I don’t know how I did it, but somehow, I made enough desserts just in time for Thanksgiving. My menu looks like the following:
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with the signature Kahlua Toast Crunch
- Lemon Cheesecake with Roasted Persimmons
- Gluten-Free Walnut Cake with Chocolate Nib Ganache and Pastry Cream
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bourbon Tart with Hazelnut Crumble → the recipe for which is HERE FO’ YOU
Now that my Thanksgiving sugar rush game is on lock, I wanted to celebrate the actual spirit of the holiday by sharing a few things that I am thankful for. It’s always a good idea to reflect a little bit on what makes our lives so great, and this year more than ever, I’ve been reminded of how amazing small moments of happiness can be, whether discovered alone or shared with the world around me. And as the year draws to a close, I am definitely thankful for the following:
- Good whiskey – This is always either a really bad or really good decision
- My mom – She’s the woman I will forever aspire to be
- Live music – Something about concerts that can’t keep me from dancing all night long
- Morning hikes – Am I becoming a morning person??
- Weekend adventures – From Alamere Falls to beachside brunches, I’m there.
- Traveling to Austin/NYC/Portland/Chicago/Los Angeles/Paris/India/Tokyo – I can’t complain about money when I’ve been overloaded with experiences from all over the world and left a piece of my heart in each city.
- The Mill – Breakfast date plz!
- Pugs of Instagram – Have you seen this??
- Motion City Soundtrack – Commit this to memory.
- Men’s sweaters – Aka my wardrobe for the next 8 weeks
- Homemade chai – With 1 teaspoon of sugar
- Indian facewash – Seriously, I think it’s made from angel dust
- YG – His life is pretty Krazy, so obviously I relate
- Podcasts – Forever changing my morning and evening commute and giving me the best conversation starters
- Bandanas – I have no idea what my style is, but this is definitely part of it
- Home-cooked meals – And honestly a relaxing night in
- Swimming – Worth every second of me looking like a raccoon
- Spontaneous friendships – I manage to meet the best of people when I least expect it – music shows, coffeeshops, ping pong bars. I love the freedom of instilling trust in a stranger and saying, “Hey.”
I hope y’all have a freakin’ killer Thanksgiving and spend some time doing what you love most. I’d love to see what everyone makes and eats over the long weekend, so if you post a photo on Instagram, tag me – @shikhalamode.
Happy Thanksgiving!
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp almond meal
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp gluten-free flour
- 8 Tbsp butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 – 3 Tbsp ice water
- 4 eggs
- 15 ounces canned, unsweetened pumpkin
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp bourbon (I used Bulleit)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp each of ginger, nutmeg, and allspice
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1 cup heavy cream
- For the crust:
- Pulse almond meal, sugar, salt, and gluten-free flour in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined.
- Add in the butter pieces and mix until the pieces are the size of peas. Add in the vinegar.
- Mix in just enough ice water so that the mixture forms a ball – you may not use all the water. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour before use.
- To pre-bake crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tart pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Spray the paper as well.
- Unwrap dough and briefly roll it out on a heavily floured surface until the desired size. Carefully, pick up the dough and lay it into the tart pan, using your fingers to spread it evenly over and up the sides of the pan.
- Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and place the pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Once completely frozen, bake for 10-12 minutes until there is a slight golden tinge to the bottom and sides of the crust. In the meanwhile, create an egg wash by beating 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water. Once the crust reaches the desired color, remove from oven and brush the entire crust with the egg wash. Return to the oven and bake until the crust is a golden color and the egg wash has dried out, another 5 minutes or so. Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
- For the filling:
- Whisk together pumpkin, sour cream, bourbon, spices, salt, and 3 eggs and set aside.
- In a small pot, put the maple syrup, the seeds from the half vanilla bean, and the actual vanilla pod. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture is thick and small bubbles of steam release from the top, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and SLOWLY pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly. If the maple syrup begins to seize, place the pot over low heat and whisk until the syrup is heated through and everything is homogenous.
- Slowly temper the hot syrup mixture into the pumpkin mixture, mixing until everything is well combined. Pour into the tart pan and bake until the sides are set and the center barely jiggles, about 40-45 minutes. If there are cracks in the middle, you’ve over-baked it and need to remove it from the oven immediately.
- Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Top with hazelnut crumble, caramel sauce, ice cream, or anything else of your choice and serve slightly warm.
Linda | Brunch with Joy says
Pumpkin + bourbon = happiness booster. I gotta try making this asap, looks sooo good. And Indian facewash? Curious about it.
Shikha says
I honestly think that Indian facewash is the best – I hoard it whenever I go back!
Erika says
THIS LOOKS SO AMAZING. I’M COMING OVER.
Shikha says
PLEASE. NEED YOU HERE.
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
I can’t decide what I like better – this totally awesome I-must-have-it recipe or your thankful list, because girl, I am loving both! Move over, because I’m coming for Thanksgiving dinner! And, I laughed out loud at this –>”Good whiskey – This is always either a really bad or really good decision”. What a riot!
Shikha says
You laugh but it’s so true!
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
BEAUTIFUL tart, want to devour that crumble, and awesome thankful list! Have a great Thanksgiving!
Emily | the flown scissortail says
What a beautiful tart! I need to get me one of those tart pans asap. Happy thanksgiving!
Michele @ Two Raspberries says
this looks so delicious! and GF thats even better!!!
Ala says
This post totally left me with a smile, girl! I love this tart a billion times over, but I love that I’ve learned that you’re a swimmer, and a fellow compulsive stranger-greeter. Did you really have raccoon eyes too? Bad strap tans and all that jazz? Looove it. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Manali @ CookWithManali says
AMAZING! looks so good Shikha! Pinning this!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
How did I miss this?! This pumpkin tart looks AMAZING. I could easily eat that whole thing. (I also NEED that recipe for Lemon Cheesecake with Roasted Persimmons)