Since Thanksgiving is coming, I thought I would take an early break from Europe to give you some Thanksgiving recipes. Also, since this is a blog about travel and not cooking, let me introduce you to beautiful downtown Pasadena, California.
The city of Pasadena is one of those few places in the Los Angeles Area that stills holds a charm and a certain “Napa Valley/European” character. Fashion stores, coffee shops, tea houses, restaurants from around the world, bakeries, bars, nightclubs, and many other miscellaneous shops pack the streets of this charming neighborhood. Aside from these diversions, Pasadena is the perfect venue for live entertainment; every summer the Levitt Pavilion hosts a series of free concerts to the public. The city organizes as well many exhibitions throughout the year such as the Concorso Ferrari, Art Night, dance festivals, and more. And if you have not heard of Pasadena’s Rose Parade or the Rose Bowl, then take a look at the Rose Parade/Rose Bowl website where you can learn about this internationally acclaimed parade.
Have you ever tried Afghani, Tibetan, or Ukrainian food? If you haven’t but are curious to try out something new and exotic without spending the big bucks on airfare, then Pasadena is the place to go. Like I mentioned before, this neighborhood counts with a great variety of international restaurants; places like “Mi Piace” and “Café Bizou” offer award winning food at moderate prices. Restaurants such as the “Cheesecake Factory” and “Bucca di Beppo” provide a more “American-friendly” menu, while eateries like “Anzeen’s Afghani Restaurant,” 1819 Argentinean Restaurant,” “Bar Celona,” “Choza Mama Peruvian Cuisine,” “Roxolana,” and “Tibet Nepal House” offer exotic dining options.
If you feel the need for something sweet after dining, then try the famous “Violet’s Cakes” or “Dots Cupcakes” (both places specialize in cupcakes). If you need something healthier, try the very crowded “21 Choices” for a cup of frozen yogurt. And if you want something smaller but just as delicious try “Lette;” although this macaron specialized store is practically new, it has become a personal favorite of mine. The store’s interior design is beautiful and compliments to perfection the colorful macarons, which can be found in many different flavors. If you ever go to this store, try the pistachio, earl gray, and violet macarons, they are simply amazing.
Well, a promise is a promise so here goes one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes, the Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake from the Gourmet.com website.
Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake (serves 12/14)
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| Cortesy of Gourmet.com |
Ingredients for Crust:
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
½ cup pecans (1 ¾ oz.), finely chopped
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Ingredients for Filling:
1 ½ cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbs. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbs. bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. salt
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
Ingredients for Topping
2 cups sour cream (20 oz)
2 tbs. granulated sugar
1 tbs. bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)
Directions for Crust:
1. Butter a 9-inch spring-form pan.
2. Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and ½ inch up side of pan, then chill crust 1 hour.
Directions for Filling and Baking
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (180˚C).
2. Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl until combined.
3. Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. 4. Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.
5. Put spring-form pan in a shallow baking pan (in case spring-form leaks), pour filling into crust, and smooth top.
6. Bake until center is just set (about 50 to 60 minutes). Take it out of the oven and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
Directions for Topping:
1. Whisk together sour cream, sugar, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl, then spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 minutes.
2. Turn off the oven and let cheesecake cool completely, about 3 hours.
3. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving.
If you want to try something easier and less time consuming then try the Traditional Pumpkin Pie:
Traditional Pumpkin Pie (serves 8)
Ingredients:
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6 oz)
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 can (14 oz) condensed milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (if you cannot find this spice the use: 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground ginger, ½ tsp. ground nutmeg, ½ tsp. salt)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425˚F (218˚C). With a mixer beat all wet ingredients plus the spice. Pour into crust.
2. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350˚F (175˚C) and bake for 35 to 40 more minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Turn off the oven and let pie cool completely before serving.
Although Thanksgiving is a traditional American Holiday, people from every culture living in the United States are more than happy to celebrate this holiday with their families. Turkey and pumpkin pie are the two dishes that characterize this celebration, but since my family and I, along with many other foreign families, are not used to Turkey, we substitute it for our own traditional holiday recipes, which in my case are Mexican holiday recipes like pozole or tamales.
If you want to learn more about this American Holiday take a look at this video in the history.com website. And if you are thinking of traveling to Los Angeles, then browse the Old Town Pasadena website where you can learn more about this town.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
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