Diana Barrios Treviño always makes cheesecakes, as many as five, each Thanksgiving. That is simply because her family loves them, and for them, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without cheesecake. The recipe is easy to make and works if you decide to make the cheesecake into cupcakes, too.

Diana Barrios Treviño's Family Favorite Cheesecake

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SavorSA asked San Antonians to set us their best, beautiful tables for Thanksgiving. We got ideas for making our own tables festive, homey, elegant and bright— and we hope you do, too.

Stevie Weissman set this table, inherited from her mother, in the dining area near her kitchen, with a dramatic view into her lush, green backyard. The colors are all the reds, golds and browns of fall.  Pears are autumn fruit and symbolic of bounty, while the crimson color catches the eye. The base plates are heirloom Haviland china, but the top plates are quite modern and reflect Weissman’s love of craft pottery. The soft pink colors in the plates are picked up by the handles on the tableware.

Weissman, who owns Stevie Weissman Events, also is comfortable with a houseful of guests, as her children and grandchildren join her for dinner. “We set this table, which is where our family always ate. But when everyone is here, we just spread out into the rest of the house,” she says.

Our favorite touch: The beautiful, fresh pears on each place setting, for eating or for taking home for breakfast the next day.

Melissa Guerra – Tienda de Cocina at the Pearl Brewery was particular fun for us. A huge, rustic mesquite table is part of the store decor, and generally is set with Mexican pottery and other wares. Guerra gave us the run of her store to add our own favorite touches from among her collection of art, pottery, flowers, linens and much more.

This Mexico-inspired table setting was all about color. We loved the lime-green glassware, so built some of the other table dressing around those. The linen napkins were perfect, and we set them at angles to fit in with the liveliness of the other elements. A single green crepe-paper flower accented the center of the table, but didn’t interfere with the line of sight for people on either side of the table. We also loved a little net protective cover, weighted by ceramic beads, for the drink pitcher.

Our favorite touch: The tiny, colorful ceramic whistles scattered around the tabletop added not just color but whimsy. These, too, would be great take-home gifts for guests.

Hanley-Wood at 5611 Broadway is known for its elegance, whether you’re in the market for china, silver or something for the bar. Each table setting seems more lavish than the next. Yet for Thanksgiving, the setting includes a homey touch amid the splendor. Sure, the the china, Woodland from Spode, has a rustic, autumnal feel and the linen napkins add luster, yet the table is intimate, as if the hosts were truly thankful you’d joined them for the big meal.

A copper serving dish with a water pan and burner underneath is a practical yet stunning way of keeping a serving dish warm. Even green bean casserole seems a little more refined when served from such a beauty.

Our favorite touch: The centerpiece is a wreath made by Hanley-Wood’s owner, Annabell Ames. “It’s real easy to make,” she says. For those with no time left before the holiday, the store does sell them.

Neiman Marcus in the Shops at La Cantera, 15900 La Cantera Parkway, reminds us that not all Thanksgiving dinners are over-sized family affairs. For some, the holiday will be a time for a private tête-à-tête. This table features both a sense of seasonal charm and a touch of romance. The Spring in Budapest china from Anna Weatherley, atop a Simply Anna charger, is complemented by Flower Garden, a piece of art glass designed by Amanda Brisbayne.

Our favorite touch: The turtle napkin holder from Jay Strongwater strikes a playful note that softens the formality of the setting. The exquisite, hand-enameled piece features Swarovsky crystals.

John Griffin contributed to this article.  Photos by: Nicholas Mistry

What happened to the whipped cream?

Deciding what to serve for Thanksgiving dessert can be fraught with as many emotional landmines as preparing the menu for the rest of the meal.

Some people only want pumpkin pie or pecan pie. Others want anything but.

But most everyone agrees on one thing: Dessert is as important as the turkey and all the trimmings.

I always enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie with whipped cream on top (OK, I can enjoy almost anything with whipped cream on top, but that’s another story). I also enjoy trying something new, yet with respect to tradition. So, this year, I’m going to try an Apple-Brandy Tart from Plaza Club chef Dan Lewis’ cookbook, “Discover Ironstone Vineyards.” And I’ll hope that one of the other guests brings along the pumpkin pie.

