I grew up in a Yankee household with a Southern father. So even though I said “you guys” instead of “y’all” and didn’t act one bit like a “lady” unless under strict orders accompanied by threat of dire consequences, some Southern mores were passed on to me nonetheless.

For instance, in our Seattle house, stuffing was called dressing, which is what my very lady-like Kentucky born-and-raised Grandmother called it. It didn’t matter if it was baked in the bird or alongside the bird, it was dressing nonetheless. It was served with perfect mashed potatoes (a point of pride for Kentucky cooks) and a silky, roux-based, turkey gravy.

For me as a kid, the turkey always played second fiddle to the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Nothing much has changed. I appreciate a slow roasted, brine-cured bird with the Thanksgiving meal, but I enjoy it even more cold, in a sandwich the day after.

That said, when the dressing is what you love most, it has to be “top drawer” as Grandma Macy always put it. This dressing fills the bill. The leeks are cooked down to a melting silkiness and added to the bread, along with toasted hazelnuts, tart apple, and plenty of parsley. The mixture is well seasoned and carefully hydrated, so that the final result is a light (not sodden) dressing, with texture from the nuts and bursts of tartness from the apples.

Although this dressing is a far cry from the traditional version I grew up on, I think my Grandmother would approve nonetheless. And she would be pleased to know that I am hardly ever a “rowdy hooligan” any more, thanks of course to her wise and patient counsel over the years.

Note About that sandwich:  My fave post Thanksgiving turkey sandwich consists of two thick slices of fresh Italian bread, mayo, a heap of thinly sliced, cold turkey, salt, pepper, cold stuffing, and potato chips. I created it at about 10 years of age and still consider it a masterpiece of ingenuity. Try it with this stuffing.

To complete this festive meal, check out Who’s Afraid of Mashed Potatoes.

Melted Leek, Green Apple & Toasted Hazelnut Dressing

This dressing (or stuffing for you Yankees) is light and fluffy, and loaded with the flavors of fall.

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
4-6 large leeks, white parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced (1 pound sliced)

8 cups dried bread cubes, about ½-inch cubes (9 ounces)
2 cups lightly toasted hazelnuts, skins removed and coarsely chopped
1 cup Italian parsley, minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

1½-2 cups chicken stock, approximately (will vary considerably depending on size and dryness of bread cubes)

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths lengthwise, and then cut into ¼-inch dice
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar

1. In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the leeks. Cook slowly, covered, for about 15 minutes, until the leeks are very tender.
2. Remove from heat and add to a large mixing bowl, along with the bread cubes, hazelnuts, parsley, thyme, sage, pepper, and salt.
3. Drizzle ½ cup of chicken stock over the stuffing, tossing gently to incorporate. Wait at least 5 minutes for the bread to absorb the stock and repeat the sequence twice more. You have now added 1½ cups of stock. Taste the stuffing and determine whether to add additional stock. The goal here is a light and fluffy stuffing—not dry and not sodden.
4. Taste again and adjust the salt. You will likely need to add 1-2 teaspoons more.
5. As you dice the apples, add them to a mixing bowl and toss with lemon juice to prevent browning. When all the apples are cut and in the bowl, toss with the sugar.
6. Fold the apples into the stuffing.
7. Now you have two options: You can either bake the stuffing, covered, in an ovenproof casserole in a 350° oven for about 45 minutes, or use it to stuff a turkey or turkey breast. I figure you know how to stuff a turkey, so will give only the procedure for stuffing the breast.

