Wednesday, November 30, 2011

My Continued Thanksgiving

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving with your near and dear ones, and had a big indulgent meal. A few of our friends gathered at our place for a pot-luck dinner. The celebration continued for me till today with yet another pot-luck at work. Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to reflect on life and count the many ways we are blessed. I had much to be thankful for this year as we celebrated one wonderful year of marriage last week! God has blessed me with a loving, caring husband who has changed my life for the better. And how can I not thank Him for making me a part of two beautiful families, friends I can count on, a job I can depend on, and the beautiful city of San Diego I call my home now.

We didn't cook Turkey, but it was at the dinner table nonetheless =D
A few of us friends gathered for a rather non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year. Everyone decided to bring their favorite dish (or anything they could make, pretty much :D). Since most of our friends are fishatarians, hubby went on to prepare his favorite shrimp and pardon a turkey! Don't underestimate the shrimp on Thanksgiving though, it definitely became the start of the show.


We started off with a kick-ass guacamole our friend NK prepared right in front of us. I made my favorite stuffed mushrooms with garlic, onion and more mushrooms. Another friend NP, whose sister works for Sanjeev Kapoor (google Anupa Das for her recipes), got fruits & cheese on skewers. All the while we were munching on appetizers, hubby was hard at work bar-tending, making sure everyone was getting enough alcohol in their systems =D.


NP also made this amazingly delicious salad with orange, pomegranate, goat cheese and honey dressing using her sister's recipe. I'm a big fan of fruits in salads and it was definitely one of the best salads I've had. SM made a yummy penne pasta with pesto sauce. The garlic bread he brought with it made it a perfect combo. I contributed to the main course by making baked cauliflower. And of course, everyone gorged on the hubby's grilled shrimp.


We were almost in food coma by the end of it, but what's a Thanksgiving meal without a pie?? Since we didn't stick to the traditional Thanksgiving theme, I skipped the usual pecan-pumpkin and made a coffee-chocolate silk pie - my take on French silk pie! This was my first time making a pie and I was nervous about the outcome, especially when I modified the original recipe. But it was oh-so-good!!! I made it again for my colleagues today and they loved it too. I used this recipe and modified it a bit to have the perfect filling for a 9 inch crust. The addition of coffee was perfect - it helped cut through the sweetness and added some depth to the flavor. The pie was silky smooth, totally sinful and extremely luxurious!



Coffee Chocolate Silk Pie

Ingredients:
9" Pastry shell - baked according to the package directions
3/4 Cup sugar
2 Large eggs
2.5-3 oz Baking chocolate (depending on how chocolaty you want it)
1 Tablespoon brewed coffee
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 Cup unsalted butter
1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream
Extra whipped cream & chocolate shavings (optional)

  • Combine sugar and eggs in a sauce pan and heat on medium, stirring constantly, until the mixture covers the back of the spoon without dripping right off (~5 mins). Remove from heat, add chocolate, vanilla and coffee and stir until mixed well. Let the mixture cool till lukewarm.
  • In a bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Whipping is the key to getting that light, smooth pie filling. Add the cooled mixture and beat again on high until fluffy.
  • In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until firm,stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture gently.
  • Pour the mixture into the baked crust and chill for a minimum 6 hours. I kept the pie in the fridge for almost 24 hours and it was just the perfect consistency and texture when I served it.
  • Garnish with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings if you like. 

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