Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake
TIME: Prep: 30 min. + cooling Bake: 45 min. + chilling

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 16 squares)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
FILLING:
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 eggs, lightly beaten
GLAZE:
1/2 cup vanilla or white chips
1 tablespoon shortening

In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press into a greased 9-in. spring form pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the pumpkin, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust. Return to baking sheet.

Bake at 325° 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove sides of pan. For glaze, melt chips and shortening in a small heavy saucepan or microwave; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Mock Chestnut Torte
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted Passover margarine
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, fresh or canned
1 teaspoon Passover rum extract (optional)
10 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
1/2 cup water
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Toppings (optional)
Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted; Curls of semi-sweet chocolate; Pureed strawberries or raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with baking parchment.

In a mixing bowl, cream the unsalted margarine or butter with the 1/3 cup sugar. Blend in the egg yolks, then the mashed sweet potatoes, rum extract (if using), and cooled chocolate.

In another bowl, with clean beaters, whip the egg whites gently until they are a bit foamy. Then add in the salt and whip on a higher speed, slowly dusting in the two tablespoons of sugar to form stiff, glossy (but not dry) peaks. Fold one third of the egg whites into the sweet potato/chocolate mixture and work them in well to loosen the batter. Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites, blending well but taking care not to deflate the mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes. The cake rises and looks dry, and slightly cracked on top when done. The middle should be soft but firm. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. At this point, the cake can be frozen for up to a month. Even if serving it the same day, chill the cake for an hour or two before finishing it with the ganache glaze.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze:
In a double boiler, bring the water to a gentle boil and add the chopped chocolate all at once. Remove from the heat and stir briskly with a wire whisk until all the chocolate melts and you have a thick glaze or sauce-like topping. Refrigerate for an hour or so. (You can also make this ahead and refrigerate it for up to a week or two. Simply warm it to the right temperature for glazing the cake.)

Invert the cake onto a cardboard circle or cake board so that the smooth, flat bottom faces up. Do not be dismayed if this is not a high cake — it is a torte and is meant to be a little less than statuesque. Pour the glaze over the cake and, using a metal spatula, even out the glaze and spread it along the sides.

Instead of the glaze, you can also simply sift some cocoa over the top of the cake or decorate it with curls of chocolate (using a vegetable peeler and a warmish chocolate bar). The cake can also be offered with a pureed raspberry or strawberry sauce, garnished with chocolate shavings, or left as is, with a citrus leaf, a sweetheart rose, or several berries in the center.

Makes 14 to 18 servings. A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking 1998, by Marcy Goldman, Doubleday

Pumpkin Bars by Nada Kramp
2 c Gluten Free (GF) flour mix
2 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 t xanthan gum1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t all spice
1/4t nutmeg
4 eggs
1 c oil
2 c pumpkin puree, (not the pie filling)

Combine all the dry ingredients with a whisk. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, and then add the oil and pumpkin. Mix the flour mixture and the egg mixture together until well blended. Pour into a 10 X 15” cookie pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. While cake is cooling, make the frosting.

Frosting: Frost when cool.
1-3/4 c powdered sugar
6 T butter
3 oz cream cheese (you may substitute a non-dairy alternative)
1 t vanilla
1 t milk (you may substitute a non-dairy alternative)

Notes:
You can make your own GF flour mix or you can use any of the number of the pre-made GF flours sold at Sprouts, Henry’s, Wild Oats, Whole Foods Markets, or Aspire Market.

This recipe will substitute well with applesauce or bananas.

Sausage & Chestnut Stuffing
From Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book (Canada, UK), by Bruce Aidells. www.ochef.com/r137

The recipe will stuff 2 large roasting chickens. Four times this recipe will make more than can be stuffed into a medium-sized turkey, so you should have plenty left over for hungry guests.

1 cup fresh chestnuts (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup chicken or turkey stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 pound Yankee Sage Sausage, Iowa Farm Sausage patties, mild Italian, or other fresh sausage, in bulk or removed from casings
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups dried bread cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter (optional)

To prepare the chestnuts, preheat the oven to 450°F (220°C). Cut a deep cross on one side of each chestnut. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the shells begin to open. Remove the shells and inner skin. Bring the stock to a boil in a medium pot. Add the chestnuts, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the chestnuts and reserve the stock. Chop the cooked chestnuts coarsely.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and fry for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into small pieces. Add the onion, celery, and oregano. Cook until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Pour in the white wine and cook for 5 minutes more.

In a large bowl, mix together the chestnuts, sausage-vegetable mixture, and bread cubes. Mix well and add some of the reserved stock to moisten. The dressing should be moist but not wet. Taste for salt and pepper.

Loosely stuff the birds and roast at 350°F (175°C) until done, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours for a 5- to 6-pound roasting chicken (meat thermometer should read 170°F; 75°C).

To bake the stuffing outside the birds, add a little more stock. Butter a 3- to 4-quart casserole, fill with stuffing, dot with butter, cover, and bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings