Up the ante at your Thanksgiving table with unexpected, make-ahead sweets.
Candied Peanuts
From “My Sweet Mexico,” by Fany Gerson (Ten Speed). Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Ingredients
2 cups unsalted raw peanuts (preferably with red skins)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the sugar begins to crystallize and look like sand, 8 to 10 minutes. Lower the heat and continue stirring, tilting the pan from time to time, until the peanuts are evenly coated.
Pour onto a lightly greased baking sheet and let sit until cool enough to handle. Separate the clumped peanuts with your hands or two spoons. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry area for up to 3 weeks.
Ginger Pumpkin Tart
Adapted from “5 Ingredient Fix,” by Claire Robinson (Grand Central). Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups crushed gingersnaps
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan on a baking sheet. Make the crust by combining the cookie crumbs with the melted butter until well blended. Pour the butter-coated crumbs into the tart pan evenly and press over the bottom and up the sides of the pan with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake until set and a bit darker in color, 10-12 minutes; remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, condensed milk, yolks and salt until well blended. Pour the filling into the cooled crust, return it to the oven, and bake until set and beginning to brown on the top, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven, cool to room temperature, and then chill in the refrigerator, at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
To serve, carefully remove outer tart shell ring and slice.
Chocolate Everything Bars
From “Chocolate Basics,” by Guillaumont Nikolcic.
Melt 9 1/2 ounces dark chocolate in microwave. Incorporate a mixture of nuts, dried fruits, chopped caramels, nougat, marzipan — everything! — then pour into a loaf pan. Allow to set in a cool location for at least 2 hours. Turn out of the pan once the chocolate has hardened. Slice and serve.
Apples to the Third Power
From “Radically Simple,” by Rozanne Gold (Rodale). Prep these first thing in the morning and cover tightly (no need to refrigerate unless holding overnight). Bake during dinner. Serves 4, easily doubled for larger parties.
Ingredients
4 large apples
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 cup apple butter
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 cup apple cider
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Core the apples, remove a very thin slice from each top. Stir together the sugar and cardamom and put 1 teaspoon in the cavity of each apple. Fill to the top with apple butter. Top each with a slice of butter and the remaining cardamom sugar.
Arrange the apples in a pie tin, and pour the cider around them. Bake 50 minutes, until soft. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the apples to 4 serving plates. Transfer the pan juices to a saucepan and boil until reduced slightly, 2 minutes. Pour around the apples.
