Hell ya!
Claire won’t be coming home for Thanksgiving this year so we did what every red blooded American does, we used that as an excuse to have Thanksgiving in August! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite meals…and is a lovely surprise when eaten off season. Because of the hot weather this was Thanksgiving “light”. I mean who needs three pies and biscuits on a warm day? It didn’t stop us from having Roast Turkey Breast, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Roasted Carrots, Gravy, and Giada De Lorentis’ Walnut Rosemary Tart, and a classic No Bake Cheesecake. Oh! And the cranberry sauce that’s in a can that comes out in the shape of a can? Can’t forget that!
I’ve covered most of the traditional Thanksgiving foods already on this blog (Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving 2), so I’ll talk about Giada’s tart recipe.
I used pecans instead of walnuts and I cut the quantity of rosemary in half. I do like herbs in dessert, but I like them as a hint, not a dominent flavor. The tart is good, very sweet and buttery, almost candy-like, and I liked the orange whipped cream with it.
No-bake Cheesecake
This is a recipe I used to make almost every day when I worked at the Egg Shop And Apple Press. It’s super easy, and delicious. I like to serve it with two pints of raspberries mixed with about 1/4 C of raspberry jam. I kind of squish the berries with the jam, I like their tart sweet flavor with the cool and creamy cheesecake.
Crust:
1 sleeve graham crackers, crushed
1/2 C butter melted
2 T sugar
1 t cinnamon (optional)
Filling:
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 t vanilla
Topping:
1 C sour cream
2 T powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl until the graham cracker crumbs are moistened by the butter. Press the mixture into an 8×8 or 9×9 pan.
Beat the cream cheese until fluffy, add the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Spoon mixture over the crust, cover and chill at least an hour (or longer if you have the time). After an hour remove the cheesecake from the fridge. In a small bowl combine the sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Spoon the sour cream over the chilled cheesecake, cover and chill until ready to serve.
Serves 12
