World’s Largest Pumpkin Pie

Nearly a ton of pumpkin was required to make South Africa’s record-breaking, 28-foot pumpkin pie.




The massive dessert was three feet deep and took two days to create, and beat out the previous title holder in Circleville, Ohio, which took 360 pounds of sugar, 795 pounds of pumpkin, 60 lbs. of powered milk, 60 dozen eggs, 75 gallons of water and 400 lbs. of flour to make.

Citrus Ginger Cake with Spiced Orange Compote

The flavor of this spiced orange compote improves with time so make it a day ahead or the morning of your party. Serve chilled in a clear bowl so the colors show through.

Ingredients


1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup mild-flavored extra-virgin olive oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated (see Tip)

2 tablespoons freshly grated orange or Meyer lemon zest

1/3 cup fresh orange or Meyer lemon juice

5 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger, divided

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

Spiced Orange Compote, (recipe follows)
 
Preparation


1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil an 8-inch round cake pan (see Variation), line with parchment paper and oil the parchment.

2.Stir together honey, oil, egg yolks, zest, juice and 3 tablespoons crystallized ginger in a medium bowl. Sift whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high in another medium bowl until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

3.Stir the honey mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Gently fold in the egg whites with a rubber spatula until they are well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

4.Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake and turn it out onto the rack. Let cool completely.

5.Just before serving, sift sugar evenly over the top of the cake and garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons ginger. Serve with Spiced Orange Compote on the side.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 4, tightly wrap in plastic wrap and hold at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Equipment: 8-inch cake pan (see Variation), parchment paper

Tip: To bring an egg to room temperature, set it out on the counter for 15 minutes or submerge it (in the shell) in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot) water for 5 minutes.

Variation: You can use a 9-inch cake pan for this recipe, but you will get a thinner cake. Reduce the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes. You can find 8-inch cake pans at well-stocked kitchenware stores or online at surlatable.com.

Nutrition

Per serving: 280 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 42 mg cholesterol; 52 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 175 mg sodium; 189 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (80% daily value)
3.5 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 3 other carbohydrates, 1 fat


 

Razzle-Dazzle Berry Cheesecake

This is a Betty Crocker recipe, so it is not entirely fron scratch. But I am O.K. with that if you are!?

1 cup graham cracker crumbs


1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

1 container (8 oz) sour cream

1 can (21 oz) strawberry pie filling


1. Heat oven to 325°F. Wrap outside bottom and side of 10-inch springform pan with foil to prevent leaking. In small bowl, mix cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir in butter. Press firmly in bottom of pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until set.

2. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, the vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in sour cream.

3. Spread half of cream cheese mixture (about 3 cups) over crust. Spoon half of pie filling by tablespoonfuls onto cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining cream cheese mixture. (Refrigerate remaining pie filling.)

4. Bake 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until center is set. Cool 15 minutes. Carefully run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cover cheesecake; refrigerate at least 4 hours.

5. To serve, carefully run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen again; remove foil and side of pan. Spoon remaining pie filling over cheesecake.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Before heating oven, place small baking pan filled with 1 to 2 cups water on oven rack below rack cheesecake will be baked on. This will help prevent cheesecake from cracking.





Special Touch

Garnish each slice with a fresh strawberry--a welcome treat during the winter!



Nutrition Information:

1 Serving: Calories 440 (Calories from Fat 250); Total Fat 28g (Saturated Fat 17g, Trans Fat 1g); Cholesterol 150mg; Sodium 250mg; Total Carbohydrate 40g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 36g); Protein 7g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 20%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 8%; Iron 6% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 High-Fat Meat; 4 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 1/2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Peanut Brittle Bacon Cookies

See, here you go! You have three of th food groups -Peanut , Bacon and Cookies! (ha-ha)

Servings: 4 dozen




Ingredients:1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup peanut brittle, cracked into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups bacon, crisply cooked and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Cooking Directions:Preheat oven to 350°F.


Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients one cup at a time to the butter mixture, scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in peanut brittle and bacon.

Roll dough into 1/2-inch balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand to about 1-inch in diameter. Bake about 15 minutes or until the edges begin to lightly brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.