A Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup and Pumpkin Spice Scones

Turkey day is less than a week away! Thanksgiving menu planning is in full swing, and everyone's focused on pulling off a memorable turkey feast. So in case you need some inspiration, here's a roundup of a few of my personal favorite Thanksgiving recipes. These are the dishes that are on my Thanksgiving dinner table year after year. Oh, and I've also thrown in a new recipe for some Pumpkin Spice Scones, because Thanksgiving breakfast should be special too.

• Cranberry-Apricot Chutney – A twist on the traditional, flavored with ginger.

• Butternut Squash Soup with Sage Pesto – So good, you may forget to leave room for the turkey. Seriously, it happened to me last year.

• Traditional Sourdough Dressing – The quintessential. Nuff said.

• Butternut Squash & Potato Gratin – Hello, heavy cream! If Thanksgiving isn't an excuse to use heavy cream with abandon, I don't know what is.

• Pumpkin Crème Brûlées – Way better than pie.

Here's wishing you a happy and yummy Thanksgiving!


Pumpkin Spice Scones
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 ounces (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, shredded
1 large egg
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons Turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blend together the egg, pumpkin puree, and 1/3 cup of the cream in a small bowl, add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Transfer to a work surface and knead a few times until the dough just holds together. Pat the dough into a 6-inch wide, 1 ½-inch thick circle and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange the scones a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking tray. Lightly brush the scones with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and sprinkle with the Turbinado sugar. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 8 scones. Work quickly and with a light touch to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting. Serve warm, possibly with clotted cream. Scones keep for a day or two in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Holding on to Summertime

It's funny to think that today's the last day of summer because I'm not sure we really even had a summer here in the Pacific Northwest. It's like we went from spring straight into fall this year. We only broke out the sunscreen a small handful of times, the figs on our tree are still rock hard, and the leaves are already threatening to turn. This blink-and-you'll-miss-it summer has left many of us feeling shortchanged. Luckily for those of us in denial that the season for basking in the sun is over, the markets are still loaded with summer stone fruit like peaches and nectarines. So here are some sunny Nectarine Shortcakes to help us hang on to summertime for a few moments longer. Enjoy!


On another note, my book Seared to Perfection: The Simple Art of Sealing in Flavor officially comes out next month, and I just received my copy last Friday. It was an amazing feeling to hold the finished book in my hands for the very first time. I almost passed out from pride. With an irresistible-looking steak on the cover and fiery red and orange print within, the book looks fantastic, even if I do say so myself. I had quite a moment when I put my own book on my own bookshelf, with the rest of my cookbook collection. And I had another moment when I signed a copy (with I pen I bought especially for the purpose) for the first time. (In case you're wondering, it was for my husband, the Official Taster and Recipe Testing Timekeeper.) By the way, you can get your hands on a copy right away because Amazon is already shipping.

Seared to Perfection is mentioned in Publishers Weekly's Fall Cookbooks, By the Trends under More Meat, Please (love it!) and earned a notable mention in the single subject category in The Eater Fall 2010 Cookbook and Food Book Preview on Eater National.

Nectarine Shortcakes
Printable Recipe

For the shortcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 ounces (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, shredded
1 large egg
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons Turbinado sugar

For the sugared nectarines:
8 nectarines, peeled, pitted, and cut into eighths
¼ cup sugar

For the whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the shortcakes:
Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blend together the egg and ½ cup of the cream in a small bowl, add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Transfer to a work surface and knead a few times until the dough just holds together. Pat the dough into a 6-inch wide, 1 ½-inch thick circle and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange the shortcakes a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking tray. Lightly brush the shortcakes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and sprinkle with the Turbinado sugar. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

Make the sugared nectarines:
Toss together the nectarines and sugar in a medium bowl and let macerate, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until soft and juicy.

Make the whipped cream:
Whip the cream to medium peaks. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to whip to stiff peaks.

Assemble the shortcakes:
Split the shortcakes in half horizontally and arrange the bottom of each one split side up on an individual plate. Divide the sugared nectarines and then the whipped cream among them. Replace the top half of each shortcake and serve immediately.

Serves 8. Here's my secret to the most irresistible shortcakes ever: I use my scone recipe instead of a bland biscuit, and I don't skimp on the fruit and whipped cream. Work quickly and with a light touch to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting. If you can get your hands on it, use Tahitian vanilla, which has a uniquely floral character, for the whipped cream. Peaches may be substituted for the nectarines. If you enjoy this recipe, try my Strawberry Shortcakes.

Happy 4th of July!

