Every family has their own beloved recipes – here are a few more to try!

By Lily Bastin ’23

The first things that come to my mind when someone mentions the holiday season are spending time with family, cold weather, and, of course, cooking delicious food! The thing that I love about cooking during the holiday season is that each person has different cuisines and traditions that inspire them. When asked about his favorite holiday foods, Chef Sam said: “Many things come to mind for holiday foods. First and foremost are the treats my mother Rose prepared. My mother always made Lebanese baklava and maamouls for the holidays, and for our Christmas meal, she would make a traditional baked ham dinner with Lemon meringue pie, coconut cream with whipped topping, and chocolate cream with meringue for dessert. As you can see, it’s all the special treats I remember most, and that’s the tradition we carry on today with my family.” Through both cooking and eating food over the holidays, he has created many special memories with his family, and has gotten to celebrate and practice tradition as well. I have found that some of the best memories and bonds are built with family and friends over cooking or baking together. These happy memories and close bonds are especially important during this year’s holiday season since the pandemic has darkened so many people’s moods. If you are looking for something to do during the holidays or would like to do something fun while bonding with your family and friends, here are some of both my and chef Sam’s favorite recipes!

Recipe 1: Chef Sam’s lemon meringue pie recipe

Ingredients: 1 cup white sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups water, 2 lemons, juiced and zested, 2 tablespoons butter, 4 beaten egg yolks, 1 9-inch baked pie crust, 4 egg whites, 6 tablespoons white sugar, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. To make lemon filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in ½ cup of hot sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
3. To make meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar and cream of tartar gradually and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

Recipe 2: Pumpkin cheesecake brownies

Ingredients:

Brownie batter

Wet ingredients: ¾ cup butter (unsalted, melted), 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 eggs.

Dry ingredients:  ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened), ¼ tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake batter

Wet ingredients: 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 eggs

Dry ingredients: 8 oz cream cheese (softened), 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup canned pumpkin, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp pumpkin spice.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven: To 350 F degrees. Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking oil then line it with parchment paper.
2. Combine the wet ingredients: In the bowl of your mixer add melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract and mix well until well combined. Add in the eggs and continue beating until light and fluffy.
3. Combine the dry ingredients: In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the brownie batter, then gradually add them into the butter mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
4. Form the cheesecake batter: In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and beat it until smooth. Add the rest of the cheesecake batter ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth.
5. Assemble the brownies: Spread about 2/3 of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Spread the cheesecake batter over the brownie batter. Add remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter by spoonfuls. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife or a skewer back and forth through the pan.  To achieve a perfect swirl, only swirl the top two layers with a skewer and don’t touch the bottom brownie layer!
6. Bake the dessert: Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (mine took 50 min), or until center is set. Cool completely and chill before cutting and serving.

I hope you make, share, and enjoy these two recipes!