For a refreshing cocktail on the hottest days of summer, try this Bermudian classic, made with homemade ginger ale.

During the humid, hot days of summer, nothing is better than a cocktail. Start with homemade ginger ale, refreshing all on its own. Spiked with orange and lemon zest, this easy to make soda is bound to become a kitchen staple. Whisk together some yeast, sugar, grated ginger and citrus juice and in a few days you’ll be drinking your own homemade spirit. Add a bit of lime juice and some dark rum, and you have the making’s to the perfect summer drink. Cheers!

Ginger Ale
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger root
1 lemon, zested into thin, long slices, and juiced
1 large orange, zested into thin, long slices and juiced
1/2 teaspoon bakers yeast
3 L water (room temperature)
3.5 L Glass bottle or pitcher that is seal-able (so carbonation can occur)

1. Place the sugar and yeast in the bottle and mix to combine thoroughly. Add the orange and lemon juice together in a small bowl, and whisk in the grated ginger. Pour into the sugar/yeast mixture and add the zest. Mix completely. Add the water. Stir well to combine.

2. Close container and place in a cool, dark place for 48 hours. Open and check for desired carbonation. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours and enjoy!

Dark and Stormy
3 oz rum (traditionally this drink is made with Gosling’s Black Seal rum, but any dark rum will do)
6 oz ginger ale (dark and stormy’s are traditionally made with ginger beer, which is a spicier version of ginger ale. If you don’t make your own, I suggest purchasing a good ginger beer, such as Fentimans Ginger Beer or Reed’s Ginger Beer)
2 1/2 tbsp lime syrup (add 1/2 cup lime juice to 1/2 cup sugar and bring to a boil, chill before use)
1 tbsp lime juice
lime wedges
ice

1. Combine the rum, ginger ale, syrup and lime juice. Stir and pour over ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

Save the fresh taste of Illinois sweet corn for a few extra months with this earthy fire-roasted corn relish.

Katherine Sacks

In the hot days of July, summer’s bounty is in full swing, and it’s finally time for Illinois corn. Known as the Corn Belt, more corn is grown in the Midwest then anywhere else, and in the summer months you can find the sweet varieties everywhere from farmer’s markets to restaurants to plain Jane grocery stores.

Grilled and topped with a lime marinade and feta cheese, like Matt Armendariz suggests, corn becomes the perfect summer treat. But oh-too-quickly the sweet summer corn will disappear from farmer’s market stands, leaving behind frozen bags and dreams of next summer.

Instead, preserve some of this year’s loot in this fire-roasted corn relish. You’ll capture all the wonderful flavors of summer, savoring the sweet flavors of corn and pickled cippolini onions just as the autumn leaves are starting to fall. The perfect mix-in for salads, the relish is also a wonderful addition to this Lime and Cilantro Cornbread or spooned on top of do-it-yourself tacos. So head to the market so you can enjoy corn throughout the fall!

Fire-Roasted Corn Relish with Cippolini Onions(makes two 8-0z jars)
Vegetable Oil
6 cippolini onions, preferably small
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
10 ears of corn, shucked and stalks removed
2 red bell peppers
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp hot sauce (I use Valentina’s brand)
3 tbsp honey( I use Chicago Honey Co-op)

1. Cut the green stems off the cippolini onions. Remove the outer skin, using a sharp paring knife. If you purchase the onions from the farmer’s market, there may be only a small layer of outer skin. If you purchase them from the grocery store, they may have several layers of thicker, more onion-like skin. Soaking in water before removing the skin will help to remove it, but dry-off thoroughly after. If the cippolinis are larger, cut in half.

2. Place a large, heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and move the pot around so that the oil coats the bottom of pot. Heat the pot thoroughly, around 3 to 5 minutes. Add cippolini onions, being careful because they may splatter. Cook onions so that dark golden browning occurs on all sides, but be careful for burning. Move onions around occasionally. When onions are browned, add the vinegar and the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the onions become translucent and soft.

3. While the onions are cooking, heat an outdoor grill or grill pan on your stove. Coat the corn and bell peppers in a thin layer of vegetable oil and place on the grill. Cook the peppers, turning occasionally, until all sides are charred completely. Cook the corn until the desired variation of color has been achieved. You should have a mixture of golden brown, charred and yellow kernels.

4. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap(the steam will further cook the vegetables, allowing for easy removal of the skins). Place one corn cob on a cutting board at a time, and cut down the cob, removing the kernels. Do this to all of the corn cobs(you can save the cobs for vegetable stock). Next, remove the peppers from the bowl carefully, and peel away the charred skin. It may be helpful to do this under cold water, as the peppers will be very hot. Carefully cut one side of the pepper open and remove the seeds and top. Pat the peppers dry with paper towels. Lay the cleaned peppers on the cutting board, trim away any blemishes and cut into a small dice, roughly 1/4-inch small square pieces.

5. When the cippolini onions are soft and translucent, add the mustard, honey and hot sauce to the pot. Add the corn and diced bell pepper, turn up the heat and bring back to boiling for five minutes. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust for desired seasonings. Cool completely.

6. Once cooled, pack relish into two 8-oz jars. Relish will keep three months in refrigerator and up to six months if frozen.

The end of June in Southern California means the farmer’s market is bustling with fruit, bright juicy peaches from Regier Farms, sweet succulent strawberries from Harry’s Berries, and oh-so-sweet Santa Rosa Plums. Walking through the markets in Chicago, my taste buds yearn for these fruits, but here, on the other side of the country, the farmer’s offer instead cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. Stone fruit is nowhere to be seen, and the strawberries, lighter varieties that seem to hold more water, pale in comparison. Still fruit is fruit, and fruit is glorious.

One way to showcase the fruit is with this flourless chocolate cake. Although chocolate is often thought to be heavy, using milk chocolate gives the cake a lighter taste and the airy texture imparted from the whipped and folded egg yolks and whites of the cake makes it the perfect ending to a summer dinner party. Tossing the berries in sugar and lime juice brightens the fruit up, and makes a nice topping for the torte. Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Berries, adapted from Bon Appetit, January 1999
For cake
12 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 large eggs, separated
12 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the fruit
2 cups strawberries, cleaned and quartered
2 cups cherries, halved and pitted
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 limes
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Combine the 1/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon and shake it around the inside of the pan, making sure the the bottom and sides are evenly covered in a thin layer of sugar. Wrap the outside of the pan with tin foil and place the pan on a sheet tray. Set aside.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a double boiler on low heat, or carefully in a microwave, until melted completely and smooth. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

3. Place the egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl and using a hand held mixer, mix on low speed until mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Add a small amount of the chocolate to the yolks, and fold to combine. Fold in half of the remaining chocolate, combine and then add the last of the chocolate. Fold in the vanilla and the 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

4. In a clean bowl, using clean and dry beaters or mixer, mix the egg whites on low speed until they are frothy. Slowly rain in the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar as you mix the whites, until medium-firm peaks form. The whites should become shiny and smooth. Add 1/3 of the whites to the chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly. Add an additional 1/2 of the whites to the chocolate and carefully fold the mixtures together. Add the remaining whites and fold to combine. Pour the batter in the prepared pan.

5. Place cake on center shelf of over, and bake until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack (cake will fall).

6. While cake is cooling, combine the fruits, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Zest the limes over the fruit and then juice the limes into the fruit. Let sit. Once cake is completely cool, use a small knife to cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Using a long, off-set spatula, carefully lift the cake off of the bottom of the pan. Place on a cake stand. Fill the inside cavity of the cake, where it has fallen with the fruit.

A rainy, spring day is perfect for a hot “cuppa” tea and cookies. These shortbread make the perfect pair, rich and tender dough with citrus notes or bitter chocolate and hazelnuts.

Spring time means sunny days mixed between rainy showers. On cooler mornings, it’s nice to curl cup with a good book, a hot cup of Earl Grey, and nibble on a few shortbread cookies. These tender sweets have a delicate, melt in your mouth texture made from a base of butter and sugar that you can transform with the addition of any flavor. Citrus zest brightens the cookies, while cocoa powder, chocolate and hazelnuts add a hearty richness. The dough freezes wonderfully, so make a double batch and you’ll have enough to enjoy on warm, summer days as well!

Chocolate hazelnut shortbread, makes 3 dozen
1 cup + 2 tbsp cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
10 oz semisweet chocolate

1. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together on medium speed for five minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down occasionally. Add in the vanilla extract, and mix to combine.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and cocoa powder. Add 1/2 of the dry mixture to the butter mixture, and combine slowly on speed one. Add the second 1/2 of dry ingredients to the butter and mix slowly, scraping down to combine completely. Continue to mix one minute more to completely combine.  Add the salt and the nuts, mix into batter.

3. Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap or parchment and roll into a 1-inch log. Place in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes, or until the dough is firm.

4. Set the oven to 315 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut 1/4-inch slices. Place on the sheet tray.

5. Bake cookies for 15 minutes,  turning once. Remove sheet from tray and allow to cool completely. Finish cookies by dipping in chocolate.

6. To temper chocolate: Melt all but 1 tbsp of the chocolate completely in a medium sized bowl, either over a double boiler, or in a microwave(being careful not to burn the chocolate). Stir in the last tbsp of chocolate into the melted chocolate. Cool chocolate to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet tray with a silpat or parchment paper. Dip completely cooled cookies half-way into the chocolate, shake to remove excess chocolate, and place on lined sheet tray. When all cookies are dipped, place tray into the refrigerator to allow chocolate to cool completely. Serve cookies at room temperature. Store in an air tight container.

Citrus Shortbread, makes one dozen
6 oz butter, room temperature, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 orange
1 lemon
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups cake flour
1-3 cup confectioners sugar, for icing

1. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Zest the lemon and orange into the bowl. Cream the mixture together on medium speed for five minutes until smooth, scraping down occasionally.

2. Mix the yolks and the vanilla together. Add to the butter mixture and mix on slow speed until smooth, scraping down if necessary.

3. Add half of the cake flour to the butter and mix together on slow speed, scraping down if necessary. Add the rest of the flour and mix until just completely combined. Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap or parchment and roll into a 1-inch log. Place in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes, or until the dough is firm.

4. Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut 1/4-inch slices. Place on the sheet tray.

5. Bake cookies for 18 minutes, turning once. Remove sheet from tray and allow to cool completely. Finish cookies by dipping in icing.

6. To make icing, place the juice from the orange in a small bowl. Add enough confectioners sugar to make a thick icing. Line a sheet tray with a silpat or parchment paper. Dip cooled cookies in icing, shake to remove excess, and place on tray. Or, place icing in a piping bag and pipe a zig-zag line across cookies. Allow icing to set and serve at room temperature. Store in an air tight container.

Coffee and chocolate star in this creamy, rich Valentine’s Day treat.

Happy Valentine’s Day dear readers! Here’s wishing each of you the sweetest year!

This chocolate cream pie is a wonderful way to indulge your special someone’s sweet tooth; a delicious, creamy chocolate pudding inside a crumbly, chocolate-coffee crust.

Thicken half-and-half with eggs and sugar, then fold in chocolate and butter to create a thick, velvety pie filling. Slightly sweetened whipped cream tops the pie, complimenting the rich chocolate, and the coffee crust adds earthy undertones.

It’s a super sweet way to say Happy Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate Cream Pie recipe
For the cookie pie crumbs:
225g butter, softened
125g light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
50g dark chocolate, melted
500g all purpose flour
1g salt
40g cocoa powder

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer, paddle the butter and sugar together. Stream in the eggs and mix until completely incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl down. Stream in the melted chocolate, and mix completely together.

2. Sift the dry ingredients together. Rain into the butter mixture, a small amount at a time, until the dough is just incorporated. Form into a ball, cover loosely in plastic wrap, flatten into a rounded square, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the dough from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4″ thickness. Place back into the refrigerator for ten minutes to chill.

4. Pace the sheet of dough on a parchment paper or silpat lined sheet tray. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from trays.

For the Pie Crust:
330g pie crumbs from recipe above
30g espresso powder
120g butter
50g brown sugar

1. Heat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit. Grease both the bottom and sides of a glass 9″ pie pan with small amount of extra butter and set aside. Place the pie crumbs and espresso powder into a medium bowl. Warm the 120g butter and brown sugar over medium heat in a small, heavy-duty saucepan until the sugar is completely melted. Pour over the pie crumbs and mix completely. Fill pie pan with crumbs, pressing into the bottom and sides evenly, using a spoon to compress. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes, until set. Let cool while you make filling.

