Thanksgiving is one of those annual culinary touchstones. You do not mess with Thanksgiving. Even if you're Canadian and you already celebrated Thanksgiving in October. Because, let's face it, a lot of us in the Great White North double dip when it comes to Thanksgiving. But for me, the second Thanksgiving, the American one is ALL about the food. Which is why, I must admit, I was a little nervous about the idea of facing this challenge: replacing butter with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter in two of my most popular Thanksgiving dishes. Would my Roasted Brussels Sprouts be received with the same cries of "I didn't know I liked Brussels Sprouts"? Would the last slice of my Sweet Potato Pie be fought over like it is every year? Only one way to find out!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
What you'll need:
2 cups of Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half, lengthwise
1/4 cup of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, melted
3 slices of low salt Bacon
3 Shallots
Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste
Directions:
Toss your Brussels Sprouts with the melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and your Salt and Pepper and roast for 20 - 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
While they are roasting fry your bacon until it's nice and crispy. Drain the bacon and use the remaining bacon fat to fry up sliced shallots. Combine the bacon and the shallots to use as a topping for your Brussels Sprouts.
Verdict: These are just killer! You'd never know that certain ingredient was missing. Just don't tell Julia Child!
Sweet Potato Pie
What you'll need:
2 Sweet Potatoes
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of Nutmeg
1 tablespoon of Cinnamon
1 Egg
8 tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
2 Frozen Pie Shells (yes, 2, trust you'll want more than 1)
Directions:
Place the whole sweet potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are done all the way through. Let the potatoes cool slightly, and while they're still warm you can easily remove the skin.
Add the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Egg, Sugar, Nutmeg and cinnamon and blend together. I like to use my hand mixer, but a stand mixer or a wooden spoon and some determination would work as well. Just make sure to blend the filling until it's really smooth.
The next part is a little tricky, so stay with me (natch). Fill the pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool and serve. Preferably with Whipped Cream, because why not?
Verdict: Another home run, and with our secret ingredient, why not have another piece?
I am so glad you didn't use milk in your pies, to me that never tastes right. Mom and I use white sugar, but I could see how brown would work, too.
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