes

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, cut into 6 wedges

1/2 onion, cut in to 6 wedges

1 head garlic, cut in half on its "equator"

1 cup water

1 sprig rosemary

3 sprigs thyme

6 leaves sage

Canola oil

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves, and water in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the pot from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

The night before: Combine the brine, water and ice in a 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Arrange the oven racks to accommodate the turkey. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add the aromatics and herbs to the turkey's cavity. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes before carving.

Sage and Celery Dressing

I grew up eating "dressing," not "stuffing;" It was always cooked outside the turkey, and it was always made from cornbread. I am not a big fan of cornbread, so when I started making my own, I switched to regular bread instead. But i still cook it by itself, because I like the crunchy bits on the edges that only happen when it's cooked on its own. You can adjust the proportions of white and wheat bread and the ratio of celery to onions--I LOVE celery so tend ot go a little overboard with it.

1 pound white bread -- sliced and cut into rough chunks (don't worry about being exact)
1 pound wheat or multigrain bread -- sliced
1 pound unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups celery -- chopped

1/2 cup celery leaves, chopped
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
6 sprigs' worth thyme leaves
20 leaves sage -- stems removed, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

The night before cooking, spread all the bread out in a single layer on sheet pans or towels and allow to dry out. (or toast in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes until light golden.) Transfer bread to a large mixing bowl.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the sage leaves into thin strips

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat, making sure not to burn it. Add the celery, celery leaves, and onions and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the stock. Increase the heat to moderate and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 3 minutes.

Pour the mixture over the bread. Add the thyme and sage to the bread mixture. Add the salt and pepper and mix well.

Cover the pan with foil and bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Remove foil, bake for another 30 min. (Can be done 1 day ahead. Reheat, uncovered, and serve alongside roast turkey.

Burnt Caramel Pumpkin Pie

This is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe ever. The first time I made it,
I accidentally baked my cell phone when I blind-baked the crust--
that's how excited I was about it. it was totally worth it. Use the
leftover pumpkin to make Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cookies!

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup can unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated peeled ginger
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

1 Awesome Pie Crust, partially baked and cooled, still on its baking
sheet

Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the sugar evenly over the bottom of a nonstick
skillet. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and cook until the
sugar starts to color. Swirl the skillet--do not stir--so the sugar
colors evenly. Continue heating the sugar until is a very deep golden-
red color. (It will just start to smoke and the bubbles in the sugar
will be large-ish.)

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stand back and add the cream. (it was
steam and bubble and hiss and generally look terribly, terribly
wrong.) Whisk the mixture until it's smooth again, then whisk in the
rum and butter. Pour the caramel into a heatproof bowl and let cool 15
minutes.

In another bowl, whisk the pumpkin until smooth, then whisk in the
remaining sugar, then the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt, then the
vanilla and eggs. Mix until blended. Whisk in the caramel.

Pour the filling into the crust, then lift the pie pan about a half
inch from the baking sheet and drop it to remove any air bubbles (do
this a couple of times).

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until filling is set (tap the pan gently; the
center of the pie should not jiggle).

Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely. Serve with lightly
sweetened whipped cream.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before I tried these, I was very suspicious. Pumpkin and chocolate? Not so much. But then I tasted them, and I was converted. If you're still not sure, use white chocolate chips in place of the semisweet ones.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch nutmeg

Pinch cayenne

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 teaspoon milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or non-stick foil.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cayenne. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg and whisk until blended. Whisk in the baking soda mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients, then stir in the vanilla and chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoons on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes or until firm and the edges are lightly brown.

Roasted Grapes

• • 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  1 pound red or purple seedless grapes, separated into small clusters
• 
  

Heat the oven to 500°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and salt and pepper. Add the grapes and toss very gently to coat with mixture, being careful not to break the clusters too much.

Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until the grapes are lightly browned and the skins are slightly crisp, about 12 minutes.

(I roast then during the first half hour of my turkey, then take them out and let them stand until the turkey is finished. They are tasty at room temperature!)

Cranberry Relish

The serrano chile in this relish is a nod to my southwest roots. If you can't find serranos, use 1 jalapeno in its place.

2 cups cranberries, washed and picked over for stems

1 cup sugar, or to taste

Juice and zest from 2 oranges

1 serrano chile, seeded and minced

Salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, tirring occasionally, just until the cranberries start to burst. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Refrigerate until serving.