Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie

Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie adds rye whiskey’s spicy, fruity flavor notes to silky pumpkin pie, yielding a more adult but not boozy version of an old favorite.  American rye whisky, which must be made with at least 51% rye grain, is less sweet and with a lighter body than it’s more well-known cousin, bourbon, and produces drier, less sweet, cocktails.  For some historical notes, George Washington’s original distiller at Mount Vernon averaged 11,000 gallons per year of rye whiskey at its peak and rye whiskey was the prevalent whiskey in the northeastern states, particularly Maryland and Pennsylvania, with Pittsburgh being the center of rye whiskey production in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Rye whiskey largely disappeared after Prohibition, though happily it has been undergoing a growing revival in the United States since the beginning of the 21st century, with many bartenders restoring it in many classic cocktails such as the whiskey sour and old fashioned. The Brooklyn, made with rye whiskey, is rivalling its cousin, the Manhattan, in popularity as well. 

Our Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie brings rye whiskey into the bakery and uses it in both the pie crust and the pie filling.  The filling for Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie incorporates, in addition to rye whiskey and spices, heavy cream for silkiness, eggs for lightness and vanilla extract which enhances the rye whiskey’s flavor notes.  While this recipe is keto, you may substitute non-keto ingredients as you like; however, we recommend making the recipe as is, you won’t even notice it’s keto. Enjoy Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie any time of the year, particularly for dessert after Brandied Beef Tri Tip.

Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie

For the pie crust: Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes. 

For the pie: Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes. Serves 8.

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie recipe for $1.00.

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Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake adds surprise layers of fresh strawberries and lemon curd to light and airy ricotta cheesecake. The strawberries and lemon just shout “Summer!” Making Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with stevia instead of sugar will greatly reduce the carbohydrates count without impacting the flavor or texture; use our Keto Lemon Curd when making a keto version of this recipe as we did.

While many recipes call for using a bain marie or water bath when baking a cheesecake, it can be cumbersome.  For most home bakers, it is difficult to execute properly and if you get a leak between the springform pan and the bain marie, you have a soggy disaster on your hands.  While the water bath method is supposed to result in less cracking of the top crust, that has not been our experience.  That said, we actually like some light cracking in the cheesecake’s top crust; it adds character.  Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake is delicious! Serve it is or perhaps with a dollop of whipped cream. If you want, you can prepare a sauce made with fresh strawberries and some lemon juice and serve it on the side on the plate or allow guests to add their own or not. 

Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

For the crust: Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 to 45 minutes.

For the strawberry filling: Prep Time: 5 minutes, Total Time: 10 minutes.

For the cheesecake: Prep Time: 1 hour plus time to drain the whey from the ricotta, Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes.

Yields One 9 or 10-inch Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake.

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake recipe for $1.00

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Keto Lemon Curd

Our Keto Lemon Curd recipe is inspired by Ina Garten a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa. Just twenty minutes of your time will yield one of the most versatile sweet condiments and will keep for 7 to 10 days refrigerated in a sealed container. Use it as a topping for Greek yogurt for breakfast or an ice cream sundae for dessert. Try it as a component when baking: keto cookies anyone? We incorporate Keto Lemon Curd into our Strawberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake. Keto Lemon Curd will give you a sweet sunny treat without the extra carbs and a jar of Keto Lemon Curd makes a wonderful gift.

Keto Lemon Curd

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 20 minutes. Yields 2 cups.

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Keto Lemon Curd recipe for $1.00

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Goat Cheese Mini Cheesecakes

Goat Cheese Mini Cheesecakes explore cheesecake’s savory side.  Select a creamy but not runny goat cheese for this recipe for the best results.  We used three different herbs, fresh thyme leaves, snipped chives and different varieties of basil leaves sliced into thin ribbons, along with thinly sliced fresh mission figs to accent our Goat Cheese Mini Cheesecakes in this recipe.  Feel free to use a selection of herbs or seasonal fruit of your choice when making Goat Cheese Mini Cheesecakes at your house.

There are “must-do” parts in this recipe: 1) use four 4” springform pans, preferably with a non-stick coating, 2) use an electric hand mixer and 3) after baking, leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door propped open and the heat turned off for 1 hour to rest.

While many recipes call for using a bain marie or water bath when baking cheesecake, it can be cumbersome.  For most home bakers, it is difficult to execute properly and if you get a leak between the springform pan and the bain marie, you have a soggy disaster on your hands.  While the water bath method is supposed to result in less cracking of the top crust, that has not been our experience.  That said, some light cracking in the cheesecake’s top crust adds character and the small crevices serve as wonderful reservoirs for a sauce topping.

We enjoy serving quarters of two different Goat Cheese Mini Cheesecakes with a lightly dressed simple green salad or sliced heirloom tomatoes, either for lunch or as an appetizer, using just one cheesecake quarter per plate, at dinner.  Get creative and enjoy!

