Thanksgiving Recipes: Tasty Dessert Alternatives (Access Hollywood Live)

Thanksgiving is just one day away and who’s not excited for some good ‘ol holiday classics?

The turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes and the pie are all must-eats.

But, instead of the same-old apple and pumpkin pie, Chef Craig Strong of Studio, Montage Laguna Beach dropped by Access Hollywood Live with a few recipes for tasty alternatives.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Ingredients:

16 oz. chocolate

2 cups cream

3 sheets gelatin (rehydrated in cold water)

4 cups whipped cream

1 cup toasted almonds

1 cup chocolate shavings

10 mint sprigs

Boil 1 cup cream and pour over chocolate. Add gelatin to warm cream chocolate mixture, stir until melted. Allow to come to room temperature. Whisk in 1/3 whipped cream and fold in remaining cream. Pour into pie shell. Top with almonds, chocolate shavings and mint.

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LEMON TART

Ingredients:

3 lemons juiced and zested

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

Pre-baked pie crust

In a mixing bowl, add juice, zest, eggs, yolks and sugar. Place over pot of boiling water and whisk for 5 to 7 minutes, until thick and hot. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until melted. Pour into pie shell. Broil for 10 seconds or until lightly brown. Cool to room temperature before cutting.

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BLACKBERRY TART

Ingredients:

4 ounces Katafi (shredded phyllo dough)

3 tbsp. clarified butter

3 tbsp. honey

2 cups milk

2 vanilla beans

1 branch lavender

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp. corn starch

2 sheets gelatin

1/4 cup butter

1 cup soft peak whip cream

2 pints blackberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Prepare the crust by mixing the butter and honey together and warming it. Pour it onto the phyllo dough and mix by hand until well combined. On a baking pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat, press Katafi onto sheet into 1” layer. Using a 5” tartlet ring mold, press ring into dough. Bake crusts in 350 degree oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.

For the filling, place milk in a medium sauce pan. Scrape vanilla beans and place scrapings and pods in milk along with lavender. Bring this to a boil, remove from heat and cover with plastic and allow steeping for 5 minutes.

Soak the gelatin in ice water. Combine the yolks, sugar and corn starch. Slowly stain the milk onto yolk mixture whisking all the while. Return the sauce pan to medium heat and continue to whisk until mixture is thickened. Once thickened, continue cooking on low heat for 5 minutes constantly whisking. Remove from heat.

Remove gelatin from water and squeeze out all of the water and whisk into milk and egg mixture. Add butter and whisk until incorporated. Strain through a fine sieve and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once room temperature, whisk in 1/3 of whip cream and then fold in remaining 2/3 whip cream. Fill pastry bag and refrigerate until cold for at least 2 hours.

Prepare the blackberry sauce by boiling 1 pint of the blackberries, sugar and water. Once boiling, strain and set aside.

To assemble the tart, pipe 1/4 inch of cream onto pastry shell and smooth flat. Place 10 blackberries on top and drizzle with sauce. Garnish plate with a swoosh of blackberry sauce and 1 scoop of Honey Goat Cheese Ice Cream.