I interrupt my European travelogue to wish you a happy 4th of July and share with you my Strawberry Shortcake recipe. Strawberries are in season, so shortcake is just the thing to serve right now. For a red, white, and blue dessert, toss in a few blueberries or blackberries.

Have a happy and fun-filled Independence Day everybody!


Strawberry Shortcakes
Printable Recipe

For the shortcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 ounces (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, shredded
1 large egg
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons Turbinado sugar

For the sugared strawberries:
2 ¾ pounds strawberries, sliced
3 tablespoons sugar

For the whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the shortcakes:
Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blend together the egg and ½ cup of the cream in a small bowl, add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Transfer to a work surface and knead a few times until the dough just holds together. Pat the dough into a 6-inch wide, 1 ½-inch thick circle and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange the shortcakes a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking tray. Lightly brush the shortcakes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and sprinkle with the Turbinado sugar. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

Make the sugared strawberries:
Toss together the strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl and let macerate, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until soft and juicy.

Make the whipped cream:
Whip the cream to medium peaks. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to whip to stiff peaks.

Assemble the shortcakes:
Split the shortcakes in half horizontally and arrange the bottom of each one split side up on an individual plate. Divide the sugared strawberries and then the whipped cream among them. Replace the top half of each shortcake and serve immediately.

Serves 8. Here's my secret to the most irresistible version ever of this favorite summer dessert: I use my basic scone recipe instead of a bland biscuit as the shortcake base, and I don't skimp on the strawberries and whipped cream. The scone "shortcakes" are wonderful made with vanilla sugar. Work quickly and with a light touch to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting. Strawberries that aren't perfectly ripe will require additional sugar, so add more to taste. If you can get your hands on it, use Tahitian vanilla, which has a uniquely floral character, for the whipped cream. You'll need about 3 pints of strawberries for this recipe.

Scone Sundays Update

Remember my grand idea of Scone Sundays? Would you like to know if I’ve kept up with it? Well, that would be a great, big NO! I missed two Sundays straight, meaning I haven’t baked scones since. But here are my valid excuses: two weeks ago I was worn out from a whirlwind eating tour of San Francisco, and last week I was risking life and limb on our third outing in our little sailboat. This weekend I don’t have any excuses, so it’s high time I get back on the wagon!

Needless to say, I’ve had plenty of time to contemplate what kind of scones to make next. The combination of apricots and tonka beans proved to be so good in these cakelettes that I decided to translate the flavor into scones.


Apricot-Tonka Bean Scones
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon freshly grated tonka bean
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 ounces (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, shredded
½ cup diced dried apricots
1 large egg
½ cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, tonka bean, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in the apricots. Blend together the egg and cream in a small bowl, add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Transfer to a work surface and knead a few times until the dough just holds together. Pat the dough into a 6-inch wide, 1 ½-inch thick circle and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange the scones a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 8 scones. Work quickly and with a light touch to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting. Serve warm, possibly with clotted cream. Scones keep for a day or two in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place. Read this if you’re curious about tonka beans. For the record, tonka beans are illegal to use in food in the U.S. You can substitute a few drops each of vanilla extract and almond extract and a pinch of ground cloves for the tonka bean.

Scone Sundays

I know that a cup of coffee hardly counts as a well-balanced breakfast (even though when I load it up with sugar and heavy cream it may have as many calories as one), but I don’t have the appetite for anything more first thing in the morning. I’ve mentioned it before—breakfast is a constant struggle for me. By the time I’m ready to eat, the hubby’s already looking for his second meal of the day. So I’ve decided to try out a new routine: every Sunday, I’m going to bake scones. Scones take no time at all and are a breeze to throw together. And fresh scones are such a treat that even at the crack of dawn I can’t resist them. It takes the two of us 2 or 3 days to eat up an entire batch. So, I think I may have finally solved my breakfast dilemma—at least for two mornings each week!


We’ll see how long this little plan of mine lasts. In the meantime, I’m inspired to dream up some new scone flavors…

Sour Cherry Scones
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 ounces (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, shredded
½ cup dried sour cherries
1 large egg
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons Turbinado sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in the cherries. Blend together the egg and ½ cup of the cream in a small bowl, add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Transfer to a work surface and knead a few times until the dough just holds together. Pat the dough into a 6-inch wide, 1 ½-inch thick circle and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange the scones a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking tray. Lightly brush the scones with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and sprinkle with the Turbinado sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 8 scones. Work quickly and with a light touch to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting. Serve warm, possibly with clotted cream. Scones keep for a day or two in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.