Happy Endings

Coming up with a dessert that will please everyone at holiday time is no easy matter. Some guests aren’t happy with anything but pumpkin pie, while others expect a breathtaking finale. We asked Merilee Atkinson, the pastry chef at Pasadena’s Cayo Restaurant, to come to the rescue with recipes that will satisfy both the traditionalist and thrill-seeker, yet are not too complicated, too time-consuming or too easy to mess up. Atkinson’s solution: Let each person create his or her own plate of this and that from what she calls a “dessert buffet.”

When she sets out to create a dessert at Cayo, Atkinson considers “flavor combinations, seasonal products, a different approach to the familiar and, to some extent, practicality and ‘likableness’ for a restaurant audience.” Sometimes a tool, a pan or a mold will catch her fancy, inspiring her to experiment with a new recipe.

For this dessert buffet, Atkinson said she “wanted the flavors and ingredients to be appropriate to the season and to evoke a holiday mood.” For starters, she likes a seasonal pear and ginger poundcake with a splash of brandy added to the batter. “I’ve been a fan of the pear-ginger combination ever since I made a conserve with those flavors as Christmas gifts about 10 years ago,” says Atkinson, who grew up on a farm in the Central Valley. “Pears tend to be underused, always in the shadow of their sturdier relative, the apple. And the cornmeal in the cake echoes the graininess some pears have and adds some textural interest.”

A deeply colored cranberry-boysenberry compote is meant to be served warm or at room temperature, atop or mounded alongside a slice of the cake. The berries are cooked in caramelized sugar, which candies them and concentrates their flavors. “Credit for this cooking technique goes to Nancy Silverton,” says Atkinson. “I learned it while working at Campanile.” While boysenberries are not exactly in season, they demonstrate Atkinson’s willingness to bend her own rules. “It’s hard to be strictly seasonal,” she says, “and, after all, frozen boysenberries are available year-round.”

A bowl of candied spiced pecans adds a bit of crunch and nuttiness--they can be scattered on top of a dessert or eaten solo like candy. A rich vanilla sauce can be spooned around the cake, drizzled over the compote or pooled on the plate beneath the slice of cake. Atkinson adds a whimsical star-shaped cookie to the mix that can be cut in different sizes and sprinkled with sugar--powdered, coarse-granule or cinnamon sugar. “These cookies could also be used as ornaments,” she says.

And in keeping with the something-for-everyone spirit, there is the pie--a warmly spiced persimmon tart, at once a distant relative of the pumpkin pie and a brand-new face at the table. Whipped cream or ice cream--Atkinson suggests vanilla with caramel--adds the finishing touch. “I still hold dear to my heart my mother’s candy-cane cookies and spritz,” she says. “But I’ve developed a taste for finer ingredients and more complex flavors that I like to include along with the old favorites.”

Merilee Atkinson’s Sweet Somethings

Pear and Ginger Poundcake

Serves 8 to 10

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh ginger root, grated

6 extra-large eggs

6 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons brandy

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup candied ginger, chopped

1 1/2 cups firm ripe pears, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (about 11/2 whole pears, peeled and cored) Powdered sugar for dusting

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Coat decorative tube pan with nonstick spray and dust with flour. Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Place butter in large bowl of electric mixer. Cream until smooth. Add sugar and cream until fluffy. Stir in grated fresh ginger. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in milk, brandy and vanilla extract.

Stir in sifted dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Stir in chopped candied ginger and then stir in pears, being careful not to mash pears or over-mix batter. Spread batter in pan, smooth top with spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto plate or rack to finish cooling. Can be made a day ahead; wrap well in plastic wrap to prevent drying out. Before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar over cake through fine strainer.

Cranberry-Boysenberry Compote

Yield: about 1 quart

1 cup orange juice

1/2 pound dried cranberries

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 whole nutmeg, grated

1 pound frozen boysenberries

3/4 cup brandy

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

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Place orange juice in small saucepan and heat to a simmer. Remove from heat, add dried cranberries and set aside. Place sugar, water, cinnamon stick and grated nutmeg in large straight-sided, nonreactive skillet. Stir to moisten sugar. Heat on medium-high until sugar caramelizes, turning a deep amber color. Immediately add boysenberries, cranberries and brandy (if using gas burner, turn off flame before adding brandy). Reduce heat to medium-low and allow mixture to simmer until sugar is dissolved. Do not stir too much or boysenberries will break up. Turn off heat and allow to cool. If desired, thicken juices with 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water while mixture is still simmering.

