Show-Stealing Desserts for Holiday Celebrations

Holiday dinner dishes and sides get all the attention — but the reality is, dessert is where it’s at. Here are some show-stealing desserts to serve at your next holiday celebration.

The following recipes have been adapted for the web.

---

Pine Nut and Anise Wedding Cookies

From Chile, Clove and Cardamom

Makes 2 dozen cookies

The origin of this cookie’s name is unclear. Whatever the name—Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, Christmas dreams, gazelle horns!— there’s no doubt these rich, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth confections are delicious any time of year.

A touch of anise lends a mild, dreamy flavor. Pine nuts add the creamy texture, but feel free to substitute hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, or walnuts.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (72 g) pine nuts
• 1 1/2 cups (173 g) confectioners’ sugar
• Generous pinch sea salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon anise extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 13/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping

DIRECTIONS

Put the pine nuts and 1 cup (115 g) of the sugar into a food processor and blend until the nuts are finely ground. With the motor running, add the salt and the butter, one chunk at a time. Add the anise extract and orange zest and continue to process until smooth. Pulse in the flour until you have a soft dough.

Scrape the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight (8 to 10 hours).

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Scoop the dough with a tablespoon and form into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls with lightly floured hands. Roll the balls in the remaining sugar and place 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake until the cookies just begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Store in a covered container in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

---

Lost Nation Cider Pie

From The Apple Grower

Make ahead: The recipe calls for making cider jelly, which is done by boiling fresh apple cider to the jellying stage. The jelly may be made up to 5 days in advance, then covered and refrigerated. Alternatively, prepared cider jelly may be used.

Makes one 9-inch pie (8 servings)

Cider Jelly Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon fresh apple cider (see headnote; may substitute 1 cup store-bought cider jelly)

Filling Ingredients

• Homemade or store-bought pastry for a two-crust 9-inch pie
• 2 medium apples, such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, cut in half, then cut into very thin slices
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Cider Jelly Procedure

1. Pour the cider into a medium heavy, nonreactive pot.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, which should come up to 220 degrees (the jellying stage).
3. Boil until the cider has reduced to almost 1 cup, adjusting the heat and stirring as needed to avoid scorching. This can take from 75 to 90 minutes.
4. When the cider has reduced and thickened, remove it from the heat. Transfer to a heatproof container and cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pie Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Use the homemade or store-bought crust to line a 9-inch pie plate, folding under and pinching the edges to form a tidy rim.
3. Arrange the apple slices on the surface of the bottom pie crust dough in flat layers. Have the top round of pie dough ready.
4. Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the cider jelly and just-boiled water; mix well.
5. Whisk together the egg and melted butter in a liquid measuring cup, then add the mixture to the sugar-cider jelly mixture, stirring to combine. Pour the mixture carefully over the apples in the pie plate.
6. Place the top crust on the pie; crimp the edges around the rim and use a knife to make several small cuts in the top (to allow steam to escape).
7. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any drips); bake for 40 minutes or until the top crust is golden.
8. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

---

 

---

Olive Oil Cake with Jam and Whipped Ricotta

From Black Trumpet

Makes one 8-inch (20 cm) cake; Serves 12

This simple cake, created by Lauren Crosby, is one of my favorites from the Black Trumpet archives. And it is by far the best olive oil cake I have tried. I like to tell our guests that the use of olive oil in place of animal fat somehow makes this recipe healthier (ha!).

I also love that this dessert can be enjoyed at any time of day, especially for breakfast, and always in the company of a shot of good espresso.

Cake Ingredients

• ½ cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (from 3 or 4 oranges)
• 2½ cups (570 g) sugar, divided
• 2 cups (240 g) flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs (150 g liquid egg)
• 1¼ cups (295 ml) whole milk
• ¼ cup (60 ml) brandy
• 1½ cups (355 ml) olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons ground anise seed
• 1 teaspoon salt

Jam Ingredients

• 8 prunes
• 4 dates, pitted
• ½ cup (115 g) sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine
• 2 tablespoons apple brandy
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Zest of ¼ orange

Ricotta Ingredients

• 2 cups (455 g) whole-milk ricotta
• 1 cup (115 g) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
2. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan.
3. Combine the orange juice and ½ cup (115 g) of the sugar in a small pan over medium heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl and set aside.
5. Whip the eggs in a stand mixer (using the whisk attachment) on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add the remaining 2 cups (455 g) sugar and whip on medium speed until dissolved, about 3 minutes.
6. Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of the cooled orange syrup, along with the milk, brandy, and olive oil, into the egg-and-sugar mixture; whip on low speed until incorporated.
7. Add the zest, anise seed, and salt, and mix just until combined.
8. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the batter, mixing just until combined.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake on the middle shelf for about 1¼ hours, until the cake is dark golden brown, it’s set in the middle, and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Let the cake cool to room temperature and brush with the remaining orange syrup before slicing into twelve pieces. Serve with Prune Jam and Whipped Ricotta (both recipes follow).

To serve the cake: Place a slice of cake on a dessert plate. Dollop some Whipped Ricotta on top, sprinkle with chocolate shavings, and serve with a spoonful of Prune Jam. Repeat with the remaining slices.

Jam Procedure

Makes 12 portions

We tested this recipe with plums dehydrated in-house, but you can use any prune or dried black plum

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small, heavy-bottomed pan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 3 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool in the pan.
4. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times, stopping often to scrape down the bottom and sides.
5. Continue pulsing until the ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth.

Ricotta Procedure

Makes a little more than 1 pint (475 ml)

1. Whip the cheese on low speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until combined.

---

Maple Shortbread

From The Hungry Ghost Bread Book

Maple sugar is, of course, the sweetener that we’re blessed with here in the Northeast, another gift that First Nations communities shared with European settlers. Growing up in Quebec, it was impossible to avoid the seasonal significance of what we called sugaring-off in late winter and early spring.