For the Pie filling:
850 ml half-and-half
100g brown sugar
30g cornstarch
9 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
210g semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
100g dark chocolate, finely chopped
240g butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

1. In a medium sized, heavy-duty saucepan, heat the half-and-half over medium-high heat until it is just at a simmer and remove it from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cornstarch and then the add eggs and vanilla, whisking until smooth.

2. Slowly temper, or add a small amount, of the half-and-half into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly so as to not cook the egg. Once you have added half the liquid, return all the solution back into the saucepan. Heat over medium flame, allowing to boil,  and cook, whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes until mixture becomes very thick. Remove from heat, and add the butter and chocolate, in small additions, mixing until completely smooth and combined.

3. Pour the filling into a wide bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic onto the surface. Chill until set, about 2 hours.

3. Fill the chilled crust with the custard, forming a smooth, rounded dome with a spatula or wide spoon.

To Finish:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
Dark chocolate or cocoa powder for garnish

1. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and heavy cream to stiff peaks, and spread on top of the custard, forming a dome. Make a swirled, circular pattern using the back of a spoon.

2. Using a peeler or a sharp knife, shave some dark chocolate curls  for decorative pieces to top the pie, or use a tea strainer to sift cocoa powder on top for a garnish.

In the winter time, one of my favorite breakfast treats is often a bowl of granola, filled with steamed soy milk. I love the way the heartiness of the oats and nuts mixes with the hot, sweet milk; it’s a great way to warm up before starting a chilly day. When I first developed this recipe a few years ago in Los Angeles, I was so happy with it, I ate a bowl almost every morning for breakfast. Now a days, I only make a batch occasionally, usually as a special treat or sometimes as a gift. Still, it  holds a special place as one of my favorite eats.

My preferred recipe includes zesty orange juice, rich Marcona almonds, and tangy dried apricots, but the great thing about homemade granola is you can use whatever you have in your cupboards to throw a batch together. Leftover nuts and dried fruit from cookie and bread recipes can all get tossed into the mix; the secret is the right amount of sugar and slow cooking to ensure big, crunchy crumbles.The possibilities really are endless, so try different variations of nuts, dried fruits, and fruit juices to see what you like best. It makes a wonderful wholesome breakfast with steamed milk, or a great snack for midday.

Granola
1 container rolled oats, 18 oz
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup white caster sugar
1/2 dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Marcona almonds
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small, heavy bottomed sauce pot, bring the orange juice, sugars, and oil to a boil over medium heat.

3. Place the oats and nuts in a large bowl. Line one baking sheet with a silpat, or non-stick baking mat for easy clean-up later on.

4. Pour the liquid onto the oats and mix with wooden spoon until completely coated. Pour mixture onto the baking sheet and spread out evenly. Work quickly before the oats become too sticky.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and using a spatula, move toss the granola around carefully. Bake for another 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

6. Remove the tray from oven and place dried fruit and spices on warm granola. Toss on sheet tray and allow to cool. Store in zip lock bags.

Skip the traditional apple altogether and let the Japanese version star in your Thanksgiving Day pie.

This time of year it’s no surprise my favorite thing to eat are persimmons. I love crisp, crunchy fuyus and eat them like apples, as soon as I buy them at the farmers market. Some are sweet, some are tangy, and I use them for everything from salads to jam to an addition in my latest stuffing recipe(added to dark rye bread soaked in stout.)

Thankful for the vast assortment of persimmons available at the multitude of California farmers markets, this year the fruit is my special choice for Thanksgiving Day. Sweet and crunchy, the flavor takes the place of apples in a pie, with the addition of musky honey dates. Cooked with moscavado sugar, vanilla and dark rum, this pie is everything I love about persimmons: rich, sweet, and earthy. I just hope everyone is as thankful as I for all my persimmons recipes.

Apple and Persimmon Pie
Pastry Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup ice water

For the Filling
6 medium size fuyu persimmons or 2 Giant fuyu and 3 small fuyu
1/2 cup honey dates
1/4 cup dark rum
1 1/2 cup moscavado sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup milk
1/8 cup large crystal brown sugar(for dusting top of pie)

1. Stir together flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter, and using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the dough, creating small pieces of butter mixed with the dries.

2. When the butter is fairly incorporated, add half of the ice water and mix together. Add more water until the dough just holds together. Form a ball with the dough, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. While the dough is chilling, cut the persimmons into 1/2-inch slices. Pit the dates and cut them into quaters.

