Mayfield Electric & Water Systems

1 small sugar pumpkin
6 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cut the lid off the pumpkin and remove the seeds.
3. Combine the eggs, whipping cream, brown sugar, molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.
4. Pour mixture into the pumpkin shell and top the butter.
5. Replace lid on pumpkin and place in a baking pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until mixture has set like a custard.
7. Serve right from the pumpkin at the table, scraping some of the meat from the pumpkin wall with each serving.

4 large McIntosh or Empire apples, cored
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup instant oatmeal mix or rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, a healthy grating
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces, 1/8 cup, golden raisins, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or walnut pieces or pecans
1 pint Dulce de Leche (caramel) ice cream or caramel swirl ice cream
Whipped cream, in a canister

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle cored apples with lemon juice.
3. Mix next 7 ingredients and over-stuff apples.
4. Bake 20 minutes in a small oven safe dish.
5. Transfer apples to small bowls with a spoon and top with ice cream and whipped cream.

Original recipe yield: 4 servings.

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk, water or whiskey
3 cups hickory nuts or pecans, chopped (hickory nuts are best)
1 cup whiskey or bourbon, plus more for re-wetting the cheesecloth if the cake is stored for any length of time
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped, for serving with cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a tube pan.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Gradually add flour, baking powder, and milk or whiskey. Fold in nuts and pour into prepared baking pan.
5. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rung of the oven.
6. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean when placed in the center of the cake.
7. Allow cake to cool on a cooling rack. When the cake has cooled completely, use a pastry brush to coat all sides of the cake with whiskey. This should use about 3/4 cup.
8. Wrap the cake in a piece of cheesecloth and pour the remaining 1/4 cup of whiskey over the cheesecloth so that it is damp.
9. Store the cake in the refrigerator for several weeks, re-wetting the cheesecloth as needed with additional whiskey.

Original recipe yield: 10 servings.

3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
2 eggs separated, (yolks for the pastry, whites for the glaze)
3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Caramel Apples:
1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the top
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 lemon, halved
8 apples (recommended: Granny Smith and Gala)
1 tablespoon flour
1 cinnamon stick, freshly grated
1/4 cup unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the chunks of cold butter with a pastry blender, a little at a time, until the dough resembles cornmeal. Add the 2 egg yolks and the ice water, and blend for a second just to pull the dough together and moisten. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.
4. To make the caramel sauce: place the sugar and water in a small pot and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner and add the cream and wine slowly. It may bubble and spit, so be careful. When the sauce has calmed down, return it to the flame, add the vanilla bean and heat it slowly, until the wine and caramel are smooth and continue to slowly cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool until thickened.
5. Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lemon juice. Peel the apples with a paring knife, cut them in half, and remove the core with a melon baller. Put the apple halves in the lemon-water (this will keep them from going brown). Toss the apples with the flour and cinnamon.
6. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic, and cut the ball in half. Rewrap and return 1 of the balls to the refrigerator, until ready for the top crust. Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes so it will be pliable enough to roll out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch glass pie pan. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly.
7. Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a mandolin or a very sharp knife. The apples need to be thinly sliced so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets. This makes a dense, meaty apple pie. Cover the bottom of the pastry with a layer of apples, shingling the slices so there are no gaps. Ladle about 2 ounces of the cooled red wine caramel sauce evenly over the apple slices. Repeat the layers, until the pie is slightly overfilled and domed on the top; the apples will shrink down as the pie cooks. Top the apples with pieces of the butter.
8. Now, roll out the other ball of dough just as you did the first. Brush the bottom lip of the pie pastry with a little beaten egg white to form a seal. Place the pastry circle on top of the pie, and using some kitchen scissors, trim off the overhanging excess from around the pie. Crimp the edges of dough together with your fingers to make a tight seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie so steam can escape while baking. Place the pie on a sheet tray and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil, so the crust does not cook faster than the apples.
9. Bake the caramel apple pie for 25 minutes on the middle rack. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the freshly grated cinnamon. Remove the foil from the pie and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is golden and bubbling. Let the apple pie rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow the fruit pectin to gel and set; otherwise the pie will fall apart when you cut into it.