Bacon Wrapped Dates

Goat cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped dates!

Hi Everyone. First off, I know i've been out of the loop and on radio silence since last Friday but I promise that I was not abducted by aliens or mythical creatures of yore (how cool would that be though?). The past weekend/week have been a non-stop slew of entertaining, obligations, and a crazy amount of work, all packed in right before I leave for Texas this afternoon. I've been away from my kitchen and re-discovering the instant foods aisle at my local Duane-Reade (cringing as I type this) but luckily, last night's party included real food and one of my absolute favorite party tricks made a surprise appearance.

Not only are these easy to make but there are endless ways to make them, depending on your taste AND they include bacon. What's not to love?

For the two variations discussed here, you will need: pitted Medjool dates, bacon (I prefer thick cut, applewood smoked), and either pecans or honey, depending on your preference.

For pecan stuffed dates:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Stuff half a pecan in each date, inserting in the whole created by the removal of the pit, and wrap in 1 or 1/2 piece of bacon, depending on what kind of bacon-to-date ratio you want. *Note - the bacon will shrink slightly as it cooks, so make sure it has a good overlap. Secure the bacon wraps with a toothpick, going cleanly through the date.

For honey glazed dates:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a basting brush and a bowl of honey, brush each date with a light coating of honey and wrap with 1 or 1/2 piece of bacon. Secure with a toothpick, going cleanly through the date, and see cooking directions below.

For both recipes:

Place the bacon wrapped dates 1/2 inch apart on a cooling rack or dripping pan over a shallow, rimmed pan (I make a shallow lipped pan of aluminum foil, place that on a baking sheet, and put the cooling rack over that). Place in the oven for 15 minutes, checking the dates around the 10 minute mark to make sure that they are cooking fully (may need to be turned) and not sitting in any bacon juice (hence, the need for an elevated cooking surface). After 15 minutes, keep cooking the dates until the bacon is at your preferred level of crispiness for up to another 5 minutes.

Let cool slightly and serve with the toothpicks still in them so people can pick them up.

Ps. I had these stuffed with goat cheese last night and would highly recommend doing that in place of the pecans if you're nut averse.

Ingredients:

- 20 pitted Medjool dates (the size of this recipe is completely subjective/based on how many people you are serving but always plan to make double what you need as these will all be eaten in 5 seconds!)
- 1/2 lb bacon (preferably thick cut, applewood smoked)
- 1 c pecans or pecan pieces
- 1 c honey

- toothpicks
- basting brush
- cooling rack or drip pan

Serves 10-20

Sundried Tomatoes and Baby Bella Mushrooms in a Dijon Beurre Blanc

I've had a tin of sundried tomatoes staring at me from the cupboard for over a month now. I keep meaning to use them, keep forgetting to, and they keep staring back in the most judgmental fashion. I haven't eaten much 'real' food lately due to the holiday rush, so last night, I finally broke down and pulled the tomato tin off the shelf, intent on cooking something instead of reaching for a handful of goldfish and a sugar cookie.

I decided to do a beurre blanc sauce and throw in some baby Portobello mushrooms that needed eating but I generally prefer them marinated in something prior to cooking and I can't stand a cold, coagulated beurre blanc, so that was out. Instead, I whipped up a marinade of dijon mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, dried rosemary, and a bit of water to liquify the mixture a tad. Mixing that with the mushrooms, I set it aside to chill in the fridge for an hour and a half, while I went for a run.

