PROGRESSIVE DINNER PROVIDES BOUNTY OF DELICIOUS HOLIDAY RECIPES

Fall brings a bountiful harvest of so many wonderful fruits and vegetables. Apples, pumpkins, persimmons...yes, persimmons. Many of us have never eaten a fresh persimmon, but they are delicious and truly a gift of fall. A reader sent in this recipe using persimmons and I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you try it.

Persimmon-Nut chiffon pie

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 t. salt

3 eggs, separated

2/3 cup milk

1 heaping cup strained persimmon pulp

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup chopped hickory nuts

1 9-inch Graham cracker crust

Combine brown sugar, gelatin and salt. Slightly beat egg yolks and combine with milk; stir into brown sugar mixture. Cook, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil, then immediately remove from heat and stir in persimmon pulp. Chill until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. (Allow one hour, but watch closely toward the end so it does not get too stiff.)

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually beat in granulated sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the partly stiffened persimmon mixture and the nuts into the egg whites, mixing completely. Turn into the pie crust and chill until firm.

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Wanda Ramsey of Cape Girardeau has requested a recipe for No Bake Cookie Cottage. I'm sure we have readers who have a recipe that we could share. Please mail those in right away so we can help her out.

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Over the weekend my husband and I were one of six couples involved in a progressive dinner party. We enjoyed some fabulous food at each home, great fellowship and beautiful holiday decorations. I would like to share just a few of the recipes with you to try this holiday season.

Creamy Crab Cheesecake

1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers (about 25)

3 T. butter or margarine, melted

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sour cream, divided

3 eggs

2 t. grated onion

1 t. fresh lemon juice

1/4 t. seafood seasoning

2 drops hot pepper sauce

1/8 t. pepper

1 cup crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed

In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Add onion, lemon juice, seafood seasoning, hot pepper sauce and pepper; beat just until blended. Fold in crab. Pour over crust.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer. Spread remaining sour cream over top. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

To garnish, sprinkle top with additional seafood seasoning and add a cluster of fresh cilantro or parsley in the center. Serve with an assortment of fancy crackers. Serves 20 to 24 appetizer servings.

Ray and Joan Haring fixed this delicious turkey entree' and their presentation of the main course was beautiful.

Wild Rice-stuffed Turkey Breast

1 (3 oz) pkg. dried cherries

2 cup port wine

3 1/2 cup chicken broth, divided

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice

1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1 t. freshly ground pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup diced celery

2 cup soft whole wheat breadcrumbs

1 (6 pound) turkey breast

2 t. chopped fresh rosemary

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. kosher salt

1 T. freshly ground pepper

2 T. butter or margarine

3 T. all-purpose flour

Combine cherries and wine; let stand 1 hour. Drain, reserving wine.

Bring 2 cup broth and next 5 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Cool; stir in breadcrumbs.

Remove bone from turkey breast, leaving skin and meat intact.

Place turkey breast between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Rub skinless side of turkey breast with rosemary and garlic; spread evenly with rice mixture. Starting at a long side, tightly roll up breast, jellyroll fashion; secure at 2-inch intervals with kitchen string.

Sprinkle turkey breast with salt and 1 T. pepper; place on a lightly greased rack in a roaster pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 2 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 180 degrees. Remove from pan, reserving drippings; let stand 10 minutes.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; stir in reserved drippings. Whisk flour into butter until mixture is smooth.

Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add reserved wine and remaining 1 1/2 cup broth; cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Serve with sliced turkey breast. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

At the home of Rodney and Dimple Bridges we were greeted with lots of candles, sorbet to cleanse our palates and then a heavenly cake that was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.

Pecan Pie Cake

3 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 cup sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1 T. vanilla extract

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1 recipe Pecan Pie Filling (following)

Sprinkle 2 cup pecans evenly into 3 generously buttered 9-inch round cakepans; shake to coat bottoms and sides of pans.

Beat 1/2 cup butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Add flour and baking soda to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in remaining 1 cup finely chopped pecans.

Beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form; fold one-third of egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites. Do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until done. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Invert layers onto wax paperlined wire racks. Brush tops and sides of layers with corn syrup, and cool completely.

Spread half of Pecan Pie Filling on 1 layer, pecan side up. Place second layer, pecan side up, on filling; spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining layer, pecan side up.

May garnish with pie pastry cut-out leaves on top and around cake, if desired.

Pecan Pie Filling

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/3 cup cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 cup half-and-half

1/8 t. salt

3 T. butter or margarine

1 t. vanilla extract

Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Place a sheet of wax paper directly on surface of mixture to prevent a film from forming, and chill 4 hours.

Note: To chill filling quickly, pour filling into a bowl. Place bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice. Whisk constantly until cool (about 15 minutes).