Halloween

There isn’t much time left before the ghosts, ghouls and goblins descend on our city with the long awaited arrival of Halloween.  Children and adults alike will don costumes and roam the town in search of candy, or perhaps some witches brew, the phone number of a cute little vampire or maybe even a kiss from a werewolf.  Whatever your poison, Halloween is a time of fun and festivity- a night full of magic!
In addition to trick-or-treating, I have developed other Halloween traditions throughout the years.  I always have to read some Edgar Allan Poe (if Victorian Gothic can’t get you in the mood for Halloween, nothing will).  I will watch as Linus waits in the pumpkin patch, and likely a Tim Burton flick or 2, and I will most certainly make an obscene amount of pumpkin cookies.
Awesome.
I came up with this recipe about 5 years ago and I have been making them every Halloween since. They don’t last very long though. Especially if you have little monsters tall enough the help themselves from the plate.
I call these cookies, but they are more like a half cookie, half scone. They are fluffy and not too sweet, but there is a lovely vanilla cinnamon glaze that gives them just a touch of sweetness, if that is what you desire.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
½ cup of butter, softened
1 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
A dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1 ¼ cups of flour
1 ½ cup of quick oats
1 cup of pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl- Add the egg and continue to mix.
In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, nutmeg and baking soda- gradually add to the butter mixture.

Once all of your flour is incorporated, stir in the oats, and then the pumpkin.
(Feel free to add white choc. chips, nuts or dried cranberries as well.)

Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a cookie sheet, flattening the mound a bit.
Bake for 10-12 minutes
Let cool on a rack.
While your cookies are cooling, you can mix up the glaze. It isn’t necessary to glaze them, but it is pretty darn good!

Glaze
1 cup of powdered sugar, sifted.
A capful of vanilla extract
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
Milk

Mix the first three ingredients together.  Add milk, teaspoon by teaspoon until all of the sugar is dissolved, and the mixture is smooth.

Drizzle over the cooled cookies and let the glaze set, an hour or 2.

Then it is time to enjoy! Have one (or 4) with a cup of warm cider, or tea. Don’t forget to bring a plate across the street to the neighbors!  I brought a plate of these and some biscotti for a housewarming gift- I am looking forward to hearing what she thought! 

I wish you a safe and fantastic Halloween!
Don’t forget to take pictures of your cool costumes!

* Originally Published 10/25/2011 on TBnewswatch.com

Pumpkin White Chocolate Creme Brulee

When I think back over all of the Thanksgivings I have celebrated, the menu hasn’t changed much. Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy. As a kid with the fragrant smell of roasting turkey wafting through the house, I loved to sneak French fried onions off the top of the casserole, and stick black olives on my fingers popping them one by one into my mouth.

As much as I love tradition, I also like to break the rules. I think that it is completely acceptable to make something fun and new. It’s a holiday, celebrate! Why not!

This is a recipe that I had been monkeying around with for a few years and I am certain it would be a really amazing end to a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, and maybe even a good way to even impress your mother-in-law! 

Pumpkin White Chocolate Crème Brulee

2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup 2% milk
2/3 cup brown sugar
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
Cinnamon-dash
nutmeg- pinch
cloves-pinch

Heat your oven to 300 degrees F

Heat  the cream, milk and spices in a saucepan over medium heat.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, mix the yolks and the sugar.

When the cream starts making tiny little bubbles around the edges of the pan, remove from the heat and stir in the white chocolate chips. When they are melted pour 1/3 cup of the cream mixture into the eggs and quickly stir to temper the eggs. Then add the rest of the cream and mix well. Add the pumpkin and stir until incorporated.

Pour your mixture into ramekins. Depending on the size of your ramekins this could be anything from 1/2 cup to over a cup. Fill them up and put them in a cake pan. Pour boiling water into the pan until it reaches 1/2 way up the sides of the dishes. Note- your ramekins are in the water, you are NOT putting water into the ramekins.

Put it in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until they are mostly set, just a little wobbly in the middle.

Remove from the oven and chill for a few hours.  

To serve, put 1 teaspoon of sugar on the top of each dessert.  Put the crème brulee under the broiler and let the top start to harden and turn a golden brown colour. You must watch them very closely, because burning happens very quickly under the broiler. Alternately- it you have a cooking torch; you can use that to caramelize the sugar.

Serve with a shaving of white chocolate on top.

Have a lovely holiday and enjoy the long weekend!

The Great Pumpkin

Fall is here at long last. I don’t know of anyone who is immune to the charms of autumn. The crisp cool air, the riot of colour in the trees, and the embrace of a cozy sweater.

With the onset of fall also comes many traditions. Going back to school of course, but also a trip to the pumpkin patch. Even though it is not yet October, the feeling in the air is ripe for pumpkin picking.

On Saturday I took my 2 boys to Pumpkinfest at Gammondale Farm.  They frolicked in the hay, enjoyed a pumpkin shaped cookie, and watched in amazement as gourds flew through the air at the Pumpkin catapult, culminating with a satisfying splat as each airborne pumpkin eventually met its messy fate.

After decorating a mini pumpkin with festive ribbons and feathers, we set out to find our lovely Halloween pumpkins. The boys each picked one to bring home and eventually carve and I chose a few of the edible squashes.

