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Pumpkin, spice and everything nice

Sweet treats combine the ingredients of the season for a perfect Thanksgiving ending.

Source: Andre Prost Inc., "A Taste of Thai."

Save room for dessert, because there are plenty of sweets to pick from to give your Thanksgiving dinner a sweet finish.

Creamy pumpkin cheesecake pie and silky pumpkin ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce are holiday highlights.

Coconut Pumpkin Custard is a quickly prepared dish, a creamy custard combined with just a hint of nutmeg to complement the coconut and pumpkin flavors.

It can be mixed in minutes, and can bake while you're eating dinner, to make a warm and comforting ending to Thanksgiving.

Pastry (frozen or homemade) for single-crust 10-inch deep dish pie, partly baked

1 package (8 ounces) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup canned pumpkin

2/3 cup half-and-half

Prepare, bake and cool pie crust.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer or food processor, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugars and blend until smooth. Then add whole eggs and yolk, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, pumpkin and half-and-half. Blend until smooth and evenly mixed. Pour the filling into the pie shell.

Place pie pan on center oven rack and bake 25 minutes. Rotate pan 180 degrees and continue baking 20 minutes, or until the top has puffed slightly. The center may still be a little wobbly but it should not be soupy.

Transfer pie to cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Makes 10 servings.

Source: "Pies: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie" by Ken Haedrich.

Ice cream:

2 cups whole milk

1 cup half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Caramel sauce:

3/4 cup bottled caramel sauce

1/3 cup whipping cream

To prepare the ice cream, place the milk, half-and-half, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and let sit 30 minutes.

Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, brown sugar and pumpkin. Strain the warm milk into the sugar mixture, whisking well. Pour back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Remove from the heat and stir in the whipping cream and vanilla. Pour into a bowl, cool slightly and refrigerate about 3 hours, until completely chilled.

Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to package directions. Then transfer to a chilled bowl, cover and freeze. Place in refrigerator about 1 hour before serving.

To prepare caramel sauce, heat the caramel sauce and cream together gently on top of the stove or in a microwave just to warm. Stir well until smooth and blended. Serve warm over the ice cream.

Makes about 8 to 10 servings.

Source: Adapted from "The Pumpkin Cookbook," edited by Nicola Hill.

1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk

1 cup canned packed pumpkin puree

3/4 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cinnamon sugar (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer or whisk, beat coconut milk, pumpkin, sugar, eggs, salt, coconut extract and nutmeg until well mixed. Fill each custard cup with 2/3 cup of pumpkin mixture and lightly sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar.

Make a water bath by filling a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with 4 cups of hot water. Place each filled custard cup in baking dish.

Carefully place baking dish in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center of the custard comes out clean.

Makes six 2/3-cup servings.