Diana Barrios Treviño's Family Favorite Cheesecake

Many of the desserts you’ll find make great use of the season’s bounty: apples, pumpkin, pecans. But the format can be different, such as Pumpkin-Spice Layer Cake.

Or the dish can something you love year-round, such as cheesecake, which has become a tradition in Diana Barrios Treviño’s family.

Whatever you try, remember that dessert, though it comes at the end of the meal, can usually be made the day before. So, save yourself some time and make your favorite pie or a whole array of desserts the day before. You’ll be glad to have one less thing to worry about.

Diana Barrios Trevino

Before she was married, Diana Barrios Treviño, San Antonio restaurateur and cookbook author, wanted to please her soon-to-be father-in-law. She took him one of her cheesecakes and he pronounced it good. Now, she makes as many as five cheesecakes every Thanksgiving. (After the recipe, below, check out the instructions for making this cheesecake in cupcake style.)

Family Favorite Cheesecake

24 ounces (3 8-ounces packages)  cream cheese
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Topping:
2 cups sour cream (light sour cream works, too)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sugar

Optional toppings:
Blueberries or strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the cheesecake: Mix the cream cheese, corn starch, sugar, vanilla and eggs for 30 minutes with an electric mixer.

For the crust: While the batter is mixing, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Then, line a springform pan with the mixture.  Cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Diana likes to just put crust on the bottom of the pan and just a little edge up the sides, as her family likes it that way, rather than crust all the way to the top of the pan.)

After the batter has been mixing for 30 minutes, pour it into the springform pan lined with the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.  Put a knife into the cheesecake to test for doneness —if knife comes out clean it is done.

For the topping: Mix together the sour cream, vanilla and sugar for  5 minutes.  When cheesecake has baked and cooled for a few minutes, pour Topping over the top of the cheesecake. Smooth with a spatula. Put back in the oven to bake 5 minutes, so the topping can set.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, remove ring around springform pan and cut into slices. Top with strawberries or blueberries, if desired, when serving.

Makes 1 large cheesecake.

From Diana Barrios Treviño

Cheesecake Cupcakes

Follow all instructions as above. But line muffin tin with paper cupcake liners and spoon in some of the crumb crust into each cupcake well. Press down to make a firm little crust. Spoon the cheesecake batter into the cupcake liners so that they are about 3/4 inch from the top (leaves some room for the cheesecake to rise, and for the topping.)  Bake at 350 degrees. These will not take as long to bake, so check them after about 15 – 20 minutes for doneness. Take them out and let cool slightly, then smooth on the topping and put back in the oven for 3 minutes to set the topping.

Pie from Mom is one of the treats we love most at Thanksgiving. So, here’s a recipe from my mom for her pumpkin pie, a favorite with my family for years. If your mom used a different spice blend, then modify the seasoning to your taste.

Pumpkin Pie

1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin or well-drained roasted pumpkin
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves. Stir in the eggs. Add pumpkin, then evaporated milk, stirring until thoroughly incorporated. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake for 35 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool. Top with whipped cream.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie.

From Annaliese Griffin

Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top, this is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, says Dan Lewis of San Antonio’s Plaza Club. Make the apples early in the day, but don’t bake the tart until after the big meal.

Apple-Brandy Tart

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
7 apples, peeled, cored and halved
2 tablespoons apple brandy or brandy
Pinch of salt
Cinnamon
1 puff pastry sheet

Place the butter and sugar in a 9-inch oven-proof sauté pan and arrange the apple halves in the pan. Sauté the apples over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the sugar is caramelized and the apples are brown. Add the apple brandy, salt and cinnamon to taste and turn the apples in the pan until the brandy is incorporated. Remove from heat and set aside. Arrange one apple in the center of the pan, core-side up, and place the others in circles around it.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut a 9-inch circle from the puff pastry. Cut the trimmed dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips and piece together a rim around the edge of the pastry. Place the pastry circle, rim side down, on top of the arranged apples and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the pan from oven and turn over onto a serving place. Cool slightly and cut into 8 pieces. Serve warm.

Beverage suggestion: Brandy

Makes 8 servings.

Adapted from “Discover Ironstone Vineyards” by Dan Lewis