To Stuff a Turkey Breast

1. To stuff a turkey breast, turn the breast so that you are looking at the underside. Begin along one side and follow the contour of the breast bone with a small very sharp knife to separate the bone from the breast meat. Cut around obstacles, such as the wish bone and protruding blade. Repeat from the other side of the breast. You should now have the bone completely exposed except for the center ridge.
2. To ensure that you do not cut through the skin while you cut the bone from the breast, grab the skin with one hand and pull it away as you carefully make this last cut.  With bone removed, turn the breast back over so it’s skin-side-up and pat back into shape.
3. Next, insert your hand under the skin and gently pull to loosen it everywhere except the edges. What you want here is securely attached pocket with space for 4 cups of stuffing.
4. Measure out 4 cups of stuffing and gently stuff it under the skin. Smooth the skin and pull it taut over the breast.
5. Truss the breast loosely with kitchen string and set on a wire rack over a baking pan. Rub unsalted butter over the skin.
6. Roast the chicken breast at 350° for about 20 minutes per pound. Pull the breast from the oven when an instant read thermometer stuck into the thickest portion registers 170 degrees.
7. Let the breast rest, covered with foil for 15 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to redistribute evenly through the meat.

Makes enough dressing to stuff a 10-12 pound turkey; or 4 cups to stuff a turkey breast and 8 cups to bake separately.

Resources

• About.com: Stuffing History
• Baking Bites: Stuffing vs Dressing, and Regional Preferences
• Madison Magazine: Stuffing or Dressing?
• Shreveportimes.com: Dressing or Stuffing? It All Depends on Who You Ask.
• Wikipedia: Stuffing

Copyright 2010 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved.

Is there anything in the world of food more appealing than a gloriously fresh pesto, with its vivid green color and bright, bold flavor? I can’t think of anything more wonderful in early spring than this sometimes chunky, sometimes smooth sauce with its heady aroma and visceral connection to the earth and all things leafy green.

Almost any raw herb, leafy green, or vegetable can be turned into pesto–a simple, fresh, uncooked sauce consisting of the aforementioned greens, nuts, aged cheese, and oil. Additional ingredients can be added to these basic elements. Or, conversely, the cheese or nuts can be omitted. The options seem nearly limitless.

I was struck by a new surge of pesto love yesterday morning while taking in opening day of the Portland Farmers Market–in its newly expanded digs on the campus of Portland State University. Just harvested bunches of local cilantro, arugula, chives, sorrel, spring garlic, scallions, plus organic walnuts and hazelnuts were calling my name–which of course I answered by loading up my shopping cart with all of them.

Then I happened upon the vendor, Pesto Outside the Box, and tasted my way through their beautifully crafted collection of pestos: Basil, Garlic & Chive, Chipotle, and Cilantro Pistachio. When you don’t feel like making your own pesto, this option is definitely on a par with the best you can make in your own kitchen.

Hailing from Liguria in northern Italy, pesto is perhaps the quintessential pasta sauce—fresh, cheap, flavorful, and imminently satisfying. Traditional Italian pesto is made from fresh basil (with perhaps some parsley), garlic, parmigiano-reggiano, pine nuts, and olive oil, all staples of the region. In Provence, France, a similar mixture is called Pistou, which may contain cheese but usually no nuts.

In North America, cooks have been going wild with pesto since its debut on these shores in the 1980’s. And by wild, I mean No Holds Barred, Anything Goes. Check out the 562 pestos featured on TasteSpotting, which include Asparagus Pesto, Pistachio Pesto, Cilantro & Roasted Pepper Pesto, Parsley Fennel Pasta, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, Artichoke & Hazelnut Pesto, Curly Kale Pesto, and Asian Pesto. And these are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

But what’s missing for me in all this creative exuberance is a sure-fire formula. What is it that makes pesto, well, pesto? What are the essential ingredients? What are the ideal proportions of these ingredients? A pesto GESTALT if you will. So that’s what I set about to provide for myself.

Within certain boundaries that keep me within the pesto corral and hopefully prevent me from wandering into the salsa, chutney, relish or chimichurri corrals, I am continuing to expand my pesto horizons. I settled on the proportions in the Basic Pesto below, which work perfectly with most of the leafy greens I managed to pulverize this past year.

The largest variable for me is how much oil to use. In the recipes below, ½ cup of oil makes a very thick pesto. If you need a thinner pesto, simply increase the quantity of oil to 1 cup or so. Whether I include cheese or nuts, or both depends on what I intend to do with the pesto. Nuts add an earthy element, while cheese adds a savory element. It’s a matter of harmony or contrast with the key elements of the dish to which the pesto will be added. And then of course there is the textural element. Pesto can be almost as smooth as butter or as chunky as a roughly chopped herb relish. I tend to prefer chunky, but, again, that decision is yours.

