Thanksgiving recipe video and tips: Toast spices and nuts for flavor (and a recipe)

When you want to add a little extra depth to a recipe, consider toasting the nuts or spices before adding them to a dish. Toasting helps to release the flavor and oils in the spices and nuts, lending depth and wonderfully rich flavor to a dish.

Toast whole spices on the stovetop using a heavy-bottomed saute pan over moderate heat. Toast the spices, stirring them or shaking the pan frequently, so they toast evenly. Watch the pan closely, so the spices don’t burn. A few minutes is all it should take to bring out the flavors; you’ll know they’re ready when you can smell them. (You can toast ground spices, too, though this is best done on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the oven to keep the ground spices from burning.)

Toast nuts on a sheet pan in a 350- to 375-degree oven for several minutes until lightly darkened and fragrant. As with spices, watch that the nuts don’t overcook in the oven -- they can go from nicely toasted to tragically burnt quickly.

Toasted nuts provide a flavorful garnish for pumpkin cake with chocolate ganache frosting, a fun pumpkin alternative for dessert at Thanksgiving. You can find the recipe below.

Craving more? Check out our handy holiday recipes and cooking tips page to help you out with your Thanksgiving planning. Not only do we cover familiar holiday dishes, we also share tips and tricks to save you time and energy during this busy time of year. And you can find all your Thanksgiving recipe needs in our California Cookbook. If you have any tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment or shoot me an email at noelle.carter@latimes.

PUMPKIN CAKE WITH SOUR CREAM GANACHE

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, plus cooling time for the cake | Serves 12 to 16

Note: The ganache recipe is adapted from “The Cake Bible” by Rose Levy Beranbaum. For the ganache, a less bitter, lower percentage chocolate will best complement the cake (preferably 60% to 65%).

CAKE

2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup safflower or canola oil
2 cups pumpkin puree

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) springform pans.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, stir together the eggs and sour cream with a fork. Stir in the brown sugar and then the oil until just combined; be careful not to overwhisk.

4. Gently stir the flour mixture into the batter just until incorporated and there are no lumps. Stir in the pumpkin puree.

5. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake the cakes for about 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (the cakes are moist and there may be a few crumbs on the toothpick, but there should be no batter). Remove and allow the cakes to cool, still in the pans, on a wire rack to room temperature.

SOUR CREAM GANACHE

18 ounces semisweet chocolate or 6 (3-ounce) bars, coarsely chopped
3 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
Prepared cakes
1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted pecans

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Remove from heat.

2. Gently fold the sour cream into the chocolate until incorporated and uniform in texture, then stir in the salt.

3. Remove the cakes from the pans and place one on a cake stand or serving plate with the flat-bottomed side up and spoon one-fourth of the ganache over the cake. Spread the ganache evenly over the top.

4. Place the second cake, domed side up, evenly over the first and spoon one-half of the remaining frosting over the cake, evenly covering the top and sides. Add additional frosting as needed to coat the cake evenly.

5. Press the pecans into the sides of the cake. The cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Each of 16 servings: 612 calories; 8 grams protein; 59 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 43 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 73 mg. cholesterol; 355 mg. sodium.

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