It’s pumpkin pie time- or is it? In a recent conversation between Executive Editor, Mary Malouf and myself (Assistant Editor, Jen Hill), we shared our opinions. The outcome: Mary prefers cake, Jen adores pie. Our conversation went further, pontificating the finer points of both types of desserts, like, should it be included as a specified preference in a dating app question? Mary laments because cake lovers have to take a back seat to pie during a traditional Thanksgiving feast. She explains, “Who asks ‘What kind of Thanksgiving cake are you bringing to dinner?'”

What makes a superior pumpkin pie?

• a flaky, light and buttery crust
• its filling should be flavorful, with a smooth, custard-like consistency, and the perfect balance of spice, pumpkin and sweetness

Pie à la mode? You betcha. Top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche, whipped cream, or all of the above.

What’s better than pumpkin? A slice of blackberry, that’s what.

Warm from the oven, or chilled in the fridge, either is equally wonderful. Just like leftover pizza, next day pie is the ideal breakfast food.

My personal fave, the Honey Pie (Hearth & Hill, Park City) is subtle and sweet with a tart, lime twist.

Chances are, you’re not going to bake your own this Thanksgiving (we don’t judge). However, we wish to steer you in the right direction. To assist SLmag staff chose the most traditional of seasonal pies—the pumpkin—from four local bakeries and here we share our opinions. Once we got through the pie or cake discussion and past the simpler, “But I don’t like pumpkin,” everyone had a bite of our contesting pies. Turns out, we had a tie between the top two and the second tier.

SLMag’s TOP STAFF FAVORITES: 

The Baking Hive: 3362 S. 2300 East, Salt Lake City

Balanced and a bit rustic. A staff favorite—we liked the cookie too. Garnished with a turkey-shaped sugar cookie, iced in orange. “This is a more rustic kind of pie.” “Darker, with a nice crust and thicker filling.” “This is truly traditional.” “The pie filling has more texture.” “And more clove.” 

—AND—

Tulie Bakery: 863 E. 700 South, Salt Lake City

Two tarts, topped with an oval of cream and pepitas.

“This is the most beautiful entry.” “I love the crunch of pepitas on top.” The topping looks like whipped cream, but it’s thicker and tastes cultured. Is it sour cream?” “I want to eat the whole damn thing. Right now.” “This is a more sophisticated version.” “The crust is like pastry.” “This filling is milder with a more complex flavor—not just a bunch of spice dumped in.” 

—our second-tier pies tied as well—

City Cakes: 1860 S. 300 West Ste D, SLC, 801-359-2239.

“I can tell it’s vegan by looking at the texture.” “This filling has way too much spice.” “The  crust is dense, not flaky.” “I like the heavier texture.”

Harmon’s: multiple locations.

“Oddly, not enough pumpkin spice.” “Sort of an everyman pumpkin pie—it’s very mild.” “The texture is more like just pureed pumpkin.” “This would be good topped with marshmallows and run under the broiler for a minute.”

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And if you truly are bent against a serving up pie this Thanksgiving, Mary shares her favorite pumpkin cake recipe and admits it is much like a carrot cake. Good stuff indeed.

Mary Malouf’s Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9” x 13” pan.

Cake 

• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 15 oz. pureed pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¾ cup chopped pecans

Mix dry ingredients. Beat eggs, add oil. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients till mixed, then stir in optional chopped pecans. Bake 30-35 minutes until it passes the toothpick test. Let cool completely.

Icing

• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• ½ cup butter (softened)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (approx)

Beat the butter and cheese together. Add powdered sugar, sifting it in a little at a time and beating till smooth. Spread on cake.

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Mac n Cheese:

I make it according to a recipe from a dear friend’s cookbook. Paula Lambert founded Mozzarella Company in Dallas in 1982. She’s won dozens of awards, now makes more than 30 artisanal cheeses and published several cheese cookbooks. The mac’n’cheese is from her first book, The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook.

And yes, she has her own secret ingredient too.

Here’s how she—we—make it. I’ve made it so often that I’ve made my own tweaks, as every cook should.

 

Uptown Get-Down Mac n Cheese:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half, heated

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. Tabasco (I always use a little more)

4 1/2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 generous cup)

Melt the butter until the foam subsides, add the flour and whisk over low heat. Slowly add the heated milk and and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 – 4 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 – 4 minutes, until it thickens. Add the seasonings and cheese, stirring until melted. Cover and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 3-quart oven-proof dish.

1 lb. elbow macaroni

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp minced garlic

8 oz sharp chedd ar shredded 2 cups

SECRET INGREDIENT: ****8 oz. Velveeta cut into 1/2 inch cubes****

1/2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the salt and the macaroni. Cook until very al dente, drain and mix with butter. (Note: I often do this ahead, rinse it in cold water to stop the cooking, toss it with garlic and olive oil instead of butter. Then it can wait an hour or so, covered.)

Toss the pasta with the sauce, then layer pasta and grated cheddar in the buttered dish. Finally, poke in the cubes of Velveeta at various points. Cover with buttered crumbs mixed with that last bit of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and bake until browned and bubbly.

