I did a dessert buffet for about 200 people on August 16; inside is the list of things made.

MarilynFL, I'm finally back to your questions! The most compliments came for the Trifle and for the

Black Bottom Pies. On the latter there were several people hailing from Kentucky who thought I'd really done THEIR dessert up proud! (I've made a total of 3 of these pies since August 6 and have yet to sample even a bite of it myself, but I will definitely do so when I tackle that caramel layer again.)

The women in my garden club are still talking about and giving me kudos for CynUpstateNY's aunt's Double Lemon Cream Pie. That was a big hit! I heard some of them directing friends to take a slice of that dessert at the fund raiser.

My personal favorites are the Turtle Cheesecake, the Praline-Pumpkin Torte, the Strawberry Lemon Bavarian Cake, and I also really liked the White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle. It was my first time making the trifle recipe, but the other 3 are old favorites.

 
IHands down it was Charlie's Caramel-Pecan Black Bottom Pie! I cut each of them into 18 slices,

and I still had people coming up to the table at 10 PM asking for crumbs that might have been left in the bottom of the 2 pie plates!

 
Wigs, were these the same imperfect pies we discussed in another thread? It just goes to show you,

some recipes can't be ruined, even by technically granular caramel.

Gotta try this one.

What a great dessert selection! Now that you've posted all these, would you please re-post them in Menus? Actually, all you have to do is link to this thread, with all the recipes in one place.

 
Wow! Wigs...truly impressive. Can you post the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cognac Sour Cream Topping?

 
Yes, indeedy! There were no kitchen facilities where this shindig was held so I lugged an old

plug-in skillet with me which I used (right in the ballroom) to very slowly reheat my imperfect caramel which I then drizzled lightly, so very lightly, over each slice of pie. I was hoping the heat would help to disguise the granules. Hey, maybe the guests all thought it was SUPPOSED TO BE A BUTTER SAUCE, huh? Smile.

 
REC: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cognac from WINNERS Cookbook by the Jr. League of Indianapolis==>

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Outstanding for Thanksgiving or anytime of the year!

Crust:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp granulated sugar (optional)
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbsp real maple syrup
3 Tbsp cognac
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup pumpkin puree

Topping:
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp real maple syrup
1 Tbsp cognac
1/4 cup blanched whole almonds, sauted in butter for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine crust ingredients and press evenly into bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes. (10 minutes is too long IMHO--I just bake the crust for 7 minutes.) Remove pan from oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar gradually, beating until fluffy and light. Add maple syrup, cognac, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add cream and pumpkin; mix well.

Pour filling mixture into crust. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 45-60 minutes until center is set. Turn off oven. Do not open oven door! One hour after oven is turned off, remove cake from oven.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Stir together sour cream, sugar, syrup and cognac until well blended; spread over cake. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Allow cheesecake to cool to room temperature for about 1 hour.

Arrange almonds in a ring around perimeter of cake. (I then let the cheesecake sit on a cake rack at room temp for another couple of hours before chilling. Wigs) Chill at least 3 hours before removing sides of pan. (Overnight is better. Wigs) Enjoy!

Note: Must be refrigerated.

NOTE from Caryn: BTW, if you have the time, bake this cheesecake in a real cheesecake pan (NOT a springform pan). Wrap the outside of the pan in 1) a turkey- sized oven baking bag followed by 2) 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil and bake the cake in a water bath (boiling hot water) in a preheated 325-degree F oven for about 70 minutes or until the internal temp is 145 degrees. Remove from oven and add the sour cream topping mixture and bake at 425 degrees for 7 minutes (still in your water bath). Remove cake from oven and let cake sit in the water bath on a cooling rack for 45 minutes. Then remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool cheesecake on rack on the counter for 4 hours and then refrigerate (overnight is best). Enjoy!

NOTE from Caryn: This cheesecake does NOT freeze well.

 
Joe & Charlie--Forgot to mention that I sprinkled many, many MORE toasted pecans over those

slices than the recipe called for! Good distraction technique, no?

Wow, I never thought of creating a brand new recipe, Charlie. My ego is feeling much better now. Thx!

 
wigs - What a Fantastic Job, I hereby name you "Confectionery Maven," of Finer Kitchens.

 
Thank you "C" aka "wigs" for posting the Fresh Lemon Curd recipe here. It's very kind of you. NT

 
Wigs, this is just an overwhelming production! Congratulations on even wanting to undertake it all.

And none of these is a little quick dessert.

Must try this black bottom pie.

 
Marg, I really enjoy catering gigs like this one as it give me a great opportunity

to tackle new recipes from my "To Try" stack while making sure there are ample T&T's to serve. Of the 7 new recipes (or fairly new) I did on Aug 16, 4 came directly from this forum at FK. My thanks to everybody who posts here!

 
Charlie, do you think that some long-ago chef/cook was trying to create a

Buttery Caramel Drizzle, screwed it up, and came out with a Caramel-Pecan Sauce???? Maybe there is hope for me yet. Ha!

 
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