Actress and activist Pamela Anderson is out with a cookbook called "I LOVE YOU: Recipes From the Heart" dedicated to her two sons, Brandon and Dylan.
The cookbook, which began as a gift for her sons, evolved into a collection of 80 recipes to "nourish the soul," according to the press release. Anderson, a "lifelong cook" and gardener shares her love of plant-based cooking, gardening, nature and more in the book.
The former "Baywatch" star joined "Good Morning America" to share her recipes for harvest veggie pot pies that you can make in a muffin tin and a spicy sourdough gingerbread Guinness cake with caramel sauce.
"I like these pies because they’re individual and easy to prepare in a muffin tin – small enough to be handled. With young kids, you feel like you’re always throwing something in their hands as they run out the door. I like to add some yummy rubbed sage gravy to mine as I sit alone at my kitchen table…taking a breath," Anderson writes in the book.
Read on for Anderson's recipe and to shop the book.
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Makes 10
Dough
3 cups (440 g) unbleached organic all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1. cups plus 1 tablespoon (270 g) plant butter, frozen or chilled
2 teaspoons ground flaxseed
2/3 cup (160 ml) ice water
Filling
4 cups (560 g) diced butternut squash (from about 1 medium)
1 cup (100 g) fresh cranberries
1 shallot, minced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon plant butter
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce / 425 g) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
3 sage leaves, thinly sliced into ribbons
1/4 cup (60 ml) white wine
Gravy
2 tablespoons plant butter
1 tablespoon unbleached organic all-purpose flour
1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened plant milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3 sage leaves, thinly sliced into ribbons
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the plant butter into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir the flaxseed into the water, then add to the bowl. Use your hands to knead the mixture into a very soft and tender dough (it will firm up in the fridge, don’t worry). Divide it into 2 pieces, one that’s about one-third of the whole and the other that’s approximately two-thirds. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the filling: Place the squash, cranberries, and shallot on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss until evenly coated. Roast until the squash is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, heat the plant butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Stir in the beans and sage and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrot has softened and everything is golden, about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Assemble the pot pies: When the dough has chilled, remove the larger piece from the fridge and roll it out on a floured work surface until it’s just under 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 10 (5-inch / 12 cm) circles. (Just gather and reroll the scraps as needed. If the dough becomes too soft, chill it in the freezer for a few minutes and try again.) Place them in a muffin pan and mold to the shape of the cups—these are your bottom crusts.
Roll out the smaller piece of dough to the same thickness, just under 1/4 inch (6 mm), and cut out 10 circles that are the right size to be the top crusts, usually about 3 1/4 inches (8 cm) in diameter. (Chill the dough again as needed.)
Stir together the roasted squash mixture and the cooked vegetables, then spoon that into the bottom crusts. Lay the top crusts over the filling and squeeze the edges to crimp them together, sealing the filling inside the pies. Use a fork to pierce holes in the center of each pie. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the gravy: Combine the plant butter and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour turns golden, about 3 minutes. Add the plant milk, soy sauce, and sage, rubbing the sage between your fingers as you drop it into the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Let the pot pies cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully remove them from the pan and serve with the hot gravy.
"The earthy and spicy gingerbread aroma overtakes the kitchen, making guests happy and hungry… smiles are fuel for the cook," Anderson writes in the book about this dessert. "Why does this remind me of a favorite fantasy? Crashing waves against the highest cliffs – a dream of Ireland’s long, rolling grasses and white flowing garments, sheets, a bed rests devoutedly – comforting and scary."
Makes 1 (9 x 13-inch / 23 x 33 cm) cake
Cake
2 cups plus 6 tablespoons (300 g) unbleached organic all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (235 g) plain unsweetened plant yogurt
6 tablespoons (90 ml) water
1/3 cup (about 60 g) active sourdough starter (optional)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3/4 cup (155 g) plant butter
1 cup (215 g) packed brown sugar
1 cup (240 ml) Guinness
3/4 cup (180 ml) regular molasses
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Caramel Sauce
1 cup (215 g) packed brown sugar
1 (11.25-ounce / 320 g) can sweetened condensed coconut milk
1 (13.5-ounce / 400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup (50 g) plant butter
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the sides a little bit so that it’s easier to remove from the pan.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together. In a medium bowl, whisk the plant yogurt, water, sourdough starter (if using), and flaxseed together.
In a medium saucepan, melt the plant butter over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a silicone spatula, until it turns light golden brown (not dark brown). Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, Guinness, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves. Stir into the flour mixture. It will be lumpy at first, but this is okay. Whisk in the plant yogurt mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake on the center rack until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
While the cake bakes, make the caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, both coconut milks, plant butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens slightly, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (just lift it out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang as handles).
To serve, dust with powdered sugar, cut into squares, and serve with a big spoonful of caramel sauce.
Excerpted from I LOVE YOU by Pamela Anderson with Maria Zizka. Copyright © 2024 by Anderson Media Company, LLC. Photographs by Ditte Isager. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.