One of my favorite festivals after I came here is Thanksgiving. There’s something about everyone getting together, cooking, sitting down for a big spread and saying Thanks.
Reminds me a lot of our festivals back in India.
I’ve been reading a lot of blogs about how they are going to celebrate Thanksgiving. What is the one thing you really look forward to on Thanksgiving day? I would love to know. Do you celebrate it the traditional way? DO YOU LIKE TURKEY?
For us it is simple, just the four of us on Thanksgiving. I make mini tandoori birds and some cumin vegetable rice with roasted fingerling potatoes and beans. Last year’s dessert was this pumpkin halwa. The trifle is going to grace our table this year too. I always look forward to our discussion and thanks before we dig in. It is fun to see the little ones being grateful for the things they are. The boys just love the family time.
Then the next couple of nights we meet with friends to celebrate, it is after all a time to mingle and be thankful that we have people in our lives who care.
Have a great THANKSGIVING my friends. My hand model(teen) took the following picture and edited it with the words and wishes all of you on his behalf.
Pumpkin Halwa has a nutty flavor and absolutely delicious with the almond cream. The caramalized top and the candied almonds everything is just so harmonious together.
PUMPKIN HALWA WITH ALMOND CREAM TRIFLE
Serves 4
Time- 20 minutes
Chilling time -30 minutes
Ingredients:
For Pumpkin Halwa
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup Non fat instant dry milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 brown butter
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
For Almond Cream
1/4 cup almonds
3 tbsp of milk
1/2 cup very cold whipping cream
4 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 cup candied almonds finely chopped
Method:
1. In a thick bottomed pan on medium low simmer, add pumpkin puree and let it cook for 5 minutes stirring continuosly.
2. Add the dry milk powder and mix well and cook for another 10 minutes.
3. It should be thick, add both the sugar and brown butter and mix and let it cook for another 10 minutes on low simmer.
4. Turn off the heat and add the cardamom powder.
Let cool in the refrigerator.
5. Soak the whole almond in boiling water for 10 minutes and remove the skin/peel very carefully. MAKE SURE THAT THE WATER IS COMPLETELY COOLED BEFORE PEELING. Grind the almonds with 3-4 tbsps of milk to a fine paste and keep aside.
6. In a cold bowl, add the whipping cream and whip till it form soft peaks. Add the sugar and whip to stiff peaks.
7. Fold in the almond paste carefully making sure not to deflate the whipping cream.
8. fold in the candied almonds carefully and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
ASSEMBLY:
You could put both in layers in a glass and brulee the top with some sugar.
You could also use a baking dish and line the pumpkin halwa and top with almond cream and garnish with some candied almonds.
It’s a method, this could also be top on a pie base.
ENJOY!!
Copyright 2013 – Food Fashion Party
Happy Thanksgiving! 😀 I hope you have a great one. We don’t celebrate it here in Australia but I’d love to attend a Thanksgiving dinner somewhere!
Love halwa of any kind and my mom used to make a version with pumpkin. Now that I see yours, it just clicked me 🙂
You have a great Thanksgiving my friend!
This looks fantastic, Ash! I love carrot halva so I must try this cardamom pumpkin one…
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my friend, this Halwa trifle mixup is genius 😀
Delicious flavours!
Cheers
CCU
I am going to start calling Thanksgiving and all holidays festivals from now on. It just so darn… festive. XOGREG
This looks so creamy and delicious, with so many wonderful flavors going on! Your Thanksgiving sounds so intimate and wonderful — sounds like you’ll have a great time. We do the traditional turkey with family, and this year I intend to try some new, special dishes. Have a great Thanksgiving, Ash!
This is so pretty!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Probably the most beautiful trifle I’ve ever seen. Delicious and lovel capture, Ash! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Be safe!
Wow…. you gave such a refreshing twist to our very own halwa…Loved the presenaion
Happy Thanksgiving
Oh wow those look absolutely delicious! Fantastic recipe
I love pumpkin halwa and love your twist on it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Asha – Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Your “hand model” did a wonderful job with the “happy thanksgiving” photo -he ha his mom’s photography talent 🙂
Gosh – I LOVE LOVE LOVE Halwa! I buy it from a Indian sweets store – but your version with this incredible almond cream sounds like a dream! Most of my fam get together for Christmas, so thanksgiving is kind of low key for my daughter and I – we were hoping to go to Dallas and visit my sis and Dixya but had to change plans. This year we will be hanging out with a roast chicken and pumpkin/sweet potato/pecan trifle-souffle type dish.
Not sure what Halwa is…but these look so tempting!
Olá
Adorei esta sugestão assim como a apresentação. Deve estar uma delícia.
Parabéns pelas sugestões.
Beijo
http://www.pratocaseiro.blogspot.pt/
The pumpkin Halwa looks delicious Asha!! The hand model did a good job there 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!!
love the look of this – and I’m a huge fan of individual serving desserts. Love addition of cardamom – somehow its makes it very indian for me.. the addition of almond cream, thats new. Your hand model is great!
Obviously, you have a very helpful and talented teen and lots to be thankful for. Your Thanksgiving dinner sounds wonderful and this dessert is so appealing with the contrasting colors. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
I have noticed that children really enjoy Thanksgiving. For mine I think it’s all about the food! What can I say, I created monsters 🙂
The pumpkin halwa looks wonderful and I really like the almond cream.
In Texas i used to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my whole family. Now that I’m here in CO, we are celebrating with friends with a potluck at my house. It’s always a very American meal, for one day in the year, I don’t mess with it!
