Baby Cakes
Your family and friends will flip over these mini upside-down cakes, which incorporate seasonal ingredients such as pumpkin, pecans and cranberries.
It seems to me that dessert was once a much more regular part of everyday meals than it is now. My mom cooked dinner every night, and there was always some kind of sweet to enjoy after the dishes had been cleared, washed, dried and put away. One of my favorites was pineapple upside-down cake. Mom made a mixture of brown sugar and butter, and poured it into the bottom of a deep-dish pie plate. Then she carefully arranged pineapple slices in the sugar mixture accented with slivers of maraschino cherries. A simple cake batter was poured on top, and then it was baked. When it came out of the oven, the butter and brown sugar were transformed into a delicious caramel syrup that melted into the top of the cake. I can still taste it.
In our over-scheduled lives, dessert is relegated to special occasions, dinners out and holidays. When we were pulling together recipes for the "Holiday Table" series, we came up with a kind of mini upside-down cake that incorporates several of the special flavors associated with Thanksgiving - pumpkin, cranberry and pecan. The great thing about this recipe is that it results in six small, perfectly portioned cakes, and is easy to double for larger crowds.
Note: As you're assembling ideas for this holiday season, don't forget to tune in on Sat., Nov. 8, at 10 a.m., as we feature the best recipes from the "Holiday Table" series. You can watch episodes all month long on The Neighborhood Channel.
| Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Upside-Down Cakes | |
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Ingredients: |
Instructions: In a medium bowl combine the cranberries and pecans. Spoon the mixture into the muffin pans on top of the brown-sugar mixture. Whip together the egg, pumpkin puree and oil. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and slowly stir the mixture into the wet ingredients just until blended. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then invert onto a baking sheet. Serve with whipped cream flavored with vanilla or a liqueur of your choice. |
| Roasted Turkey Thighs with Root Vegetable Medley | |
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Ingredients: |
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the turkey thighs and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place into a roasting pan skin-side down. Peel the vegetables and cut into 1-inch cubes. Mix in a large bowl with the pearl onions, remaining olive oil, the salt and poultry spice. Sprinkle the vegetables around the turkey thighs in the roasting pan. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil. Turn the turkey thighs and toss the vegetables to coat in the pan juices. Return to the oven and cook until the vegetables are nicely caramelized, and the turkey is cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees. |
