NOVEMBER 2008

Thanksgiving is all about family and, of course, the food! We thought we would help you out this month with a recipe for a tasty Thanksgiving morning breakfast that you can prepare ahead of time. Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Walnut Cake

dry bread crumbs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin, cooked and pureed
1 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter well a 9-inch bundt pan. Add bread crumbs and shake pan to evenly coat the sides and central tube. Tap out excess bread crumbs. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated and brown sugars, molasses, eggs, and pureed pumpkin together until blended. At low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients. When all the dry ingredients are incorporated, fold in the walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 75 minutes, or until the cake top is springy to the touch. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert and let cool to room temperature. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Cranberry Bread Pudding
Note: Assembling this pudding the day before allows the flavors to develop.

2 cups water
2 cups, plus 4 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons, grated lemon zest
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
12 ounces (1 package) fresh cranberries
1 loaf (1 pound) challah bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups heavy cream
3 cups milk
12 large eggs

In a saucepan bring the water, 1 cup of sugar, lemon zest and vanilla bean to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the cranberries and simmer 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Scrape vanilla seeds into the mixture. Let stand until room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 10-cup baking dish. Place the challah cubes in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons sugar, melted butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Transfer to a baking sheet and toast the bread cubes in the oven for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes.

In a bowl, stir well 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture in the prepared baking dish, coating the bottom and all sides. Transfer the bread to the baking dish. Drain the cranberry mixture and spread the cranberries over the bread cubes.

In a bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, eggs and remaining cup of sugar. Pour the mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When you plan to serve the pudding, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover the baking dish with foil, set it in a larger pan, and add enough hot water to the liner pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake the bread pudding for 1 hour, or until the center is barely set. Carefully remove the baking dish from the pan and let the bread pudding stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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