Desserts: Walnut-Praline Pumpkin Pie and more delights

Desserts are sure to bring down the house with a luscious selection that includes a glossy pumpkin pie gilded with a crown of walnut-praline. Or it may be a standing ovation for the buttery-rich Chocolate Fudge Fingers — they'll catch your eye and capture your imagination. They're both a fitting final act to your performance of a lifetime. Bravo.

Walnut-Praline Pumpkin Pie

Serves 8 to 10

Filling:

- 3 large eggs

- ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

- ½ teaspoon ground ginger

- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

- ½ teaspoon salt

- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

- 1 ¼ cups half-and-half or whole milk

Topping:

- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

- 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1. Prepare and bake pie shell; cool on a rack. Place a baking sheet on center oven rack and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. To make filling: In a large bowl, beat eggs until blended. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Stir in pumpkin and half-and-half. Pour into the pastry shell and place on baking sheet in oven. Bake 35 minutes.

3. To make topping: Combine nuts and brown sugar, mixing well. After the pie has baked 35 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle topping around perimeter of the surface. Put pie back in oven and continue baking until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes longer. Remove pie from oven and turn oven to broil. Place pie on second oven rack from top and broil for about 30 seconds to lightly caramelize the brown sugar. Watch carefully to avoid scorching.

4. Cool pie on a rack. Refrigerate. When cold, loosely cover with aluminum foil. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving.

From "Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving Entertaining"

Recipe selection for Holiday Cuisine 2005 by CeCe Sullivan, Seattle Times home economist.