DISCLOSURE: I’m not a cheddar purist; I use whatever bits of cheese (except blue) I have that are too ugly to serve on a cheese tray. I don’t use buttered crumbs, I use pulverized Ritz crackers (it takes about two tubes) and spread them over the top, then dot with butter.

BUT: I never make macaroni and cheese if I do not have the secret ingredient.

Serve with cold Champagne!

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Funeral Potatoes

 

This is the most famous and maligned Utah recipe besides Jell-O salad, but it’s a cherished part of many Mormon family menus. Tammy Hanchett, third-generation Ogden mother/stepmother of five, remembers eating her grandmother’s version when she was a child, and it is her family’s favorite dish when she has everyone over for Sunday night supper. “My grandmother used to make her own white sauce, and she never had an exact recipe,” recalls Hanchett. “She’d add a dollop of this and a dollop of that. I’ll never taste potatoes like that again.” But after trying several recipes and variations (cubed vs. shredded potatoes, butter vs. margarine), Hanchett has come up with a recipe that comes close.

Tammy Hanchett

“Grandma always cooked it until the top was really brown. Some might think it was overcooked, but I love that toasty taste,” Hanchett says.

1/2 cup melted butter, plus 3 Tbsp.
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 pint of sour cream
1/2 to 1 cup milk
2 cups of grated cheddar or jack cheese
1 large bag of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1 cup crushed cornflakes
Mix the 1/2 cup butter, the soup and the sour cream in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then the cheese and frozen potatoes and mix well. Plop into a 9×13 pan. Put the cornflakes in a Ziploc baggie and add the 3 Tbsp. melted butter. Mash until they are crumbs. Sprinkle on top of potatoes. Cook at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour or until top is browned.

Utah’s Own Best Funeral Potatoes Contest

Jessica Yescas

Contestants gathered at the Downtown Farmers Market in Salt Lake City to enter their funeral potato recipe in a contest sponsored by Utah’s Own. Here’s the winner from Jessica Yescas.

1 32 oz. package freshly shredded hash browns
2 cups cream of chicken soup
2 cups of shredded Monterey and cheddar cheese
2 cups Meadow Gold sour cream
1/2 cup of diced onion
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of Meadow Gold unsalted butter, divided
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the onion in 1/2 cup butter until translucent. Remove from heat. Add hash browns, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper and combine. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 dish. Mix the Panko with 1/2 cup melted butter and top the mixture. Bake for 40 minutes covered with foil. Uncover and bake for an additional 5–7 minutes or until golden brown.

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Chicken Tikka Masala

Tikka masala is one of the most comforting foods in the Indian repertoire; this recipe is from Lavanya Mahate, owner of all the Saffron restaurants. We’ve always had good Indian food in SLC, but Lavanya kicked it up a notch when she started cooking here. Each of her restaurants emphasizes a slightly different style of Indian cuisine: Saffron Valley Canteen, Saffron Valley Colonial, Saffron Valley Bistro.

Or try making tikka masala at home. It’s delicious, freezes and re-heats well and your house will smell wonderfully exotic:

Serves 12

Ingredients:

Chicken tikka- 4 lbs, cubed into 1 inch pieces
Vegetable oil- 4 tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste- 2 tbsp
Garam masala- 3 tsp
Cumin powder- 2 tsp
Coriander powder- 3 tsp
Sugar- 1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Yellow Onions- 2 Large
Roma Tomatoes- 8 medium
Heavy cream- 2 cups
Cilantro- 2 tbsp, chopped
Butter- 1 tbsp
Dried fenugreek leaves (methi)- 2 tbsp
Serrano peppers- 1 (optional)
Method:

Heat the oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté till soft and translucent. Next add ginger garlic paste. Slightly brown.

Add tomatoes, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander, sugar, salt, turmeric. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water and let it simmer until its becomes soft and mushy- about ½ hr. Add more water if needed.

After the mixture cools down a bit, puree in a blender or using an immersion blender until soft. This is the sauce for the tikka masala.

Take another sauce pan and add 1 tbsp of butter, add 2 tbsp crushed methi leaves (fenugreek leaves), 1 slit Serrano pepper (more if you’d like it spicy). Add the pureed sauce, chicken tikka cubes and cream. Simmer for about 10 minutes until everything comes together.

Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with steamed basmati rice.

For Chicken Tikka:

For the Marinade:

• 1 cup plain yogurt

• 3 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

• Juice of 1 big lemon

In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken in a grill pan and bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the chicken rest till the sauce is ready.

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And you’re going to need something sweet…

Pecan Tassies

Ingredients:

3 oz. softened cream cheese

1 stick of butter

1 cup flour

2 pinches of salt

1 egg

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup broken pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together cream cheese with butter, flour and a pinch of salt. Wrap dough and refrigerate until firm—several hours or the day before. Mix together egg, brown sugar, vanilla, a dash of salt and broken pecans. Line small muffin tins with dough, pinching and molding it like Play-doh to make a tart shell. Fill each shell with a spoonful of pecan filling. Bake until filling is puffed and crust is golden. Makes two dozen.

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