But what do you do with pesto once you have it on hand? That’s easy! Toss it with freshly boiled pasta or spaetzle, stir it into polenta, spread it on crostini, melt it over steamed veggies, slather it on a sheet of bread dough and roll up, blend it with cream cheese or goat cheese for a vegetable dip, add it to toasted bread crumbs and top a casserole with it, spread it on a fish filet before roasting, smear it on pizza, add it to risotto, melt it onto a baked potato, add it to a fritter batter, swirl it into hot soup, add it to a vinaigrette, stuff it under the skin of a chicken breast before baking, fill an omelet with it, add it to popped corn, dress a potato or pasta salad with it, add it to steamed clams or mussels, or freeze it in 1 tablespoon-size dollops. And this is just the beginning…

Basic Pesto  

This pesto formula is well balanced, with nuts in the starring role and a dry grating cheese in the supporting role. You can reverse or alter these two proportions for a slightly different effect, if you wish. You can also go light or heavy on the oil, which, along with whether you chop or puree the other ingredients, will determine the consistency of the sauce.

Equipment Note   I use a food processor to make pesto, but you can use a more traditional, large mortar and pestle if you like. Even a large mortar and pestle, however, will only accommodate a quarter portion of any of the recipes below. Also, it works best to chop everything coarsely before adding to the mortar.

Ingredient Note   The disadvantage of using basil as the only leafy green is that it has a tendency to discolor when pureed, turning from a lovely bright green to a somewhat less lovely olive green when exposed to air. To mitigate this, I usually partner it with parsley, which holds its color.

1 cup nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, or pine nuts; lightly toasted is nice)
2 cups packed fresh leafy herbs or greens (basil, parsley, spinach, sorrel, or arugula, either singly or in combination, plus perhaps mint, oregano, rosemary, or lemon verbena)
½ cup grated parmigiano-reggiano, pecorino romano, grana padano or dry asiago cheese
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon premium quality vinegar (or fresh lemon or lime juice)
½-1 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil (or grapeseed, walnut, hazelnut or other oil)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

1. In a food processor, chop the nuts, herbs, Parmesan, garlic, and vinegar until coarsely chopped.
2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the salt as necessary.
3. Remove the pesto to a container, seal, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 1-1½ cups.

Pesto Oil 

Occasionally I want the flavor of pesto but none of its texture. For this, simply add an additional cup of oil to the completed pesto, macerate for ½ hour at room temperature, and then strain the oil through a triple mesh strainer. The mixture that is left in the strainer is still wonderfully flavorful. Simply add a little oil back to it to get the desired consistency.

Rosemary Hazelnut Pesto

This no cheese pesto is a contrast of flavors: the toasty earthiness of the hazelnuts, fresh sprightliness of the parsley, and pungency of the rosemary and garlic. Add lemon and BAM!

Technique Note   As is, this pesto is about the same consistency as traditional basil pesto, which is perfect for saucing pasta or spaetzle, or smearing onto crostini. However, you can also take a portion of it and add enough additional oil to make the pesto thin enough to drizzle over soups–a very pretty effect. You can even add considerably more oil and then strain the oil off to get a gorgeous and tasty green oil to garnish the most sophisticated dinner plate.

1 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted and skinned
2 cups packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves (1 small bunch)
leaves from 1 medium sprig rosemary 
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½-1 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

1. In a food processor, chop the hazelnuts, parsley, rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice until coarsely chopped.
2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until the desired consistency.  Taste and add salt to taste.
3. Remove the pesto to a container, seal, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 1-1½ cups.

Cilantro Ginger Pesto

I love this refreshing blend of cilantro, ginger, green onion, and chile. It’s incredible swirled in Heirloom Carrot Soup.