My best memories of those times are of warm maple taffy hardening on clean picnic-table snow. A deftly twirled twig would roll the congealing magic into a forest lollipop. Hardwood groves, sap buckets hung, snowshoe tracks, and steam pouring out of the sugar shack: that’s what maple syrup means to me.

Shortbread is of Scottish origin, linked in popular imagination to Mary, Queen of Scots and her alliance (culinarily, militarily, and linguistically) to the French. As it so happens, the forest preserve that I was taken to as a child is on the campus of Macdonald College, in the town of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, across the river from the Mohawk village of Kanesatake. Maple Shortbread, indeed.

Ingredients

Makes 16 shortbread slices

• Butter, softened 340 g (3 sticks)
• Maple sugar 200 g
• All-purpose flour 450 g
• Salt 1 teaspoon (6 g)
• 1 large egg, whisked
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.5°C).
• On a clean work surface, paste together the butter and maple sugar by sprinkling the sugar over the spread-out, softened butter and folding the mass over on itself repeatedly.
• Add the flour and salt and repeat the slow incorporation.
• Roll into logs about 2-1/2 inches across and 10 to 12 inches long.
• Slice each log into 16 slices and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Brush with the whisked egg, crosshatch with a fork, and sprinkle with sea salt.
• Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until deep golden brown.

---

The Best Blackberry Pie in the World

From Fruit Forager’s Companion

Serves 8–12

My mother clipped this recipe from the Columbus Dispatch “Reader’s Exchange” column decades ago, and to me it is the ne plus ultra of berry pies. I’ve made it with frozen berries, foraged berries, U-pick berries—you name it.

I love how the subtle spices give it a wine-y flavor, and the lemon zest perks up the dark juiciness of the berries. For this deep and dense pie to set correctly, the filling must come to a rapidly gurgling bubble. When in doubt, err on the side of baking longer.

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 unbaked Rye Pastry crusts, or your favorite piecrust recipe
• 5 cups (725 g) blackberries,  thawed if frozen
• ⅔–1 cup (130–200 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (35 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• Turbinado or granulated sugar,  for sprinkling

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
2. Roll out the bottom crust on a floured surface, and lay it in a greased 9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pie plate. If you’re going to make a double-crusted pie, trim the excess crust so it overhangs about an inch (2.5 cm), but don’t pleat it.
3. Roll out the top crust, if using, and slide it onto a cookie sheet.
4. Refrigerate both crusts while you prepare the filling.
5. Taste a few of the berries, and decide how much sugar you’d like to use. If the berries are quite tart, go for the full cup of sugar; if not, add as little as ⅔ cup.
6. Put it in the bowl with the flour, spices, zest, and salt, and stir to combine so there are no lumps of flour. Fold in the berries. Scrape the filling into the lined plate. Top with the top crust or build a lattice crust on top, and crimp or pleat the edges to seal.
7. Combine the egg yolk and cream in a small bowl, and brush carefully over the top crust.
8. Sprinkle with enough turbinado or granulated sugar so the crust sparkles.
9. Set the pie on a foil-lined rimmed pizza pan or baking sheet to catch any filling that bubbles over.
10. Set on the bottom rack, and bake 30 minutes. Move to the upper rack, reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C), and bake 30 to 50 minutes more, until the filling is bubbling vigorously and the crust is prettily browned. (You may need to loosely tent the pie midway through baking to keep the top crust from getting too dark.)
11. Set the pie on a rack to cool. If you cut into the pie while it is still warm, the filling will be a wonderful gushy mess. It’s easier to slice neatly the next day, when you should eat it for breakfast. Serving vanilla ice cream on top is mandatory.

Also try with: Raspberries, black raspberries, or mulberries. Also, you can substitute up to 2 cups of blueberries for some of the blackberries.

---

How to Make Pears Wrapped in Pastry

From The Book of Pears

Peel and core the pears as before, leaving the stalk intact, and rub them with lemon juice. Use shortcrust or sweet shortcrust pastry made in the usual way.

The following amount is plenty for four pears: 150g (5oz) plain four; 65g (21⁄2oz) butter; pinch of salt; a few tablespoons of milk; plus 50g (2oz) sugar if making sweet pastry.

Roll the pastry out fairly thin and cut into long strips about 2.5cm (1 inch) wide; also cut out a small square of pastry for each pear, large enough to make a base.

Push a small curl of lemon peel and an extra squeeze of lemon juice into the centre of each pear. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each pear so that it will stand on its base. Set a pear on the square of pastry and coil a strip of pastry around it (you might need more than one strip to enclose it completely).

Begin at the base and let the strip overlap a little as you wind it around the pear. Finish off at the top, moulding it around the bottom of the stalk. At the other end of the pear – the base – mould the pastry square to fit and neatly join with the coils.

Brush with milk, or egg and milk wash. Bake at 180°C/gas mark 4 for about 45 minutes, or until nicely browned. The result is a fragrant, melting pear, delicious served warm with cream or, better still, with crême anglaise – real custard.

RECIPE: Crême Anglaise

1 egg and 1 egg yolk beaten together with 75g (3oz) sugar in a bowl. Bring 300ml (1⁄2 pint) milk with a vanilla pod just to the boil, pour the hot milk over the eggs and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Return to the pan and cook gently until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

 

---

Recommended Reads

Worth Puckering Up For: Simply Delicious Cranberry Muffins & Holiday Bread

Sweet Brunch Delights: Doughnut Holes, Breakfast Cake & Fruit with Tahini Yogurt