Once back in the kitchen, I put a pot of water on high heat, letting it come to a boil before adding half a package of fettucine. The I pulled the mushrooms out of the fridge, placed them in a pan over medium heat with a tablespoon of butter, and covered to let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Once the mushrooms start to soften, add 6 chopped, sundried tomatoes, another tablespoon of butter, and cover for another 2 minutes. The marinade will start cooking off around the 2 minute mark, which is where you add the sugar, another 2 tablespoons of butter, and 1/2 cup white wine vinegar. Mix and let simmer until the sugar is melted. At this point, you have a lovely Dijon Beurre Blanc sauce and can tweak depending on personal preference (more sugar, more vinegar?). Strain the cooked pasta (it will be done around the same time your sauce is), add to the sauce, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 box fettucine
- 15-16 baby Portobello mushrooms
- 4-5 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- splash of water
- 4 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 6 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tbsp sugar, granulated
- 1/3rd c white wine vinegar

Serves 2

Cranberry Orange and Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Yesterday, I played the game of what's in my pantry that I can turn into a cookie? I use this 'technique' to take stock of my baking supplies, use up any niggling leftovers, and justify not leaving the house for groceries when it's 20 degrees outside.

The ingredients I turned up were: cranberries, dried coconut flakes, and clementines. I figured that those made sense as a cookie, so I did some research and found this recipe, which I think is actually from a butter company (mildly hilarious). I loosely based my cookies off of this and the result was a delightfully light cookie with hints of orange, vanilla, and a tart cranberry bite to offset the sea of rich desserts popular right now.

To start: pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, orange (or clementine) peel, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the egg, repeat, and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Add this into the larger bowl in stages, mixing it in a little bit at a time. Lastly, add in the dried coconut and cranberries (*I always coat these in a light dusting of flour first to make sure they don't sink in the batter). If you're using an electric mixer, it will cut up the cranberries for you, otherwise chop roughly before adding. Once thoroughly combined, set aside.

Pour some sugar into a large bowl to roll the cookies in. I used a jar of vanilla flavored sugar that I made earlier, in this recipe to give them a lovely, floral finish.

Going back to the dough, roll out 1 inch cookies, coating them in the sugar, and place 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, let cool, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

- 3/4th c butter, unsalted
- 1 1/4th c granulated sugar
- 1/2 tbsp grated orange (or clementine) peel
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 c flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8th tsp salt
- 1 c cranberries
- 1 c dried coconut flakes (if sweetened, use only 1 c sugar and 1 tsp vanilla)
- 3/4th c granulated sugar for coating

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes
Makes 24 cookies

Christmas Cookie Roundup

Every year, my family hosts a holiday party and every year, I get in either the day before or the day of; sometimes even 3 hours late FOR the party (only happened once fortunately). Most years, I also help out with the preparations/baking and while I am getting in the evening before this time, I still have to bake enough to feed a large number of people in under 24 hours.

Before you empathize and panic, i'll admit that this isn't nearly as high stress as it sounds, so long as you have a good set of recipes that are 1) simple and 2) still unique and decadent enough to wow even the most frost-bitten soul. With that in mind, i've rounded up my five favorite recipes of the season, all of which are nearly impossible to mess up and are suited to sate a wide variety of palates. Bon appetite and happy baking!

 

 These peanut butter blossoms from Saveur are a standby classic for me and while not everyone loves a peanut butter cookie, something I will never understand, the simple addition of a hershey kiss or a dollop of tempered chocolate reinvents them just enough to bridge the gap between 'eeew, peanut butter' and 'oooh chocolate!'

Annie's Eats never lets me down when i'm looking for an inventive take on a classic or a unique taste and presentation that blows everyone away without breaking the bank on ingredients. True to form, these creamy eggnog cookie bars do not disappoint. I know that not everyone loves eggnog, in fact I think you could split a room in half by asking that question but for those of us that do, this is a welcome respite from the overly decadent chocolate truffles, fudges, brownies, and cheesecakes that populate the season. It's like a blondie but with eggnog, which is like already having a perfect 10 on your Olympics figure skating routine and then getting an 11! You get the point now be adventurous and try them!

This breathtakingly beautiful white chocolate peppermint cookie with vanilla salt comes from Food52, another one of my favorite sites for a fun recipe with a slightly more sophisticated edge. Yes, we're all grown ups but does that mean we can't have fun smashing candy canes to bits and putting them in cookies? Of course not.