1 cup macadamia nuts, lightly toasted
2 cups packed fresh cilantro
¼ cup peeled, roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 green onions, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, ribbed, seeded, and coarsely chopped, optional
½ cup finely grated Parmesan
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½-1 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

1. In a food processor, chop the nuts, cilantro, ginger, green onion, and lime juice until coarsely chopped.
2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until smooth, about 1 minute.  Taste and adjust the salt as necessary.
3. Remove the pesto to a container, seal, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 1-1½ cups.

Herb Garden Pesto

I make this pesto when the garden is overflowing with fresh herbs, snipping anything that needs to be cut back. I pay hardly any attention to what I am snipping and have yet to end up with a combination that is unpleasing.

1 cup nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, or pinenuts; lightly toasted is nice)
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
½ cup finely grated Parmesan
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar  
½-1 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

1. In a food processor, chop the nuts, herbs, Parmesan, garlic, and vinegar until until coarsely chopped.
2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until the desired consistency.  Taste and adjust the salt as necessary.
3. Remove the pesto to a container, seal, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 1-1½ cups.

Basil Arugula Pesto

The arugula and pinenuts add a deep, almost meaty element to this savory pesto.

½ cup pinenuts (lightly toasted is nice)
1½ cups packed fresh basil leaves
½ cup fresh arugula
½ cup finely grated Parmesan
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon
½-1 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

1. In a food processor, chop the pinenuts, basil, arugula, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice until coarsely chopped.
2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the salt as necessary.
3. Remove the pesto to a container, seal, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 1-1½ cups.

Basil Olive Pesto

The parsley adds a sprightliness to the flavor in this pesto and helps keep it bright green. The olives make it nearly addictive.

½ cup walnuts (lightly toasted is nice)
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup finely grated Parmesan
¼ cup brine-cured black olives, pitted
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon
½-1 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

1. In a food processor, chop the walnuts, basil, parsley, Parmesan, olives, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice until coarsely chopped.
2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until the desired consistency.  Taste and adjust the salt as necessary.
3. Remove the pesto to a container, seal, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 1-1½ cups.

Every year when fresh cranberries hit the markets, I immediately stock up, and then almost as immediately, make this delectable tart. OK, to tell the truth, I am in the markets a few weeks early, whining to whoever will listen, or muttering to myself even, about the absence of cranberries. “Shouldn’t they be in by now? Are they late this year? When do you think you will have them?”  When they FINALLY arrive, I experience an internal sigh of relief. Well, thank God already!

This year, on my first round with this excellent tart (which will be baked again for Thanksgiving and Christmas), I decided to try Maury Rubin’s City Bakery pastry crust, which I had read about some time ago in the Los Angeles Times. This crust is essentially what in French cuisine is called a pâte sucrée (paht soo-KRAY), or a rich and sweet dessert pastry, which I taught to students for many years at the Northwest Culinary Academy. There is a difference, however. Maury adds a small amount of cream, which has an extra tenderizing effect on the pastry.

I haven’t made pâte sucrée in a while and didn’t consider how extremely tender and short it is and how inappropriate those usually desirable qualities might be for this tart. In addition, the cream sent it over the tenderness edge. Although this pastry is truly wonderful, DO NOT use it for this tart, as it is much too fragile. The bubbling caramel sauce will break through the crust, making it ever so difficult to remove the tart from the tart pan–after the tart has cooled sufficiently for you to safely do so.  Suffice it to say that we ended up eating some of the small tarts directly from the pan, a messy (although still delicious) proposition.

On the positive side though, my adventures with Maury’s crust led me to his excellent little cookbook, titled, Book of Tarts: Form, Function, and Flavor at the City, which I ordered from Amazon and am now devouring. Maury’s tarts have a post modern feel. I love the way he has organized them by season. You must check out his Cranberry, Caramel, and Almond Tart, which looks amazing.  You can’t have too many recipes that combine cranberries and caramel. Nope, not possible.

Hazelnut Honey Toffee Tart

This recipe originally entered my files as an unusual Scandinavian Christmas cookie. Later, I met a native Italian cook who claimed a slightly different version as part of her culinary heritage. In January of 1982, Sunset magazine printed yet another variation, labeling it a dessert tart–and in the process Americanized the concept of nuts and caramel in a pastry crust.

