Pumpkin Gooey Cake (gluten free and if you wish, vegan) Crust: 1/4 c. melted butter OR coconut oil or vegan margarine 2 oz cream cheese softened (or silky tofu) 2 c. almond flour (Trader Joe's sells this cheap) 1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract (trader joes has a vanilla in a glycerine base) 1/8 t. salt 1/2 c. sugar (you could use several drops of stevia if need be) 1 large organic egg or the equivalent of egg replacer, or a tablespoon of flax seed meal mixed with two tablespoons of warm water. 1/2 t. aluminum and gluten free baking powder (Rumford brand) 1/2 t. cinnamon mix the butter and cream cheese together and blend it until it is nice and smooth, add the liquid ingredients and then add the dry. Spread in an 8x8 inch greased pan (lined with parchment makes it much easier to get out and cut into squares). Bake 15 mins at 350 and cool. Filling: 6 oz. cream cheese (or 6 oz of the silky tofu) 1 stick (1/2c.) softened butter, coconut oil or vegan margarine 1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree 3 eggs or make the equivalent of 3 eggs with egg replacer (flax doesn't look as pretty for the filling) 1 teaspoon vanilla (as above) 1/2 c. sugar, 1/3 c. honey, or several drops of stevia (NuNaturals is the best, non-bitter Stevia) 11/2t. cinnamon 1 t. nutmeg 1/4 t. ginger blend everything together with beaters until smooth and fluffy. Bag the bowl a few times to get rid of all air bubbles. Layer this delicious filling on top of the almond cake crust and bake 55-60 mins (it will be jiggly, this is good) at 350. MMMMMM, so good and gooey. Plus it is not too sweet. Just enough!

Ann, Hmmm, now how did you get yours to come out of the pan and stay in such a perfect triangle. :-) My first piece looked as if it was thrown up against the wall. LOL! I buttered the dish and floured lightly. I think I need to put one of those flexible spatulas on my shopping list. However, the next day it set up nicely from being in the refrigerator overnight. I am going to have fun experimenting with this dessert. Try it with fresh cherries soaked in cognac possibly. How about apples with cinnamon or apples with grated cheddar. I have discovered a brand new dessert to have fun with!

Oooooh - this is just right for my friends from Sweden who are coming to visit in a couple of weeks! I know that she loves Brie and this sounds very special and not too rich (I say with a smile)! She is a marathon shopper when she's here so I'm sure we'll work it off at the outlets! Thanks.

This salad is worth making just to have the candied walnuts. You can substitute Stilton for the Blue cheese. Ann Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pear Salad with Spicy Candied Walnuts ===================================== Salad Celia Source: JS Online 1/2 cup candied spiced walnuts (see recipe) 1 cup Zinfandel dressing (see recipe) 1/2 cup high-quality blue cheese, crumbled 1/2 pound assorted baby greens (arugula, baby frisee, baby lolla rossa) or mesclun mix Make candied spiced walnuts and Zinfandel dressing first. After the pears have been poached, cut them into quarters and slice each quarter into four slices. Fan the slices, forming a half moon, and place in the center of a plate. Toss the greens with enough of the dressing to coat the greens. Using too much will wilt the greens. Place the tossed greens in the crescent of the pear. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and candied walnuts. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing around the perimeter of the greens. This salad could also be presented family-style with all the ingredients simply tossed together in a bowl and served on a platter. Makes 8 servings. Zinfandel dressing 1 1/2 cups Zinfandel (divided) 1/2 cup sugar 1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long 20 turns fresh ground pepper (about 1 teaspoon) 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 Anjou pears, peeled and cored 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar 1/2 cup canola oil Combine 3/4 cup Zinfandel, sugar, cinnamon stick, pepper and salt in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer very slowly until the liquid thickens and becomes similar to a syrup. This will take 1 to 11/2 hours. If mixture reduces too fast, it will become bitter. Dressing can be done in advance to this point, then refrigerated. When ready to complete, add pears and return syrup to a simmer. Spoon liquid over them or turn them frequently. Pears are done when they are soft and easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove pears from the syrup and store in a covered container. Reserve the poaching liquid to finish the vinaigrette. Combine remaining 3/4 cup wine and reserved Zinfandel syrup and bring to a simmer. Reduce mixture by two-thirds. You should end up with about one-third cup. It should be thick and syrupy. Transfer mixture into a stainless steel bowl and whisk in mustard and vinegar. While continuously whisking, very slowly stream in canola oil. If this step is done too fast, the oil will not emulsify. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate. Spicy candied walnuts 1 cup sugar (divided) 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup walnut halves 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Combine 1/2 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Reduce to a simmer and add walnuts. Mix spices and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium stainless steel bowl. When walnuts have begun to soften, after about 8 minutes, strain them out of the liquid and transfer them immediately to the spice mixture. Shake them around in the bowl until they have been completely covered with the mix. Sift them out of the spice blend, saving the spices for making this dish again or for another use. Transfer nuts to an airtight container, but do not refrigerate. Servings: 4 Exported from Home Cookin 5.2b (www.mountain-software.com)