May be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature or warm slightly before serving. If compote appears too thick, dilute with a little apple juice or orange juice to desired consistency.

Note: Fresh cranberries also can be used in the compote--they do not need to be reconstituted in orange juice.

Sugar and Spice Pecans

Yield: about 5 cups

2 cups water

4 cups sugar, plus 1/4 cup extra

4 cups pecan halves

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

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Pour water and 4 cups sugar in large saucepan, heat to boiling. Add pecans, cook for 3 minutes and drain. They will be coated with a syrupy glaze. In medium bowl, thoroughly mix extra 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, spices and salt. Add pecans, stirring to coat with dry sugar mixture. Turn nuts out onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Arrange pieces so they are not touching. Toast in oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove from oven, cool completely and store up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

Rich Vanilla Sauce

Yield: about 2 cups

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup milk

1 vanilla bean, split

1/4 cup sugar

6 extra-large egg yolks

Vanilla extract to taste

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Place cream, milk, vanilla bean and sugar in large saucepan. Heat just to scalding, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, for 30 minutes. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Beat egg yolks in large heat-proof mixing bowl. Reheat cream mixture to scalding again. Whisk about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks to temper them. Add this into the cream mixture and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it just begins to thicken. Don’t let it get too hot or the eggs will scramble.

Immediately remove from heat, pass through a fine strainer and cool over an ice bath. Taste and add some vanilla extract if needed. May be kept refrigerated 5 to 7 days.

Note: This method will result in sauce with rather thin consistency. To thicken, after tempering in hot cream, pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it just begins to thicken. Immediately strain and cool quickly before storing in refrigerator.

Cashew or Peanut Butterscotch Bars

Yield: One 12 1/2-inch-by-17-inch pan

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cups cashews or peanuts, roasted and salted

3/4 pound bag chocolate chips (optional)

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Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until blended. Stir in half the nuts. Press dough evenly into ungreased pan. Press remaining nuts evenly into top of dough.

Bake at 350 degrees until evenly browned, about 20 minutes . While still hot, cut into squares. If desired, melt 12 ounces of chocolate chips and dip cooled cookies halfway in chocolate diagonally. Place dipped cookies on parchment-lined cookie sheet in cool place until chocolate is set. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Cinnamon Stars

Yield: about 6 dozen 2-inch cookies

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Pinch ground cloves

1/4 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 whole eggs

1 egg, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar or

coarse-granule sugar, for sprinkling

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Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice and cloves together and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter with sugars. Stir in whole eggs and additional yolk one at a time (reserve egg white in small bowl). Stir in vanilla extract. Scrape down bowl. Stir in dry ingredients until blended. Chill dough for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

On floured board or pastry cloth, roll dough out to 1/8 inch. Use soft pastry brush to remove excess flour from surface of dough. Cut out different sizes and shapes of stars and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. With small, soft brush, paint light coat of egg white on each cookie and sprinkle with your choice of sugar topping.

Bake at 350 degrees until browned evenly, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on pans or on racks. Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Persimmon Puff Tart

Serves 8 to 10

4 Fuyu persimmons

1 17.3-ounce box frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg white

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup applesauce

2 tablespoons butter

11/2-2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup melted apricot jam or red currant jelly (optional)

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Using sharp knife or a mandoline, cut persimmons horizontally (so that star-patterned interior shows) into very thin slices. Unroll puff pastry sheets, layer and pinch sheets together. Cut puff pastry into rectangle about 9 inches by 14 inches. Place on parchment-lined baking pan. Brush 1-inch margin of egg white around top surface of pastry. Avoid getting on the cut edge (this will inhibit the rise of puff). Mix cinnamon with applesauce. Spread it evenly over pastry to about 1/2-inch of edge. Arrange persimmon slices in overlapping rows over applesauce. Dot top with pinched-off bits of butter and sprinkle all over with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until pastry is well-browned and appears to be cooked through, about 25 minutes. For extra shine, brush melted jam or jelly over fruit when tart is cool.