Cooking with Sam: Delicious dishes highlight holidays

Thanksgiving is over, and now we move on to Christmas – with more food. From now until Christmas Day, you will have lots of food to eat, and you might gain a little weight. Just go ahead and eat – you have all next year to get the weight off. Enjoy your family, food and your time together.

Pumpkin-White Chocolate Soufflé

Makes 6-8 servings

6 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ cup plus six tablespoons sugar

2-4 ounce bars white chocolate, chopped

½ cup of butter

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoons salt

Confectioners sugar (to garnish)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Fill a shallow oven-safe pan with water and place on lower oven rack. Spray a 10-inch springform pan with nonstick spray; line bottom with parchment paper and spray again.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat eggs, vanilla extract and sugar at high speed until mixture becomes stiff and light in color, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium microwave safe bowl, combine white chocolate and butter and microwave about 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until white chocolate and butter are melted. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Stir to combine.

Add pumpkin mixture to egg mixture and whisk together quickly and thoroughly. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for one hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least four hours. Before serving, remove from pan and sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.

We made these at Malloy Manor Tea Room at the start of fall and up to Christmas. Everyone liked the pumpkin taste.

Butternut Squash and Apple Tart

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 4-ounce package goat cheese, softened

1 large egg

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

17.3-ounce box of frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

4 Gala apples, cut into ¼-inch thick slices

1 large butternut squash neck, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick circles and blanched

Feta crumbles and fresh sage (to garnish)

Preheat oven to 435 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat yogurt and goat cheese with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and beat. Add sage, salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Beat to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

On a lightly floured surface, roll one pastry sheet to a 10×8-inch rectangle. Using a pastry wheel, cut rectangle in half to make two 10×4-inch rectangles. Place rectangles on prepared baking sheet.

Using a paring knife, gently cut an indentation in the dough, making a ½-inch border along the inside, being careful not to cut all the way through. Repeat process with remaining puff pastry sheets.

Divide yogurt mixture between sheets, spreading to edges of indentation. Layer pastries with apples and squash, spreading to edges of indentations. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and salt.

Bake 10-15 minutes. Remove and let cool on baking sheet. Sprinkle with feta crumbles and sage. Will keep three days in airtight container.