Goat Cheese Mini Cheesecakes

For the crust: Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 to 45 minutes.

For the cheesecake: Prep Time: 1-hour, Total Time: 3 hours.

Yields Four 4-inch mini cheesecakes, each of 4 servings.

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Goat Cheese Mini Cheesecakes recipe for $1.00

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Keto Almond Shortbread Cookies

Keto Almond Shortbread Cookies are whole lot of buttery, crumbly almond goodness. These golden shortbread cookies with their rich butter and almond aroma and flavors have the perfect shortbread texture, complemented by the generous addition of sliced almonds.  Our Keto Almond Shortbread Cookies are great for folks who are carb-conscious but will be enjoyed by all.  Delightful on their own or served with our Salted Peanut Double Chocolate Cookies, they are best with a good cup of coffee or tea.  The only question remaining is “Do I enjoy Keto Almond Shortbread Cookies for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon break or as a bedtime snack?”

Keto Almond Shortbread Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 45 minutes excluding freezing time. Yields approximately 30 cookies. 

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Keto Almond Shortbread Cookies recipe for $1.00

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Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie

Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie is absolutely delicious!  When you have a mission fig tree in your garden, as we do, it will yield bountiful crops of figs in the summer. Use some of that crop to make Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie!  Easy to make, the crust uses almond and coconut flours and the custard filling can be made with Stevia or another Keto-friendly sweetener instead of sugar to reduce the carbs.  Delicious, dense but not heavy nor overly sweet, Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie combines walnuts, the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and fresh figs for a rich and lovely seasonal dessert.  Try some of our other desserts, Blood Orange Custard Pie or Grilled Pineapple NY Cheesecake, too!

Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie

For the pie crust: Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes. 

For the pie: Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes. Serves 8.

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie recipe for $1.00

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Salted Peanut Double Chocolate Cookies

Salted peanuts are a wonderful contrast to the intense double chocolate of the bittersweet chips and cocoa powder in these cookies.  Being on a Keto diet can be a challenge for cookie lovers. These Salted Peanut Double Chocolate Cookies are Keto except for the small amount of sugar in the bittersweet chocolate chips; with a little effort you can locate bittersweet chocolate chips without sugar too. Feel free to make a non-Keto version by replacing the Stevia with granulated sugar. You may also be interested in baking our Keto Almond Cranberry Tea Biscuits for a great pair of contrasting cookies. Bake and enjoy!

Salted Peanut Double Chocolate Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Baking Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 40 minutes excluding 8 hours freezing time. Yields 36 to 40 cookies. 

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Blood Orange Custard Pie

Fragrant, delicious and just the palest pink, Blood Orange Custard Pie is just lovely.  Easy to make, the crust uses almond and coconut flours and the custard filling can be made with Stevia or other Keto-friendly sweeteners instead of sugar to reduce the carbs; you can substitute regular orange for the blood orange if the latter is not available. Either way, enjoy our Blood Orange Custard Pie with your favorite cup of java.  Try some of our other desserts, like Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie or Ricotta Cheesecake, too.

Blood Orange Custard Pie

For the pie crust: Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes. 

For the pie: Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes. Serves 8.

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Blood Orange Custard Pie recipe for $1.00

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Keto Almond Cranberry Tea Biscuits

Keto Almond Cranberry Tea Biscuits will tantalize your taste buds; you’ll forget that you are eating a guilt-free cookie! During this past holiday cookie-baking season we were in the middle of our on-going Keto diet, which drastically reduced our holiday cookie production. After some research, and some trial and error too, we’ve created Keto Almond Cranberry Tea Biscuits. If fresh cranberries are out of season, substitute dried cranberries, use without added sugar variety or try one of our other cookie and biscuit recipes like Salted Peanut Double Chocolate Cookies. Enjoy!

Keto Almond Cranberry Tea Biscuits

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Baking Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 40 minutes excluding 8 hours freezing time. Yields 36 tea biscuits. 

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Keto Almond Cranberry Tea Biscuits recipe for $1.00

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Keto Deconstructed Salmon Handrolls

We both really love sushi, sashimi and temaki, also known as hand rolls, particularly salmon hand rolls.  Being on a Keto diet, rice is problematic due to its carbohydrate content.  We have come up with a creative solution with our Keto Deconstructed Salmon Handrolls which use shirataki noodles in place of the rice.  Keeping most of the other hand roll elements intact in these Keto Deconstructed Salmon Handrolls, we have rearranged them  to create a deconstructed, Keto-friendly recipe. Colorful, with lots of different textures and flavors, we think our Keto Deconstructed Salmon Handrolls taste great, make an attractive presentation and are fun to eat too!  Serve with Grilled Asparagus for a light, tasty meal.

Keto Deconstructed Salmon Hand Roll

Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time 30 minutes Serves: 2

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