a very thankful day

I admit it. I kind of went overboard on the whole Thanksgiving dessert thing. I started keeping a list of things I wanted to bake, and the list kept getting longer... and longer.

I had a good excuse, though, because the guest list kept getting longer, too. I have four siblings, with lots of kids... and now those kids have boyfriends and girlfriends who have Thanksgiving with us. We have some close friends who are like family who join us every year... and then there are always a few extra friends who thought they were going to be out of town but now they're in town and didn't buy a turkey and of course you can join us! So we had 32 people, and I kept baking.

First I made a Chocolate-Almond Torte.. because there are chocolate lovers in every crowd.

I love Pear-Frangipane Tarts, so I made one of those.

My daughter wanted to use my new cupcake tree, so I made some yummy chocolate cupcakes with espresso and chocolate buttercream, expertly piped by Angela. We made them for the little people, but of course the taller people ate their share, too.

This is my first Thanksgiving without my dad, but I made his favorite dessert anyway. It's a French Apple Tart, with an apple-vanilla bean compote that goes down first, followed by a spiral of sliced apples. Of course I used the apple corer-slicer he gave me for my birthday for this job.

It turned out beautifully and I think it was the most requested dessert to take home. My dad would have had second helpings!

Also in the tart category, I made a Linzertorte.. and a Cranberry Streusel Tart.

Then it was time to turn my attention to pumpkin, but not another pie... I made a pumpkin roulade, with cream cheese filling and a ginger-caramel sauce. No left-overs of this one!

All told, I made seven desserts. We were all very thankful for butter, sugar, flour and eggs, among other things, this Thanksgiving.

Got a Minute?

You really can bake an incredible focaccia in such a short time.... what are you waiting for?

Just imagine the luscious aroma of that olive oil-rich bread wafting through your kitchen... that lovely rosemary, maybe some caramelized onions, a scattering of gorgonzola....YUM!

The dough comes together fast, then rises for an hour or so. You spread it out on a sheet pan, sprinkle on your toppings, and into the oven it goes.

Here's the basic recipe. Add whatever toppings seem right, or knead a few herbs or olives right into the dough.

Focaccia
6 cups flour
2 Tbsp instant yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 ½ cups water, room temp
6 Tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, mix 5 cups flour, instant yeast and salt. Make a well in the center and pour water and 3 Tbsp olive oil into it. Stir to mix, adding flour from the edges of the well until all is incorporated. When mixture begins to hold together, turn it out onto a work surface and knead until you have a smooth, firm dough. You may need to add up to 1 additional cup of flour if the dough is extremely sticky. Form dough into a ball.

Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all sides with oil. Cover with plastic or a towel and set in a warm place, free of drafts, until double in size, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously oil a half sheet tray. With the heel of your hand, spread the dough onto the oiled pan. Let rest about 10 minutes, then spread on toppings, along with an additional 3 Tbsp of olive oil and a sprinkling of coarse salt. Put “dents” all over the dough with your fingertips, being careful not to poke all the way through. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden on both the top and bottom. Let cool briefly and cut into desired shapes.

Yield: ½ sheet

Topping ideas: Chopped fresh rosemary, sautéed red bell peppers, onions and olives, chopped green onions, caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese, sautéed mushrooms, pancetta, walnuts, roasted garlic, artichoke hearts, goat cheese. If using cheese, add in the last 10 minutes of baking. If topping with tomato sauce and cheese, bake foccacia first until golden, then spread on sauce.