Ok, so these sugared cranberries aren't technically a dessert or baked good but just THINK of how beautiful they would look resting on the top of a dark chocolate fudge cake, iced in a thick, white buttercream. Alternatively, you can eat them like candy - "natural sour patch kids" as love & olive oil puts it. I've used these in scones and then frozen the leftovers to be defrosted and used in a creamy cheddar cheese dip two weeks later, so don't worry about what you're going to do with them, just try them!

 

Just looking at this raspberry chocolate bread pudding makes me want to curl up by the fire and sing Christmas carols while eating my weight in chocolate. Two Peas and Their Pod is one of my all time favorite blogs. They have an adorably mixed sense of style and whimsy that lends itself perfectly to surprises like this decadent bread pudding, balanced by bright, fresh raspberries. I'm thinking that this will be on the table Christmas morning in place of my traditional cinnamon rolls and just maybe, the raspberries will save us all from a food coma later in the afternoon.

Drinking Games and Puppy Chow

When my friend asked me if we could play a drinking game based on Love Actually, (on the pretense that I could use it to blog about) I said yes before she could finish the sentence. Of course, any good game needs a killer snack to balance out whatever libation is thematically appropriate.

To accompany the evening's lineup of cab-sauvs (my favorite), I pulled a childhood favorite out of the archives and made a simple but oh so tasty, giant bowl of puppy chow.

You know how much I love simple recipes and this one is more of the same:

Measure out 7 cups of rice chexs in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Melt butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter together in a pot over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid the chocolate burning or separating.

One melted, add to the large mixing bowl and gently fold with the chex until they are evenly coated. *The recipe will coat almost all of the cereal you've got but start out with 7 cups and add additional as needed.

Once mixed, set aside and prep a double layer of large ziploc bags with the tops folded back to stay clear of the chocolate-peanut butter goo. Scoop half of the rice chex mix into the double layered bag, top with 2 cups powdered sugar, seal, and shake until the chex are completely coated in the sugar.

Place in a clean serving bowl and repeat with the last half of the mixture.

Now you're done and ready to enjoy a childhood-esque sugar rush!

Ps.This was a great game, great snack, and we're planning to follow up with a Holiday version!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 c butter, unsalted

- 1 c chocolate chips (mini-semisweet Gihrardelli will melt faster and be easier to work with)

- 1 c peanut butter (Jif creamy is my go to but any classic PB - no organic or natural - will work)

- 7 c Rice Chex 

- 4 c powdered sugar

- 1 large mixing bowl

- 1 pot

- 2 large Ziploc bags

- 1 soup ladle or large serving spoon

Cream Cheese, White Cheddar, Cranberry Dip

Standing on the subway platform for work this morning, I was struck by just how much I needed the Thanksgiving break as a chance to do absolutely nothing.

I read all of the new recipes for Christmas cookies and am super excited to take part in the season's baking frenzy but first? I needed to sit on the couch all day, watching Star Trek re-runs, eat chocolate-pecan pie for breakfast, and find out what it feels like to not go outside for over 24 hours because my boyfriend was nice enough to take out the dog. 

I plan to start my Christmas baking this weekend but there are leftovers (and LOTS of wine) to be worked through first. The winners and consequentially 'least leftovers available' from this past weekend are: pulled pork, chocolate-pecan pie, and the most surprising dish of Thanksgiving: melted cheesy-cranberry dip.

I've said previously that I am not the biggest fan of cranberries but now I realize that, that only applies to sweet dishes. This savory recipe on the other hand...is perfection.

This dish requires 4 things: cranberries, cream cheese, aged white cheddar, and a ramekin (or Italian pottery equivalent as was my case). Once you have those? Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, mix the cream cheese and shredded cheddar, fold in the cranberries, and place in the ramekin to bake. I'm not kidding, it's that easy.

Give the mix 30-40 minutes and take out when it is browned around the edges and starting to bubble. Serve hot with crostini and enjoy!

Lessons learned: always make at least a double batch because this will be gone in 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

- 8 oz cream cheese

- 4 oz aged white cheddar, shredded

- 1 c cranberries 

- 1 ramekin 

Pulled Pork!/Thanksgiving-Christmas Transition

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to you all!

