If things go our way, some day you'll call it Pranksgiving I Make filling: Beat together the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and vanil- la and spices and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Carefully transfer the spring- form pan to the pan with water and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the cus- tard no longer shakes when you move the pan slightly. Turn heat off-, open oven door and allow the cake to cool for two hours or more before remov- ing from the oven and chilling, cov- ered in plastic wrap, until cold or overnight. To serve, run a thin, sharp knife around the inside edge of the spring- form pan and carefully remove the outside of the pan. Place the cake (bottom attached or removed) on a serving plate. Sprinkle the cake with cinnamon if desired, and cut the cake with a thin, sharp knife or with dental floss stretched tightly between your hands. Serves 16. PUREED PUMPKIN SOUP WITH SUGARED WALNUTS This luxurious soup is easy to make and a crowd pleaser. For a different way to serve it, cut the tops off and hollow out small pumpkins, ladle in the soup and put the tops back on as lids. 1/4 cup olive oil 2 cups chopped onions 3T. flour 6 cups pureed pumpkin 12 cups chicken broth 1 T. brown sugar 1 t. ground cinnamon 1/2 t. ground cayenne pepper 1/4 cup half-and-half or non-dairy creamer 1/4 cup dry sherry kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the flour and cook, stirring fre- quently, for 3 minutes more. Add the pumpkin, chicken broth, sugar and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook the soup, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Allow the soup to cool down to warm temperature before pouring it in batches into the pitcher of a blender or bowl of a food processor. Blend or process until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, add the half-and-half and sherry and heat over medium heat until very hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with sugared walnuts (recipe below). Makes 8 servings. SUGARED WALNUTS 1 pound walnut halves or pieces 1 egg white 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 t. ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a bak- ing sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium-bowl, toss nuts with egg white until well coated. Add remaining ingredients and toss well to coat nuts. Spread the nuts in a single layer in the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden. Allow to cool completely before removing the nuts from the tray with a spatula. Makes 1 pound. PUMPKIN COOKIES From the Fannie Farmer Baking Book 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 t. vanilla extract 1 cup cooked pumpkin, mashed or pureed 2 cups flour 1 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. nutmeg 1 t. ground cloves 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1 cup raisins spice glaze (recipe follows) Preheat the oven to 350F and grease some cookie sheets. Combine the shortening and sugar and cream them together, then add the egg and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin. Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add to the first mixture and beat until the dough is completely mixed. Stir in the nuts and raisins. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 1-inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for about 10 min- utes, until lightly browned around the edges. Brush the hot cookies with the glaze, then transfer the cookies to racks to cool. SPICE GLAZE 1 cup confectioners' sugar 2 T. water 1/4 t. ground mace or cinnamon Combine the confectioners' sugar, water and spice and mix well to dissolve any sugar lumps and make a smooth, runny glaze. Brush or spoon on cookies while they are still warm. ❑ • Let us give thanks for the best kosher hot dog on this and every other Thanksgiving. HANKSGIVING 50%-75% FF T ► DHSSES SWEATRS SHIRT ► ► SUITS SLACKS JACKPS West Bloomfield Pla'z'a Nexf to Deli-Uniq ue ■ 855.6566 and much more! Previous Soles Excluded All Sales Final ► 31539 8 Mile Rd. Just west of Orchard Lake 248-476-2213 3271 Rochester Road Just north of Big Beaver in the Troy Point Plaza 248-528 1300 - 11/17 2000 105