Pie Week

I love Pie Week. I only have so much energy a day and usually I keep it to use on things like making lunch or doing a load of laundry. But one week a year I get to justify using all of my energy to making really yummy desserts. It's so fun to me. Here's what I made this year.

Cranberry-Apple Pie

Pie pastry for a 9 inch double crust

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

¼ t salt

2 cups cranberries

½ cup raisins

4 tart apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced (can substitute pears)

Zest of 1 orange

2 T butter

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare pie pan with bottom pastry, leave top pastry aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Add cranberries, raisins, apples and orange zest. Pile fruit mixture into pan, dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Cut a few vents for steam.

Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake until crust is browned and fruit is tender, about 45-50 minutes longer.

Pumpkin Hazelnut Cheesecake

2 cup gingersnap cookies (I used gluten free ginger snaps and it worked well)

½ c plus 1 1/3 c packed brown sugar

5 T butter melted, plus 1/4c butter at room temp

2 lb cream cheese

1 T vanilla

1 ½ ground cinnamon

¼ t ground allspice

5 large eggs at room temp

¼ c heavy cream

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

Preheats oven to 350. Process gingersnaps and ¼ c brown sugar in food processor to form crumbs. Add melted butter. Press on bottom and sides of a 9 in springform pan. Wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the pan. Bake crust 9-10 minutes. Let cool. Leave oven at 350.

Combine cream cheese and 1 1/3 c brown sugar. Mix at medium speed until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice. Add eggs one at a time. Pour and scrape filling into the cooled crust.

Bake until the edges are set but center still quivers slightly when pan is shaken, about 1 ½ hours. Let cool for 1 hour.

In a small heavy pan at medium heat, combine ¼ c brown sugar, room temp butter, and the cream. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Add the hazelnuts and boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thinly coats the nuts, about 2 minutes. Spoon evenly over cooled cake. Cover cake with aluminum foil and refrigerate over night or up to 4 days.

Bete Noire

1 1/3 C sugar

8 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup butter, room temp

5 eggs, room temp

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Place plan inside a baking pan large enough so the sides of the pans do not touch.

In a saucepan, combine ½ c water and 1 c sugar. Bring to boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in chocolates. When completely melted add butter piece by piece.

In a bowl, combine eggs and remaining 1/3 c sugar. Mix at medium speed until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place in oven and pour water into the outer pan to reach ½ inch up the sides of the cake pan.

Bake until the cake looks dry but not firm, about 30 mins. Remove from oven, let cool. Cover with plastic wrap. Invert onto a flat plate. Peel off paper. Invert again onto serving plate. Remove plastic wrap. Let cool to room temp. Refrigerates well- will melt in a warm room or car.