My household celebrates today by figuring out how to store all of yesterday's leftovers while transitioning to the Christmas season with lights, a mini-tree, and a sleigh bell for the dog that is already driving my boyfriend crazy.

Our Thanksgiving feast; Course #2

Given the food hangover we all have, cooking will be minimal and meals will include sneaking bits of the chocolate-pecan pie (omg you guys, SO good) and eating pulled pork sliders - also leftover based.

I opted for pulled pork because I am one of the few who doesn't like turkey and opts for a more Southern alternative but it's also a great dish to throw in the crock pot and come back to hours later.

To start: Place a 2lb, boneless pork loin in a 3.5-5qt crock pot, poke it full of holes with a fork (do this on all sides), rub with salt and pepper, and slather with 3 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce. I chop up some garlic and onions to sprinkle over the top, along with an even coating of brown sugar.

Place the crock pot on 'low' and leave for 5 hours. Check on the pork loin at 5 hours - it should be a bit tough and a whitish-pink on the inside. Some of the fat should have also melted off, forming a thin sauce with the cooked vegetables, brown sugar, and bbq sauce. Ladle this over the pork loin and let cook for another 3-4 hours, checking it every hour. When it's done, large chunks should easily fall away when plied with a fork.

At this point, take the pork loin out of the crock pot (don't turn off) and place on a large cutting board to pull. You can pull the pork by hand (old school style) or use two forks to pull and shred the pork. Set aside when done.

Turning your attention back to the crock pot - use a sieve to strain the mixture of fat and bbq sauce into a medium-large pot and set aside.

Place the pulled pork back in the now empty crock pot and cover with an additional 2 cups bbq sauce and a few tablespoons of the sauce you just strained. Mix and turn the crock pot setting to 'warm.' This will let the pulled pork continue to soak up the bbq sauce mixture while not drying it out.

I give it another hour or two from here, based on how much time you have but you can let it sit for as little as 30-45 minutes and serve.

*Remember that sauce you strained and put aside? Place the pot over medium-high heat, whisk in 2 tbsp butter, and equal parts flour and water (starting with 1/3 c of each). The mixture will thicken as you whisk and you may need to add another tbsp or two of water, depending on how thick you want it. Once done, remove from heat and serve with the pulled pork as gravy.

Plate with some toasted bread and maybe a bit of leftover mash and enjoy!

Ingredients:

- 2lb boneless pork loin

- 3 c bbq sauce (homemade or Jack Daniels honey bbq)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/2 large, sweet onion, chopped

- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

- 2 c bbq sauce (same as above)

Gravy:

- strained sauce

- 2 tbsp unsalted butter

- 1/3-3/4 c AP flour

- 1/3-3/4 c water 

- 3.5-5qt crock pot

- large sieve

- cutting board

Chocolate Pecan Pie

 

Happy almost Thanksgiving! No feast is complete without pumpkin and pecan pies but while i'm a huge fan of pumpkin in most forms, I am not all that jazzed by the thought of candied pecans. Skipping this traditional staple however, is not an option as my boyfriend's favorite cake is pecan pie (his exact words), so i've been searching for a recipe that modifies it enough to have some fun with it while keeping it close enough to the classic that no one gets upset (boyfriend).

When I found this recipe from Our Best Bites, I knew i'd hit gold. A pecan pie that lets me add/melt down candy? We have a winner!

The recipe itself is super easy. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, roll out your crust (see how to do this here), and turn your attention to the filling.

This recipe is awesome because it uses candy, specifically Rolos, to get a perfect chocolate caramel flavor - no double boilers and chocolate chips or careful melting down of caramel squares required. Simply place the Rolos in a large pot on medium-low heat, with the butter and milk, stirring until melted and combined. *The candy melts extremely quickly, so it's better to take the few minutes necessary to stand there and stir it 'till mixed as averse to leaving and coming back to find it burnt and separated. Once done, remove from heat and set aside, stirring occasionally to keep from setting.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt, using an egg beater to mix until frothy and bubbly. Slowly add the chocolate-caramel mixture in and lastly, stir in the pecans by hand. The batter will be very thin, so don't worry about it.

Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pie tin and place in the oven for 40-50 minutes. The pie is done when the filling jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven, let cool, and serve with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Ingredients:

- 1 9″ pie crust (see recipe here)
- 40 Rolo candies, unwrapped (or 60 mini ones because they're already unwrapped!)
- 1/4 c butter
- 1/4 c milk
- 1/2 c dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/3 c pecan halves

Jalapeño Cheesy Bread

I'm sandwiched between 'work' and all of the work I have to do for the various Thanksgivings I'm attending/hosting this week, so I'll be brief. If you want an easy party trick to impress your colleagues or friends, this is it! I've used this recipe several times and it never fails to impress. All you need are jalapeños, cream cheese, shredded cheese, a basic bread dough, and 2 1/2 - 3 hours lead time. This recipe requires patience but the payoff is well worth it.

To start:

Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix lukewarm water with yeast and lukewarm milk. Whisk together until the yeast has dissolved and pour into the larger bowl, along with the melted butter. Knead together, either with a dough hook or by hand. I found the dough to be a bit dry, so add a few more tbsps of water as necessary. 

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball. Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl (vegetable or olive oil will do but why waste the olive oil, right?), cover with a damp cloth, and place in a warm, dry place for 60-90 minutes and let rise. The original recipe says you should chill the dough here and that works well if you need to hold off on the rest of the recipe for a while (will keep for 4 days) but I always skip this step and have no issues.

While the dough is rising, rinse and slice the jalapeños, removing the seeds, and placing them cut side down, on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Set your oven to broil and put the jalapeño tray on the middle rack for about 6 minutes. Once the jalapeños are blistered and blackened in places, they are done. Remove from heat and put in a ziploc baggie, placing them in the fridge to cool for at least 15 minutes. Once cooled, remove the skins (they should peel right off) and dice. Mix the diced jalapeños with the cream cheese and set aside.

Punched down dough

Once the dough has risen to double its original height, punch back down and place back on the lightly floured surface. Separate the dough into two halves and roll each out into a long rectangle - about 8-10 inches wide by 16 inches long.

Working with one half of the dough, spread half of the cream cheese, jalapeño mixture on the surface, leaving about half an inch of space around the edges. Cover the mixture with shredded cheese and carefully roll the dough up, starting from the outside, long edge. Pinch the seems together and place, seam down.

Next, using a knife or dough scraper, cut the log of dough in half, lengthwise.

 

 

Set both halves cut face up and begin to braid the dough, twisting the halves together while remembering to keep the cut faces up. *It is much easier to start the twist in the middle of the dough and work your way out towards the ends, tucking them under when you reach them.

Repeat with the second piece of dough and place both, side-by-side, in a greased 13x9 pan. *Placing them in this pan will force them to keep a nice, square shape while they bake and you will have to squish them a bit to fit but don't worry about it. At this point, I was worried about the two loves baking into one, giant piece but my roommate told me to try a technique her dad uses, which is not unlike the process used to shape and bake baguettes. When placing the two twists in the 13x9 pan, place each one in a piece of parchment paper. This way, they can cook side-by-side, without the risk of melding together. Once settled, saran wrap the pan and place in a warm, dry area, letting the dough rise to about 1 inch above the pan (I didn't have time for this the last time around and my bread turned out fine, just a bit denser).

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the 13x9 in the oven to bake for 45-55 minutes. *Because the loaves are baking next to each other, you'll need to take them out of the pan and let them finish baking on a baking sheet or the inside half of each loaf won't crisp up - bake this way for another 10-15 minutes (if the loaves threaten to burn, cover with aluminum foil so the baking can continue without any additional browning).

Notice how the dough is not full cooked on this side...

...Versus the outside edge

Once done, remove from heat, let cool, and serve!

