Cooking in November…for the big feast…and the home table

Last November I wrote about managing the main components of the Thanksgiving feast (turkey, dressing and gravy) for a small gathering. This year, rather than writing about Thanksgiving in such a specific way, I thought I would share instead some things I have been doing in my day to day cooking with a couple of the early season winter squashes (delicata and honeynut). Conveniently, these recipes would be appropriate for the Thanksgiving table too and could easily be expanded for that purpose. I am also sharing a dessert that I made recently for a small private dinner. It was beautiful, rich, and festive…and I think it would be a great addition to a small (or large!) Thanksgiving dessert spread.

But before I get started I wanted to mention a couple of things related to this publication. First, I have recently added a “Featured Posts” section across the top of the Home Page. This month I have been featuring the newsletters from this October and last October…as well as the aforementioned small Thanksgiving post from last November. I will usually feature posts for the current season…or posts that include recipes or techniques that I want to highlight. Hopefully this, in addition to the Recipe Index page, will make it easier for you to navigate old issues…and find recipes and techniques that you want to revisit.

I also wanted to mention the recent free Zoom class (All about Pie Dough) that I offered for premium subscribers (that’s you!) last week. It was a fun class…and I believe that the participants found it to be helpful. I enjoy teaching these short, cook along, Zoom classes and have always thought it would be a great addition to the newsletter to occasionally offer classes that cover something I have shared here—I could do a deep dive into a technique…a simple demonstration of one of the recipes…etc. I’m letting you know because I would like to know if there is interest…and I would also love to have your input! If there is ever something I have shared that you would like to see demonstrated…or that you would like to make alongside me…please let me know. You can do so by commenting on the post…or via email (just reply to the post). In the same vein…I am always open to requests for things you would like me to write about in upcoming issues. All this to say: I would love to hear from you!—not only about class and newsletter topics, but just general feedback: what you enjoy…what you would like to see more (or less) of…. I want the newsletter to be something you enjoy and find helpful.

A small cheesecake

I have always loved cheesecake. Sadly, most versions of this delicious dessert share one big problem: they are invariably too large. Cheesecake is a rich dessert. I’m not sure who thought it would be a good idea to make them so tall. Even a narrow slice of a traditional cheesecake is just too much. If you have been following my blog for a while you probably already know my opinion on this matter. I have posted two recipes for “cheese tarts” (a Marbled Chocolate and Pumpkin…very Thanksgiving appropriate, BTW!…and a Lemon & White Chocolate). I have also posted a couple of slightly more traditional cheesecakes (Key Lime and Raspberry Swirl). What all four of these cheesecakes have in common is their diminutive stature: They are purposefully shallow so that the diner can enjoy a reasonably sized piece at the end of a meal.

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