Thanksgiving dessert: Tips for baking and taking the perfect treat

If you are lucky enough to enjoy someone else’s hospitality on Thanksgiving, the least you can do is bring along a dessert. Keep in mind the following before getting ready to bake:

1. Consider the timing. You don’t want to wake up at the crack of dawn to finish your cake on time, or travel with a steaming-hot pie on your lap. Pick a recipe that can be made a day or more in advance, so that it’s ready to go when you are.

2. Choose something sturdy. It is one thing to carry a souffle, Pavlova, or platter of tuiles from the kitchen to the dining room. It is another to transport a delicate dessert across state lines. Even if you are only going down the street, choose something that won’t fall to pieces when you hit a pothole or stop short in traffic.

3. Remember the season. You may be famous for your strawberry shortcake, but save it for another occasion. Thanksgiving isn’t the day to break with tradition. People will be expecting seasonal flavors — pumpkin, apple, nuts, gingerbread, cranberry. There are plenty of ways to be creative while satisfying expectations.

During the years I was on dessert duty for my parents’ New Jersey feast, I developed a repertoire of Thanksgiving cakes and pies that could withstand the bumpy ride along the Cross Bronx Expressway and over the George Washington Bridge. Chief among them were cheesecakes, which can be refrigerated for up to a week before serving. Leave your cheesecake in its springform pan for the journey, to protect it, unmolding it once you reach your destination. Pack it in a cooler with some ice packs if you will be driving for more than an hour. Seasonal variations abound. Pumpkin cheesecake is a delicious alternative to pumpkin pie. Spiced praline and cranberry swirl are also good choices. For subtle fall flavor, substitute gingersnaps for graham crackers in the crust.

Another great choice is a Bundt cake. Unlike layer cakes, these are generally unfrosted, which means there’s no frosting that can be ruined in transit. Put your Bundt cake in a cake keeper and even if it slides around a little bit it will arrive in one piece. Fall flavors such as gingerbread and maple are welcome at Thanksgiving, as are seasonal fruits including apple and cranberry.

A Pecan pie checks off all the boxes. Unlike fruit pies, which will start to get soggy if they sit around too long, this Thanksgiving classic can be made a day or two in advance. Solid and sturdy, it travels well. Pop it into a box or baking pan with sides tall enough to protect the pastry edges and you are good to go. Too boring for you? Vary the recipe by adding chocolate chips, using an alternative sweetener such as molasses or honey, or swapping macadamia nuts or almonds for the pecans.

Walnut Breton Tart is a perennial favorite that I learned to make in cooking school, from a fantastic recipe by dessert expert Nick Malgieri. I love this tart not only because of its cookie-like crust and gooey filling, but because it is practically indestructible. The pastry protectively encases a layer of honey and nuts, and no amount of sliding around in the trunk will damage it before dinner.

WALNUT BRETON TART

For the filling:

1⁄2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1⁄3 cup honey

2 cups walnut pieces

For the dough:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 3⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Make the filling: Line a 10-inch round cake pan with a circle of parchment paper. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar, butter and honey to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 2 minutes, stir in walnuts, scrape into the parchment-lined pan, spread into a 9-inch circle with a spatula, and cool to room temperature.

2. Remove the filling (it will have hardened into a disk) from the pan and set aside. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with another parchment circle. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar until lightened, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in yolks one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in zest and vanilla. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour until just incorporated.

4. Scrape half the dough into the parchment-lined pan and spread into an even layer with a metal spatula. Invert the nut circle onto the dough, peeling away the parchment paper.

5. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll the remaining dough into a rough 11-inch circle. Use another pan to trim to an even 10-inch circle. Slide the dough over the filling and off the paper, into the pan.

6. Brush the top of the tart with egg. Take a fork and rake it across the top in three or four parallel lines, evenly spaced. Repeat on the diagonal, to make a crisscross pattern. Bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

7. To unmold, run a sharp paring knife around the edges of the tart (some of the filling may have leaked, and will be sticky). Invert onto a cutting board, peel away the parchment circle, and re-invert onto a serving platter. Slice and serve. Makes 10 servings.