Ingredients:

• 1 graham cracker pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
• 2 pkg cream cheese (16 oz)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. In a food processor cream the cheese and condensed milk.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.  Pour into the pie crust.
3. Toss the apple slices with the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and walnuts.  Spoon the apple mixture over the cheesecake batter.
4. Place pie in a pan large enough to hold water half way up the side of the pie plate.
5. Bake for 60 minutes or until top is just starting to crack and looks dry.
6. Remove to a rack and cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate 5 or 6 hours before serving.

Its not too late to cook those jack-o-lanterns or buy an organic pumpkin to bake or steam.  Simply cut the jack-o-lantern or pumpkin into pieces.  Cut or scoop out any damaged flesh from the jack-o-lantern and scoop out seeds and veins from the fresh pumpkin.  Place in a baking pan with an inch of water, cover and bake in 375° F. oven for 1 hour.  Alternately, place pumpkin over a rack in a large covered pot with an inch or two of boiling water and cook on medium-low for 40 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and drain in a colindar until cool enough to a handle.  Remove flesh from skin and mash or puree in a food processor.  At this point you can freeze 1 cup or 2 cup portions in freezer bags for pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin gnocchi with walnut cream sauce, pumpkin muffins, giant pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pepita bread, and the list goes on.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sour cream (or 2 cups Greek Yogurt)
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin (to prepared fresh pumpkin, refer to second paragraph above)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp each nutmeg, ginger, and allspice
• 2 slightly beaten eggs
• 9-inch unbaked pie shell
• 1/3 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Method:

1. Combine 1 cup sour cream with brown sugar and raisins in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture boils.  Remove from heat to cool.
2. Combine pumpkin, salt and spices in a medium bowl.  Add eggs, remaining 1 cup of sour cream and pecans.  Stir in sour cream-sugar mixture.  Mix well.
3. Pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake in hot oven 425° F. for 15 minutes.  Reduce to 350° F. and continue baking for about 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool and serve with creme chantilly or sweetened Greek Yogurt.

Dress up the finished product with fresh berries, rambutans, guava sauce, or coulis of choice.  Chocolate always pairs well with almond.  Shave dark chocolate over the top or un-mold the dessert atop a puddle of chocolate sauce. 

About 1990 I became hooked on the Frugal Gourmet PBS series and bought nearly every one of Jeff Smith’s books.  The recipe for this almond cookie comes from Three Ancient Cuisines by Jeff Smith.  It is an ultra simple recipe for Chinese New Year Almond Cookies.  You can roll the dough in sesame seeds and forgo the almond nut.  The cookies will be just as delightful and delicately nutty…a nice accompaniment to panna cotta.

Ingredients - Reduced Calorie Panna Cotta- 4 servings

• 6 Tbsp cold milk (whole milk)
• 1 envelope plain gelatin
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups milk (whole milk)
• 1 tsp almond extract

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, soften gelatin in 6 Tbsp of cold milk for 5-10 minutes.
2. Combine 2 cups of milk with 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk and heat or microwave until hot.
3. Slowly pour heated milk over softened gelatin and stir thoroughly. 
4. Add almond extract and stir.
5. Pour into wine glasses or lightly oiled ramekins.  Chill for several hours.

Ingredients – Chinese Almond Cookies:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter (or shortening*)
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp almond extract

Method:

1. Cut shortening into dry ingredients.
2. Add beaten egg and almond extract.
3. Mix and knead with hands until soft.
4. Form into small balls and roll in sesame seeds.(**)
5. Bake 10 to 15 minutes at 350 ° F.

Variation in Method: 

1. Stir baking powder and salt into flour.  Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together, add egg and almond extract while mixer is running.
3. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Chill and form into small balls.

(*)  Chinese typically use lard in these cookies.

(**)  Form into small balls, indent center with your thumb and place an almond in the indentation.

This is a super-easy dessert to make.  It just requires constant stirring until boiled for 3 minutes.  Vanilla bean seeds may be added to the base before cooking.  Everything else is added after the cooking, including the flavorings such as extracts, citrus juice, liquor, flaked coconut, sliced almonds, chopped pistachios, or dried fruit.  The sauce can be made with anything from kumquats with Grand Marnier to raspberries with Chambord.   Get creative and make it a classic of your own.

Ingredients for Coconut Pistachio Tembleque:

• 4 cups coconut milk (2 15-ounce cans)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 3 Tbsp sweetened coconut, shredded or flaked
• 1/3 cup salted pistachio nuts, chopped coarsely (set aside for bottom of molds)

Method:

1. Measure the cornstarch, sugar and salt into a sauce pan.
2. Place the sauce pan over medium high heat and add the coconut milk.  Whisk or stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.
3. Continue stirring and bring to a boil.  Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Take care to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan often to prevent burning.
4. Remove from heat.  Fold in coconut extract and coconut flakes.
5. Rinse 6 5-ounce molds with cold water.  Sprinkle the pistachio nuts evenly on the bottom of each mold.  Carefully pour the pudding over the nuts.
6. Cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled.
7. To serve:  pour 1-2 Tbsp of guava rum sauce on each individual serving plate.  Using a knife dipped in cold water, loosen the pudding from the sides of the mold and place pudding in center of guava sauce.  Pass around the remaining sauce.

Ingredients for Guava Rum Sauce:

• 1 11-ounce can guava paste
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp lime juice (or to taste)
• 2 Tbsp dark rum (or to taste)

Method:

1. Melt the guava paste with the water in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir until smooth.
2. Remove from heat, add the lime juice 1/2 tsp at a time until desired tartness and sparkle is achieved.
3. Add the rum to taste. 
4. Cool to room temperature.

Note that frozen flavors are not as pronounced on the tongue so always taste your sorbet mixture for flavor intensity.  Kick up the flavor if needed before churning.

Basic Banana Sorbet with Spirit

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mashed ripe banana
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup simple syrup  (Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup boiling water then cool.)
• 1/4 cup liqueur or spirit of choice  (optional – substitute simple syrup for liqueur)

Method:

1. Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
2. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
3. Process in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours more before serving.

Makes about 3 servings.

Homemade Banana Liqueur

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 3 cups vodka

Method:

1. Make a simple syrup by bringing sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Let stand until just warm. 
2. Place mashed bananas in clean 1-quart, wide-mouthed jar.  Add syrup and vodka.  Cover and let stand in a cool, dark place for 3 to 4 days, shaking once or twice a day to prevent clumping of fruit.
3. Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain out solids.  A metal coffee filter works great.  Discard the pulp.  The liqueur will still be cloudy.  Cover and let stand undisturbed until it clears. 
4. Rack into a clean container;  that is, syphon off the clear liqueur.  I like to use a turkey baster for this.  Cover and age for 1 month.  If more sediment settles to the bottom, rack again before serving.

Makes 1 quart.