First- I picked  up a blue Hubbard Squash- I actually picked it because it was so ugly I felt bad for it. Leave it to me to get emotional about a gourd.  It looks like a pachyderm squash.

Secondly- I chose the festively whimsical Rouge vif d’Etampes, also known as the Cinderella pumpkin, due to its resemblance to the pumpkin which ferried Cinderella to the ball. This heirloom variety of pumpkin was allegedly served at the second American thanksgiving- so the variety has been around for a while. It is this beauty that I decided to cook first.  My one pumpkin yielded a ton of flesh and I had not only enough to make a monster batch of Pumpkin gnocchi, but also a huge pot of delectable pumpkin soup.  This soup is truly the taste of fall. It is warm, satisfying, and even good for you!  Ready to go?

Ok.

Pumpkin Soup

1 pumpkin

2 apples or pears

1 cup apple juice

Sage

Cinnamon

S and P

Maple syrup

Cream

 Heat your oven to 400 degrees. While it is heating prepare your pumpkin.

VERY CAREFULLY Cut the pumpkin into quarters. Scoop out the seeds and discard or save for toasting.

Place the pumpkin pieces on a cookie sheet and coat with a tablespoon of olive oil- use your hands to rub it in. Put the apples or pears on the sheet as well, and put into the preheated oven.

Roast 30 minutes to an hour. You will know that the pumpkin is cooked through when a knife slides easily through the hard outer shell and through the flesh. When this happens remove from the oven and let cool.

Once cooled- spoon the soft squash away from the shell and into a large pot. Cut the apples into quarters, and remove the skin and seeds.  Put that into the pot as well. 

Add your apple juice, and then enough water to cover the pumpkin.

Bring to a simmer and let the pieces of squash really fall apart.

Remove from heat and process with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender.

Return to heat, and begin to add seasonings. Add some salt and pepper, a few pinches of cinnamon or clove, and a few sage leaves.

Let the soup simmer until it is at the desired consistency.

Check your seasonings, and adjust if needed.

To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and add a drizzle of maple syrup and splash of cream if desired. Find a really sexy sage leaf, and add as a garnish.

Such a lovely way to celebrate the season!

(originally published 9/26/2011 on TBnweswatch.com)

Pumpkin Pizza!

October is my favorite month of the year; cool weather, falling leaves, and of course pumpkins! I generally try to put pumpkin into anything I can whether it be cookies, scones, soup or ravioli, this year I tried out pumpkin pizza, and it was amazing. Now, it was a lot of work. It wasn't difficult, but it just took long time to prepare all of the individual elements, but I assure you, it will one of the most delicious things you have ever eaten.. I'm serious!

Pumpkin Pizza

Spread a layer of pumpkin puree on your pizza crust. Top with caramelized onions, shredded pork, and a bit of mild Cheese ( like Lappi) Bake in 425 degree oven until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

Sounds easy enough right? Here is how to prepare the individual ingredients.

Pork

The first thing that you need to prepare is the pork. I went to Maltese and got a shoulder roast. I threw that beast into the slow cooker with some with a mortar and pestle ground olive oil and garlic, and let it cook.


I always am impatient when it comes to using the slow cooker, because I want it done now dammit! I tried to shred the meat after a few hours and it was still tough..I actually got a blister on my hand from pulling pork... haahaa
I let it cook a total of about 7 hours. If you could do this overnight that would be ideal as well.

Pumpkin puree

Cut a pumpkin in half
scoop out the seeds
bake for about 45 min in a 400 degree oven
scoop out flesh and puree




Pizza dough

Of course you can but a pre-made or refrigerated shell at the grocery store, but making your own is really really easy and it tastes better. And if you are going through all the trouble for the rest of this recipe, then not making your own pizza crust is just downright lazy- you're going to ruin everything!

Mix 1 packet of yeast with 1 cup of warm water and 1T of honey. mix and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Throw on a pinch of salt and gradually add flour until you have added about 3 cups- dump the whole mess on the counter and knead it. At this point you can add some herbs to the dough- it adds flavor and is pretty.

I use this bunch of dried herbs I have hanging in my kitchen. It kinds gets in the way, and it drops herbs all over the countertops, so if you are a neat freak storing herbs this way is not for you. And yes that is a sock on the countertop.




After you knead the dough for 5 minutes, put it in a bowl, coat with some olive oil, and cover the bowl with a clean towel.. let sit in a warm place.



Once it has risen punch it down and let it rise again... wow- this is starting to sound like a bad punk rock song.
Find the biggest pizza pan, jelly roll pan, or cookie sheet you own and spread the dough, building it up about 1 inch at the edges. poke holes in it with a fork.


The crust needs longer to cook than the toppings, so bake the empty crust at 425 for about 10 minutes
take it out of the oven and assemble.




As you an see I sectioned off my crust. I figured I would be realistic, and realize that my 4 year old was not going to want to eat this. He got plain cheese with traditional marinara sauce- right from the jar...a very fancy imported brand called Ragu.




Caramelized onions.

thinly slice 3 onions.
melt a knob of butter in a pot on LOW heat- When melted add the onions. Cook very slowly until golden..this should take about 1.2 hour to 45 minutes. Do not try to cook them faster, you will just screw everything up!






In the end this pizza was delicious! I will omit the roasted red peppers when I do this again. It might be nice with some dried fruit like apricots or cranberries