“There’s just something about the combination of pumpkin, spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and chocolate that make me go a little weak in the knees,” says Annalise Sandberg of CompletelyDelicious.com. “This tart is almost equal parts pumpkin and chocolate and is sure to win over everyone.”

The prep time is 15 minutes, cook time 1 hour. The yield: 8 servings.

If you’d like to bake something with a special twist this Thanksgiving, go for it! Find more recipes at CompletelyDelicious.com and GoBoldWithButter.com.

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN TART

Ingredients For The Chocolate Cookie Crust

 
For The Filling

The art of the tart: chocolate swirled into pumpkin. Photo courtesy Completely Delicious | Go Bold With Butter.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

2. MAKE the cookie crust: Combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, salt and butter together in small bowl and mix with fork. Press into a buttered 8-inch tart pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set crust aside.

3. MAKE the filling: Combine the eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Add the pumpkin purée and heavy cream and mix until incorporated. Measure 1 cup of the mixture and set aside.

4. MELT the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave.

5. SET the baked crust on a sheet pan and pour the filling into the crust. Combine the melted chocolate with the reserved filling. Spoon it on top of the on top of the partially filled crust and swirl it into the existing filling.

6. BAKE until the center is set and no longer appears shiny, 40-45 minutes. Let the tart cool to room temperature. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

We found this turkey on the Facebook page of the Watermelon Board. Whoever created it: We like your style!

You can make one with a small watermelon plus:

 
Give it to the kids as a project, and let them proudly display it as the centerpiece!

Check out dozens of nifty watermelon carvings for every holiday and special special occasion, on Watermelon.org.

[1] Grab your hand mixer and start whipping (photo © Robert Matic | iStock Photo).

[2] Chocolate whipped cream. the recipe is below (photo © ).

An unsweetened or just slightly sweet whipped cream provides a better counterpoint to the sweetness of the dessert. Otherwise, the sweet-on-sweet can be cloying.

Another tip: Make your own whipped cream. Once you see how easy it is and how much better it tastes, you’ll never go back to store-bought aerosol cans.

Just look at the ingredients comparison:

 
The amount of heavy cream you use—one half or one pint—yields up to five times as much whipped cream.

The recipe for chocolate whipped cream is below.

Here’s how to whip the cream in a bowl with beaters; however, if you you want an even easier way to make whipped cream that you can prepare days in advance, consider a cream whipper, also called a whipped cream maker or canister.
 
 
RECIPE: CLASSIC WHIPPED CREAM

You can also make flavored whipped cream, from bourbon to salted caramel; chocolate whipped cream (recipe below); and savory whipped cream for meat and fish.

Ingredients

We’ve used a cream whipper for many years. They last forever—we still have our mother’s unit from the 1960s.

You simply pour the cream into the canister, add the sugar and flavoring, and then aerate instantly with a nitrous oxide charger instead of whipping for 5 minutes with the beaters. All of the whipped cream is good to the last drop; it stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

In addition to whipping cream, you can use a cream whipper for espumas (foams), gravies, sauces, and soups. In fact, there’s a thermal version that keeps the contents cold for up to eight hours with no refrigeration needed, or hot for three hours—on the kitchen counter or the buffet for people to help themselves.

The differences between a cream whipper and beater whipped cream: The cream will be more highly aerated (airier, not thick) and will emerge from the nozzle of the whipper in a thin ribbon, as opposed to a rounded mound as large as you like, from a spoon.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM

You can use dark, milk or white chocolate.

Ingredients

1. MEASURE the chocolate into a medium bowl; set aside.

2. HEAT the sugar and 1 cup of the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved.

3. POUR the cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has melted. Let cool.

4. ADD the remaining cup of heavy cream and beat with electric beaters (or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) on medium speed, until thick and fluffy.

Their house brand products are known for their quality; and their delicious shortbread is available in the U.S. under the brand “Duchy Originals.”

Baked from a traditional Scottish Highlands recipe, these melt-in-the-mouth, all butter shortbread biscuits are made using local butter and flour with sugar and a pinch of salt.

A box of 12 cookies per 5.3 ounce box is $5.93-$6.24 with free shipping on orders over $35, on Amazon.com, with a choice of:

ABOUT DUCHY ORIGINALS

The Duchy Originals brand was founded in the UK in 1992 by HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales. The Prince set out to produce food of the highest quality, using the best natural ingredients, produced sustainably and in harmony with the environment, while supporting worthwhile causes through The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation.

Duchy Originals is now produced in partnership with Waitrose and baked by Walker’s Shortbread.
 
ABOUT SHORTBREAD

Shortbread is a type of cookie with a high butter content: The traditional recipe is one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour. It has been called the ancestor of all butter cookies.

The original shortbreads were made with oatmeal; the more elegant white flour came later and lightened the cookie. Its current form is often attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century. She had a team of French chefs who had the time, labor and ingredients to perfect the recipe.

Check out the history of shortbread.

Oaten biscuits are less sweet and delicious with cheese. Photo courtesy Duchy Originals.

[2] Make your own pumpkin spice latte with this recipe (photo © Freestocks).

As a follow-up to our recent article on autumn Bundt cakes, here’s one that’s especially appropriate for Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Spice Bundt.

Bake one for National Pumpkin Spice Day, October 1st. Or…

> National Bundt Cake Day is November 15th.

> National Pound Cake Day is March 4th.

> National Cake Day is November 26th.

> More pumpkin spice recipes.

> The history of the Bundt cake.

> The history of cake.

> The different types of cakes: a photo glossary.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN SPICE POUND CAKE BUNDT

Thanks to Spice Islands for the recipe.

Ingredients For The Cake

 
Preparation

For The Cake

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.

2. BEAT the sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla; add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

3. COMBINE the flour, baking powder, salt and spices; mix well. Alternately add dry ingredients and pumpkin to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour into prepared pan.

4. BAKE for 65 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Cool completely.
 
 
For The Caramel Pecan Topping

1. COMBINE the brown sugar, cream, maple syrup, butter and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. REMOVE from the heat and stir in the cinnamon, vanilla and pecans. Serve warm over the cake. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
 
 
WHIPPED CREAM TIP: If you’re putting whipped cream on a very sweet dessert, such as this caramel topping or pecan pie, you can halve the sugar in the whipped cream or eliminate it entirely.

An unsweetened or just slightly sweet whipped cream provides a better counterpoint to the sweetness of the dessert. Otherwise, the sweet-on-sweet can be cloying.
 
 

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