Thanksgiving

Oh, Autumn.  How I love thee!  There's a chill in the air.  The leaves turn golden and auburn and crimson and cinnamon.  Time to warm up with a fall-inspired dessert.  Thanksgiving can be a tricky one--the traditions have been passed down in your family.  They are sacred.  The tooth-achingly sweet pecan pie.  The pie that's called pumpkin but just tastes like spice.  Mrs. Whoever's Apple Pie in a box (gasp)!  Whatever your tradition, take it and elevate it.  People will whine. Until they taste the New and Improved Traditional Thanksgiving Dessert!

Think about a pumpkin flan or cheesecake as opposed to the pie.  Use the pecans in a pecan financier and serve it with bourbon-spiked poached fruits and some ice cream.  Take that traditional apple pie and turn it into individual free-form galettes.  Do they like cake?  Maybe apple spice cake with maple buttercream would work.  Be creative and think outside the Thanksgiving box.  The relatives will forgive you and might even thank you. 

Here are some flavors that evoke Thanksgiving (for me, anyway):

• pumpkin
• maple
• caramel
• sweet potato
• apples
• pears
• pecan or walnut
• cinnamon
• persimmon