three bowls

...that the call to bring dessert to my friends’ Thanksgiving Dinner came late.

Because with about a day and a half notice, which also included having to work a full day, shop and handle Top Chef recapping and article-writing duties, I wound up making one pie, two ice creams, two cakes (each of which had to be made twice due to MORE OVEN-RELATED FAILURE...that sound you hear is MY HEART BREAKING), one granita, and one dessert sauce.

(Dessert to go)

If I’d had any more time, I think my bottomless desire for dessert experimentation would have turned into an actual black hole, sucking in all available resources of time, money and, of course, all of the sugar, corn syrup, molasses and honey in the universe. It would be a very sweet black hole, bien sur, but a danger to mankind nonetheless.

If you’ve read this blog before, you know my usual reaction to most things I make is an underwhelmed “Meh” as I still have difficulty making things taste the way I’d imagine or to have the richness and complexity of flavor I aspire to.

But I have to say, this batch of desserts are like my little Honor Roll kids, all meeting or exceeding expectations. They even made up for the wrenching, dismaying knowledge that my oven might just be incapable of cooking cakes in full size form and I might be forced to make cupcakes as long as I live here because that’s all it can handle.

ANYWAY, let’s focus on the positive. Here’s what I’ll be posting about in the next few days.

• Pumpkin Pecan Pie with Sweet Bay Ice Cream (this was my first pumpkin pie, I think, and this recipe is a big-time winner. I picked it due to the numerous positive reviews on Epicurious, and that crowd did not steer me wrong. Seriously recommend for your holidays next year.)
• Chipotle Gingerbread with Vanilla-Cinnamon Ice Cream and Dulce de Leche
• Venetian Apple Polenta Cake with Black Pepper Ice Cream (this ice cream I happened to already have on hand)
• Cranberry Granita (least successful dish of the evening, unless you really like cranberries, in which case it was popular)

Here's most of the spread before the frozen desserts were added.  Also pictured are Carolyn's amazing and addictive Bourbon Balls and a Plum Tart (at the far end) she made with some beautiful Italian plums she'd socked away from the summer.  I am still craving her tart now.