4. Put the sugar, butter, cream, and spices into a heavy-bottomed, medium-size pot. Heat over medium heat until the liquid is thick and syrupy, about ten minutes. Add the rum and fruit and stir to combine. Turn off heat and set aside.

4. Pre-heat then oven to 425 F with a sheet tray in the oven. Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut the ball into two pieces, re-wrapping one piece and placing it back into the fridge. Place to dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper and roll the dough out to 13-inch round. Spray a pie pan with cooking spray and lay the dough into the pan, pressing down into the corners of the pan. Place the lined  pan in the refrigerator and remove the second piece.

5. Place between two sheets of parchment or wax paper, and roll the second piece of dough out to a 13-inch round.  Place back in the refrigerator, removing the pie pan. Remove the top sheet of paper from the pie pan, making sure dough is in all corners of pan. Trim the edges with kitchen scissors, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fill the pie pan with fruit mixture.

6. Take second peice of dough out and remove top sheet of paper. Using any shape cutter, cut out sections of dough, either one in the center, or several around the dough. Carefully remove cut out pieces, and place to the side. Carefully put the dough on top of the pie and remove the top layer of paper. Trim the edges to match the bottom layer, and using a fork, make impressions all along the pie rim.

7. If desired, place the cut out pieces of dough on the top of the pie. Using a pastry brush, cover the whole pie with milk and then sprinkle the large crystal sugar on top.

7. Place the pie on the hot sheet tray and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Cool pie to room temperature. Freeze if making ahead of time, or slice and enjoy after your turkey dinner.

Planning your Thanksgiving menu? This year forgo the staid staples and try something new. A rich mushroom tart and tangy cranberry compote are sure to please; just a few more recipes to add to your turkey day favorites.

Earthy mushrooms, rich Piave cheese and salty Speck give this tart a lot of flavor.

Thanksgiving comes only once a year, giving us a reason to cook lavish meals, splurge on expensive ingredients and eat extravagantly. It presents quite the conundrum, as many a cook(and a chef), make the same dishes every year, cooking the turkey, stuffing and potatoes just the way Mom may have. Others praise the holiday for the culinary epitome that it is, refusing to waste this cooking opportunity on already-been-there recipes? This year change your menu completely or just add a few newbies to the old favorites. Cook the turkey in a way you never have, add a few new side dishes, and ignore the apple for a different flavor pie all together.

In my family, Mom always made Thanksgiving dinner the same. My sister had to have her mashed potatoes and gravy, my dad wanted the deviled eggs, and Mom’s turkey was always a bit on the dry side. After my first year in culinary school(when I thought I had conquered all there was to know in the world of food), I decided it was my turn to make the meal. I roasted my first turkey covered in a butter and herb soaked cheesecloth(a trick I had seen on Martha Stewart, in fact). My sister turned her nose at my rosemary and roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and Mom still made those deviled eggs, but that first year gave me the boost of confidence to keep trying new things when it came to turkey day. Since then I’ve stuffed the turkey with oranges, made polenta stuffing, shredded root vegetables into latkes, and baked pie after pie sans apples or pumpkin, just to name a few.

Of course I know more than a few friends who have the same meal every year. Part tradition, fixing the old staples keeps the guess work out of cooking and generally pleases the masses. However, if you look around your larder this year and realize its time for something new, try to change up your menu. Use beer-soaked rye bread for the stuffing, smoked potatoes instead of mashed and orange meringue pie for dessert.

This rustic tart, with its deep flavors, is the perfect addition to your new Thanksgiving Day menu. Earthy mushrooms, cooked with lots of sage, sweet sautéed onions, and salty Speck(German-style bacon), make for the perfect flavor combination to celebrate Fall with. Bored with canned cranberry jelly? This cranberry compote gets a kick of life with pomegranate seeds and a splash of Bourbon. You can even make it ahead of time, saving you time on the big day and you can jar enough to use into the new year. Easy recipes, these two are just the beginning of your new Thanksgiving Day cuisine. The possibilities are endless, and thankfully, you have every year to try something new.

