Since my friend who hosted this year’s Thanksgiving dinner is gluten sensitive, my contribution was a pumpkin cheesecake with a gluten free graham cracker crust. What a fantastic sacrifice of some animal graham crackers!
Pre-Vitamix days, I would’ve mashed those bad boys up with a potato masher like Mom used to do. It’s all about incorporating technology now.
Five tablespoons of melted butter added to the crust’s deliciousness.
Despite the fact that I used cookies, I faithfully followed the recipe and sprinkled a tablespoon of sugar.
Even before I baked the crust, I could smell the flavor as I mixed in the butter.
Baking the crust for five minutes truly brought out the flavor.
Next, I got the main event ready: three packages of cream cheese, one cup of sugar, some vanilla extract.
This base could’ve been any cheesecake.
Then I added some fresh traditional Thanksgiving spices: cinnamon and allspice.
Although the recipe called for one cup of pumpkin, I couldn’t taste it. So I put in the whole 15-oz can. Everyone savored the taste and asked if I’d used fresh pumpkin. Ha! I’ve heard from at least two people, who used fresh pumpkin, confess that next time they’d use canned pumpkin. Good enough for me.
Lastly, I added three eggs and hand grated nutmeg.
After pouring the batter into the pre baked crust, I gave it a final serene swirl to smooth it down. As any good chef or baker will tell you, it’s not merely using fresh ingredients that makes a dish, it’s also the care one puts into the preparation. The end result? Edible love.
The recipe stated to bake the cheesecake for 60-70 minutes, but it looked plenty ready after 35-40 minutes.
I arrived just in time to see my friend’s husband checking on the first turkey he’d fried up. I love the fact that he was a former firefighter since turkey fryers have caused so many fires and injuries.
While other preparations took place, I whipped up some fresh cream with too much sugar and put it in the refrigerator.
Nearly an hour later, I documented the frying of the second turkey.
This bird had already been injected with liquid spices.
Our fryer chef carefully lowered the bird into the boiling hot oil.
Still using caution, he closed the lid.
And then slowly backed away.
The other captain of the chef team, curved up the first fried turkey.
In the process, she made a beautiful turkey display.
In addition to a glass of water and a chalice of red wine, I made my eclectic Thanksgiving plate: green beans with sliced almonds and cranberries; mashed potatoes with cream cheese, rosemary and garlic; apple salad; fried turkey; fried ham; and Mexican spaghetti casserole.
We had two homemade dessert selections: flan and pumpkin cheesecake.
I skipped seconds on dinner just to double up on dessert. Besides, we were all gifted leftover turkey, ham and potatoes. I left half of the remaining cheesecake with my hosts and then delivered the rest to another friend who lived nearby.
As delicious as that cheesecake was, I don’t need it all for myself. That’s the main reason I never make a dessert unless I taking it somewhere else.