This particular recipe is just enough different from the others I have seen and eaten–Scandinavian, Italian, American, or whatever–to make it very special. It does indeed make a lovely dessert tart, but serve in small wedges as it is quite rich.

If you want to make cookies, line an edged baking sheet with the pastry and proceed as directed. Cut into small triangles to serve.

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 I/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup local, artisan honey

1/2 cup cream

2 cups (6 ounces) hazelnuts, lightly toasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped (walnuts or almonds can also be used)

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract (or almond or walnut extract)

*Sweet Short Crust Pastry: one, 1-inch deep, I0- to 11-inch diameter crust; or six, ¾-inch deep, 5-inch diameter crusts, partially-baked in removable-bottom quiche or tart pans.

Optional Garnish

Spiced Apple Cider Caramel Sauce or Cranberry Caramel Sauce (I will post this later)

Homemade or Haagen Daz Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

*NOTE For the pastry recipe, see Apple Cranberry Deep Dish Pie with Toasted Walnut Streusel.

1. Arrange the toasted, chopped hazelnuts in the pastry crust or crusts, on an edged cookie sheet (in case the caramel leaks or boils over the edge of the tart pan). Reserve.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, honey, and cream.
3. Over moderately low heat, bring the mixture very slowly to a boil. (Wash down the sides of the saucepan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to discourage sugar crystallization.) Stir constantly and make sure that the sugar dissolves before the mixture is allowed to boil. Otherwise the caramel will be granular.
4. Boil the mixture, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240º. It will be a very light brown; don’t go too dark or the caramel will overcook (darken and harden too much) in the oven.
5. Add the flavoring extract and lemon peel, and stir together.
6. Remove the caramel from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes before pouring it into the partially-baked pastry shell. (There is nothing hotter or more dangerous than hot sugar syrup; be very careful.)
7. Bake the tart at 375º on the middle rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes. The tart will be bubbling and turn a medium honey-caramel color. (Again, if the caramel is too dark, the tart will be too stiff; if the caramel is not dark enough, the tart will be runny.)
8. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
9. Remove the outer ring of the tart pan and serve the tart on an attractive round platter. Cut into thin wedges with a very sharp knife. The tart should be served at room temperature and can be made a day ahead if desired.

Serves 12-14.

Hazelnut Honey Cranberry Toffee Tart

Add 1 to 1½ cups whole fresh cranberries along with the hazelnuts. No other adjustment is necessary.

…

I planned to post Friday night, so that you could have the pleasure of baking this cake over the weekend and perhaps serving to family or friends, but mea culpa, mea culpa, the texture of the cake was not responding to my tender-loving intention and attention. It was okay but not memorable. And who wants to spend a weekend morning baking a just okay cake? Not me and certainly not you. Weekends are for spectacular baking, and I wanted this cake to be just that.

Thus, Saturday morning, I was up early baking the fourth attempt, after creating a recipe grid comparing the ingredient proportions of dozens of pumpkin cake renditions from reliable sources (A Passion for Dessertsby Emily Luchetti, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country’s Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe by Rebecca Rather, and Baking with Julia Savor the Joys of Baking with America’s Best Bakers by Julia Child, to name a few, plus every version of “vegetable” cake, bread, and coffee cake I have ever created. (Perhaps I should mention that I have created hundreds of cake recipes over my culinary career, especially during the years that I was a freelance writer for Cooking Light Magazine and Oxmoor House Publications. For some reason, they liked to throw me the dessert assignments. Thus, the difficulty getting this particular cake right caught me by surprise.)

The texture I was aiming for is open, moist, tender and not too dense. The addition of solid pack pumpkin tends to produce a dense cake, so the amount has to be moderated to allow the pumpkin flavor to come through, without weighing down the structure of the cake. (In my early attempts, I added too much.) I started testing using oil, hoping for a fast and easy muffin-method quick bread but after tasting a couple of renditions, moved to butter and the creaming method, which is more typical for cakes. It’s hard to beat the taste of unsalted butter.