Orange juice and burboun brighten this cranberry compote

Mushroom and Speck Tart
Savory pastry dough
1 white onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch sage
2 pints mushrooms, thinly sliced
vegetable oil
1 cup Speck or thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/8 inch cubes
1 cup shredded Piave, or Parmigiana Reggiano
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper
fluted pie pan with removable bottom

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Remove pastry dough from the refrigerator and, on a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch circle. Carefully lay the dough into the pie pan and press into the corners of the pan and the sides until the pan is covered evenly. Using a a sharp knife, slice the excess dough off the edges. Dock the dough, making small holes with a fork in the bottom. Place a sheet of wax paper inside the pie pan and fill with baking beans or weights. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and set aside to chill.

2. Heat a heavy-duty medium saute pan over high heat. Add a small amount of oil, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Add a portion of the mushrooms. In cooking mushrooms, it is important not to crowd the pan, to use high heat for good, caramelized flavor, and to not season the mushrooms until the end(otherwise the leak out water and will become soggy from steaming). Cook the mushrooms on one side, then shake the pan to cook the other. When both sides have a nice brown color, add salt and cracked black pepper. Remove mushrooms onto a plate and repeat until all mushrooms are cooked. If pan starts to get dirty, add a good amount of oil and let the mushroom speck cook off. Carefully remove oil and wipe the pan clean. Continue cooking mushrooms in the above method.

4. While the mushrooms are cooking, heat a second, medium-sized heavy-duty saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic and sage and cook slowly to release the sugars in the onion. When the onions start to become translucent, add the speck. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms and season well with salt and pepper, removing sage. Turn off heat and stir in the heavy cream and half the cheese. Place the tart shell on a half-sheet tray and fill with the filling, topping with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20, until the tart shell and melted cheese are golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Slice and serve warm.

Cranberry and pomegranate compote(make 4 4-oz jars)
2 pounds fresh cranberries
4-5 pomegranates, seeds removed(you can find them pre-seeded at some grocery stores or if you don’t want the extra work, and the extra crunch in the compote, substitute with 1 cup pomegranate juice)
16oz sugar
2oz sure-jell or pectin
1/3 cup bourbon or whiskey
1 cup orange juice
1 tbsp cinnamon

1. Place the cranberries, pomegranate seeds, and orange juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Add 3/4 of the sugar and stir. Allow to come to a boil and simmer until cranberry skins begin to crack. Whisk together the remaining sugar and pectin and slowly rain into the pot. Allow to come to a boil again, cooking for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add liquor and cinnamon.

2. Place in jars and process using the boiling-water canning procedure and store in a cool, dark place. Or allow to cool to room temperature and store in the fridge(if you are planning to use it quickly)

Turn October pumpkins into soup for a chilly November day. This simple recipe adds honey and cumin to roasted pumpkin puree for hearty soup. Top with toasted seeds for an added salty bite.

Creamy pumpkin soup with toasted pumpkin seeds

Looking around the kitchen for something to cook, October’s pumpkin is sad and lonely, sitting on the kitchen counter. In the true spirit of fall, roast pumpkin soup is the perfect dinner for a chilly November evening. It’s a great supper for one, or an easy starter for dinner with guests.

Without the aid of cream or milk, this soup is silky, smooth all on its own. Honey or molasses adds sweetness to the pumpkin and a touch of cumin and cinnamon give it a spicy earthiness. A childhood favorite, toasted pumpkin seeds are a wonderful snack on their own, and add a salty, crunch when sprinkled on top of this soup.

Pumpkin soup, makes 4 servings
1 medium-sized pumpkin
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt
black pepper
1 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
4 cups organic-unsalted vegetable stock(*or make your own)
2 stalks sage
1 tbsp honey or molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin

* Make your own vegetable stock: Keep all your vegetable scraps in a container in the freezer. Every time you cut an onion, peel a carrot, or mince garlic, save the trimmings, peelings and shells. When you have a large amount of scraps, about 4-6 cups, make vegetable stock. Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium low-heat in a heavy duty stock pot. Saute one medium-sized onion and two small carrots, small diced, until translucent and tender. Add the vegetable trimmings and fill the pot with water. Add any fresh herbs you have such as parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for 45 minutes to extract the full flavor of the vegetables. Strain. Use for soups, sauces, and braising. To store, allow stock to cool completely and place in a air-tight container. Keep refrigerated for up to two weeks or freeze for future use.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 300 F. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop the stringy insides out, throwing away the meat and placing the seeds into a colander placed in the sink. Cut the pumpkin halves into two pieces each and place onto a half sheet tray, covering with foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender.