This is a great side dish or appetizer, with the jalapeño's heat peeking out from the cheese mixture just enough to keep you on your toes.

Ingredients:

- 6 1/2 c All Purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp white or brown sugar (I use white)
- 1 c lukewarm water
- 1 c and 2 tbsp lukewarm buttermilk or milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast
- 1/4 c melted, unsalted butter or vegetable oil
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 5-6 large jalapeno peppers
- 1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Vanilla Bean Pumpkin Pie

I needed to bake and freeze one of my Thanksgiving intended pies last night, so I'd have to time bake the other pie, freeze it, and move on to the more involved courses that would have to be made close to or the day of. However, I also had a marathon training run and some important news coming that I needed to be present (via phone) for, so I had a lot to fit in to the after-work hours, hence, my decision to make a pumpkin pie using canned pumpkin purée.

Sacrilege! I know but in my defense, I've done the 'from scratch' version for the past eight years and while I think it tastes great, I didn't have the extra hour required. I DID add half a vanilla bean to even the score though.

For those who feel cheated and still want to tackle a whole pumpkin, stay with me. Everyone else, skip ahead to the next section.

Ok, so cooking a pumpkin is super easy. Buy a medium sized, bright orange pumpkin, otherwise known as a 'sugar pumpkin,' which is the type you cook with. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cut the pumpkin in half, bi-secting the two hemispheres (don't cut towards the stem or bottom). Scoop out the seeds and place both halves, cut side down, on an aliminum foil lined pan, basting the skin in olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for an hour. Once done, the skin should appear blistered and come off easily when pulled with a fork. Let cool and use a fork to peel off the skin. Then purée the pumpkin and move to the next step.

Everybody Else!

Crust first: mix AP flour, salt, and sugar in a small to medium mixing bowl. Cut in cold butter (I explain how to do this in the scone recipe) until reduced to pea-sized crumbles. Add 2-3 tbsp water and, using your hand, knead the water into the loose mix, adding water as necessary until the dough sticks to itself in one, big lump. Place on a lightly floured baking mat or non-stick surface and roll out into a circle, about 1/3rd of an inch in thickness.

Now you need to get the dough into the pie pan without tearing it. The easiest way to do this is to place your rolling pin at one end of the dough and slowly roll it up, around the rolling pin. Place the the rolling pin at one edge of the pie tin and slowly unroll the dough over the tin. Adjust as needed and cut off the excess with a knife, working your way around the pan. 

From here you can create whatever pattern you prefer on the crust's edge. My go-to is a traditional pinched edge, jazzed up with leaves cut from the extra dough. 

If you want to add some 'flare' to your pie, roll the cut off dough out a bit thinner and cut designs out with the knife. Place these on a plate to be egg-washed when you egg-wash the crust.

Egg-washed cut outs, pre-baking

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let's move on to the filling!

Pie filling: Place the puréed pumpkin in a medium size mixing bowl, adding your beaten eggs, evaporated milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and the seeds from half a vanilla bean (see tutorial on how to do that here). Mix until combined thoroughly and place aside.

Use a beaten egg to wash your crust's rim and any decorative dough pieces. Pour the batter into the prepared pie crust and gently place desired dough cutouts on top of the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. When the filling is set, the pie is done - a knife inserted into the filling should come out semi-clean and don't worry if a crack or two appear in the surface - that's normal.

This has a stronger hint of cinnamon than a standard pumpkin pie, countered by the light, floral notes of the vanilla bean. For those looking for a slight twist on the classic, try this!

Ingredients: 

Crust:

- 1 1/2 c flour

- 1 tsp sugar

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 8 tbsp butter, cold

- 3-5 tbsp cold water

- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Filling: 

- 3 eggs

- 2 c pumpkin puree 

- 1/2 c evaporated milk (heavy cream will work too)

- 1/2 c light brown sugar

- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/8 tsp ground cloves

- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 vanilla bean

- 1 standard pie tin

Makes 1 pie

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit 

45-55 minutes