And I don’t like turkey…I just eat the sides 🙂
Pumpkin and almond just make so much sense to me. I’m wondering why I haven’t been blending the two as friends longer now, lol…thanks for the inspiration, Ash! They’re beautiful!!!
Love that gorgeous layer of crispy sugar on top of the halwa! Happy Thanksgiving, friend!
This Pumpkin Halwa looks realy mouthwatering. I can imagine the Almond cream with the pumpkin.
Addition of almond cream is superb.. Love your twist to our Pumpkin halwa version.. Garnishing is tempting..
Love those layers.. Oh looks really yum..:-) Too good to resist Ash 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
your pumpkin Halwa trifle looks so yummy.. the recipe is very new to me. Will try sometimes later.. Happy Thanksgiving… !!
Oh my goodness, your dessert looks and sounds exquisite. Somebody please pass me a spoon!
super twist to pumpkin halwa asha.. will try adding brown sugar in halwa..
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as well, mostly for the food, but also because of the thought behind it! This halwa would be such a welcome dessert for me! Love the flavors.
Never had a halwa before, it surely looks scrumptious Ash and I bet I’ll love it as I’m a huge fan of cardamom (and pumpkin!)
We are pretty traditional…turkey and pumpkin pie, football and family time. Your trifles look wonderful…nice twist for a Thanksgiving dessert! Hope yours is great!
Ohhhh my, that looks so yummy! Thank you for sharing this recipe Asha. Always looking for wonderful new to me cuisine. Happy Thanksgiving! ~Monica in New Mexico~
We do a pretty traditional Thanksgiving, and totally love turkey. In fact we’ll roast a turkey several times a year. Anyway, this look wonderful – something I’d like to try sometime. Thanks so much.
Aww…loved this post, Ash! So sweet of your teen to take the photo and make a Thanksgiving greeting card for us. Be sure to thank him for us! I’m with Greg…I like that you call Thanksgiving a festival. Makes it sound more like a community event, doesn’t it? Your pumpkin dessert looks scrumptious! I love everything almond and pumpkin. Thanks for sharing, girl. Wishing you and your family a meaningful and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday and weekend! xo
I am going to tell you a secret and tell you that I never had cardamom in my house before. It is such a huge ingredient in many dishes I see online, but I have never picked it up!
have a wonderful thanksgiving 🙂 i have never made pumpkin halwa but looks deliciousss.
Fantastic recipe and photo!
Two of my favorite things: cardamom and that cool tree trunk cutting board! Happy Thanksgiving! 😀
Delicioso!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you! Halva is a sweet that is eaten from Mediterranean to India in so many forms and flavors I cannot even count! I love your pumpkin halva!
Thanksgiving is not part of our culture, therefore its just a normal day for us. Leaving that aside, I am loving this pumpkin halwa, modified and presented in a stylish manner.
Wow..this must taste great. Such a great idea. Happy thanksgiving Ash to you and your family!
You deserve all the appreciation you are receiving! This recipe is very original, I love the way the ingredients are combined.
Happy thxgiving too!
I love any pumpkin sweet bites, the almond cream is sounds devine…
and gosh, your photograph is stunning!
Awesome recipe 🙂
What a beautiful collectionof photographs, and your reciep is completely intriguing. IT just sounds so tempting. For my family, it’s the wild rice stuffing we use for the turkey. We make it just once a year, at Thanksgiving, and it is something everyone looks forward to. Wild rice is first cooked, then mixed with onions which have been sauteed in butter un til translucent, combined with salt and pepper and then put in the bird and roasted. That’s our family’s special Thanksgiving treat – and of course having everyone, all four generations, around the big table. I hope you had a wonderful holiday!
I love the spoon in the last photo. Where did you get it?
Wow, Ash! Wish I’d seen this before yesterday. It would’ve made the perfect dessert. That’s not going to stop me though…pumpkin is good anytime. I particularly like the almond cream. Never tried it but it sounds fantastic. Thanks for a great post and hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving!
Wow, Asha, I love your little spoons, so adorable! I’m falling in love with your styling choices! Can you be my food stylist?!
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love these pumpkin trifle cups for a dessert idea – so pretty!
Ash these dessertslook awesome, love them!:)
These looks superb attractive and luxurious. You always have a way of making your recipes stand out. I am always amazed at your photography, but you already know that 🙂 I love the combo of ingredients. That cardamon flavor I bet is superb in this!
I love how you bruleed the top! These look delicious!
I love halwa, but pumpkin halwa sounds like the best halwa ever! 😀 Such a beautiful dessert for Thanksgiving.
Hey now…you got my attention! These look delicious!
wow !! thsa such a nice combo, Asha . like individual serve portiosn of desserts…thanks for dropping by my space..keep in touch ..
Hope you had a great long weekend! I always look forward to cooking for Thanksgiving, either for 2 or 20, I like the planning and timing involved. Enjoy your week, this recipe looks ultra beautiful!
mini tandoori bites? You need to post some recipes please
For now I will be happily looking at your gorgeous pumpkin pies.
Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving Ash! Beautiful pictures of pumpkin trifle and I love that you added cardamom, my favorite!
Had a great thanksgiving, quite relaxing.
Helene, I goto make my tandoori birds for the blog sometime, will do.
Delicious pumpkin halwa, I love that you made wonderful twist in them.
I love the traditional feast, turkey that many families only enjoy one day each year. Me? I ? It all. But I think my best “looking forward to” Thanksgiving food is Tyler Florence Sweet Potatoes with streusel topping. I don’t go to that much trouble (doesn’t take much, but for me everything is a project. Love you Tyler.