2. While the pumpkin is roasting, rinse the seeds until all residue is removed. Place the seeds onto a second sheet tray and toss with the 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and cracked black pepper. Place on a second rack in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, toss seeds around and back again for 5. Continue baking until seeds are golden brown, tossing every 5 minutes to prevent burning. Remove from oven when golden brown, and set aside to cool.

3. While the seeds and pumpkin is in the oven, cut the onion into 1/2-inch pieces. Remove the skin from the garlic and smash it with the heel of the knife.

4. When the pumpkin is tender, remove it from the oven. Working carefully, as the pumpkin will be very hot, scoop the meat from the pumpkin into a bowl, being careful not to include any skin pieces. Place aside.

5. Heat a medium size, heat duty stock pot over a medium-low flame. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, the onions, garlic, and sage. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When the onions have become translucent, add the pumpkin meat and stir to combine. Add the vegetable stock.

6. Place a towel on your counter top and place your stock pot on top of the towel, removing it from the stove. Remove the sage. Using a hand-held stick blender, carefully puree soup until smooth and creamy, or working in batches, transfer soup into a blender and puree. Transfer back into pot and move pot back onto stove.

7. Add the honey, cumin, and cinnamon. Add a good handful of salt and a sprinkle of white pepper(be careful, it’s more potent than black pepper). Taste the soup and adjust seasoning if needed. Bring to a boil and pour into serving bowls. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

8. Cool soup completely before storing(if you don’t eat it all!). Store in sealed Tupperware in the refrigerator or freezer. Store pumpkin seeds in sealed Tupperware or plastic bag in a cool, dry place.

Buttery, flaky pie dough enrobes crisp apples to create the perfect slice of pie. Sweet persimmons and rich coffee rum syrup give a twist to this fall classic.

Fuyu Persimmons at the Hollywood Farmers Market

Nothing says fall like apple pie. This year, try a variation on the classic by adding persimmons. An orange-red, pumpkin-shaped fruit, persimmons are available from October through December. Fuyus are the hard variety, sweet and crunchy like an apple. They can be eaten raw or cooked into jams, purees and baked goods. The heart-shaped persimmons are called Hachiya and should be eaten when they are very soft to the touch. They fruit can also be pureed and makes wonderful cookies.

Persimmons have a sweet, earthy flavor that adds depth to this apple pie. Adding a rum and coffee syrup brings notes of spice, earthiness and tang, giving a more complex flavor overall.

Persimmon and apple pie

Apple and Persimmon Pie
Pastry Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup ice water

For the Filling
5 apples of your choice, Pink Ladies work well
5 medium size fuyu persimmons
1/4 cup spiced rum
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup +2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove
1 tsp nutmeg
1 egg

1. Stir together flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter, and using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the dough, creating small pieces of butter mixed with the dries.

2. When the butter is fairly incorporated, add half of the ice water and mix together. Add more water until the dough just holds together. Form a ball with the dough, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. While the dough is chilling, cut the apples and persimmons into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat the rum with the 1/2 cup of water and dissolve the coffee powder and 1 cup sugar in it. Add the liquid and spices to the fruit. Set aside.

4. Pre-heat then oven to 425 F with a sheet tray in the oven. Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut the ball into two pieces, re-wrapping one piece and placing it back into the fridge. Lightly flour your workspace and roll the dough out to 13-inch round. Spray a pie pan with cooking spray and lay the dough into the pan, pressing down into the corners of the pan. Trim the overhang of the dough with a pair of kitchen shears, leaving a 1/2-inch rim. Place the lined  pan in the refrigerator and remove the second piece.

5. Re-flour your work surface and roll the second piece of dough out to a 13-inch round. Whisk the egg together, and, using a pastry brush, lightly coat the dough. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp sugar. Using a round cutter or cup, cut out circles of the dough.

6. Remove the lined pie pan from the fridge and place the apple filling into the pan, pushing down to create an even, flat top surface. Carefully lift the dough circles with an offset spatula and layer them onto the top of the pie, like fish scales. Cover the entire pie.

7. Place the pie on the hot sheet tray and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Cool pie to room temperature. Freeze to enjoy later, or slice and serve with vanilla ice cream on a chilly fall day.