I created a version using a small amount of molasses, which was delicious, but the pumpkin flavor was obliterated, so that went into the “develop later” recipe folder. Because I began this exploration with the idea of pumpkin with sour cream, I stayed with sour cream throughout the testing, although other acidic dairy products, such as buttermilk or yogurt, should also work here. The spicing is traditional pumpkin pie-with vanilla, orange, and fresh ginger added for good measure.

I did achieve, finally, a proper balance between the flour, sugar, eggs, fat, and total liquid (including the pumpkin), in large part due to the ratios so clearly presented in Shirley Corriher’s inestimable contribution to the world of fine baking, BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes.

Thus, this cake now has a wonderful texture. As the final step, to take the flavor over the top, I added the cranberry and hazelnut topping, which is Delicious with a capitol D. You really have to make this cake. Yes. You. Soon. Make this cake.

Oh gosh, I haven’t even mentioned the Spiced Apple Cider Caramel Sauce, which now has a post of its own. I made a double batch last week and am now pouring it over everything. Don’t you just love Fall?

Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Cake with Caramelized Cranberry Hazelnut Topping and Orange Cream

A wonderfully moist, tender, open-textured coffee cake with a baked-in topping of caramelized cranberries and hazelnuts. The entire cake is redolent with warm spices, fresh ginger, and orange. This cake stays moist for days if covered tightly with plastic wrap. It is unlikely to last that long, however.

Cranberry Hazelnut Topping
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups fresh, whole cranberries (if frozen, thaw)
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped

Pumpkin Cake
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1½ teaspoons nutmeg
1½ teaspoons allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
1 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup whole milk
½ cup unsalted butter, cool room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs, cool room temperature, lightly beaten
1 scant cup pumpkin puree (½ 15-ounce can)
1½ teaspoons vanilla

Accompaniments
Spiced Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
Orange Cream (recipe below)
coarsely grated zest of orange

1. Butter and lightly flour ( or spray with an oil plus flour baking spray) a 10-inch diameter, 3-inch deep, 10- to 12-cup capacity, nonstick, plain (no decorative shaping) coffee cake pan. (NordicWare makes this baking pan.)
2. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 350°.
3. To make the topping, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cranberries and hazelnuts. Spoon into the bottom of the coffee cake pan and use a flexible spatula to distribute evenly.
4. To make the cake, in a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt. Whisk thoroughly for at least 30 seconds to completely distribute the leaveners. Stir in the orange zest and grated fresh ginger. Reserve.
5. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk until smooth. Reserve.
6. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugars together at medium speed until creamy and pale, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, incorporating well after each addition.
7. Add the pumpkin, a spoonful at a time, mixing briefly between additions, just to incorporate. The batter will break at this point and look curdled. Don’t worry, in this batter, it is not a problem.
8. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream and milk mixture, adding the final third of the flour last. Mix for a few seconds longer to ensure that all ingredients are incorporated. Remove the paddle attachment and finish the batter by folding it several times with a large flexible spatula. The batter should now look creamy and stable.
9. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and level the top with a flexible spatula.
10. Bake in the lower third of a 350º oven for about 50 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean but moist. If the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, pull the cake quickly out of the oven. Ideally, you want to pull the cake before this occurs. Over baking will cause the cake to be dry. The center temperature of the cake should read close to 210º on an instant-read thermometer and no higher.
11. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes only.
12. While the cake is still warm, turn it upside-down onto a serving platter. If some bits of cranberry and nuts cling to the pan, simply scoop them out with a flexible spatula and add them back to the top of the cake.
13. Serve while still warm with Apple Cider Caramel Sauce, Orange Cream, and a sprinkle of orange zest.

Makes one 10-inch coffee cake; serves 8-12.

Orange Cream

2 cups very cold heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
3 drops orange oil

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the cream, and powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and mix at medium high speed until soft peaks are formed.
2. Add the orange oils and continue mixing at a slower speed until firm peaks are just formed.
3. Remove the whipped cream to a bowl or pastry bag fitted with a flower tip and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Makes 2 cups.
…