Spiced Pumpkin & Pecan Butter

It's happening. I caught a glimpse of a non-green leaf, the sun is looking different, days are shorter and orange is beginning to show up in my garden. No matter how hard I try to resist the pumpkin trends until September, I rarely have enough will power.
This particular recipe came to be after purchasing a jar of a similar nature at a cook/foodie haven; W-S. As I handed over way too much cash, my only thought was "I wonder if they have plastic spoons for the car ride home". I looked up many copycat recipes and made several batches, this is my favorite! I have found Effie's Nutcakes to be the perfect complement as well!

SPICED PUMPKIN & PECAN BUTTER

zest of 1/2 lemon and orange, grated finely (I also use candied peel, 1 Tablespoon each orange & lemon, I dare say it may be even better than the zest)
4 cups pumpkin or squash puree ( If using homemade puree, drain in jelly bag a few hours after roasting)
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons orange juice
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Molasses (I use the robust or blackstrap)
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon each allspice, cloves and ginger

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Cook 25-30 minutes until very thick. Taste and adjust seasonings and sugar, keeping in mind the flavors will deepen upon sitting for a few days. Stir in 1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans. Fill sterilized jars and refrigerate or freeze when cooled. This recipe is not appropriate for canning as the filling cannot reach proper internal temperature. It keep about 3 months+ in fridge, at least a year in the freezer.

Pumpkin Soup Concentrate for freezing

It's fall y'all!
Every year about this time, our rural roads are full of pumpkins sitting on wagons and in wooden crates for mere pennies. I coerce John into pulling over and picking up at least 15 pie pumpkins that leave our hands dirty and filled with those weird little slivers that pumpkin stems give you. Maybe a little sticky thrown in.
But they're homegrown and only $5. I proceed to put them in the garage and slowly use them until it freezes here permanently and they are ruined....until a couple years ago. I now process the buggers right away. Procrastination is never my friend.
I thought you might like an easy freezer recipe to deal with pumpkins and winter squash in a creative and useable way!
I begin by cutting my PIE pumpkins (or any winter squash) in half and roasting them until tender. I then scoop flesh into a suspended jelly bag or cheesecloth and allow to drain at least 6 hours. This keeps the puree drier and less likely to hold water during freezing. Once drained I mash and make this recipe:

Pumpkin Soup Concentrate

2 cups pumpkin or squash puree
4 ounces blue cheese (I used Maytag)
4 ounces Mascarpone cheese
1 cup chopped onions
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
Salt & Pepper

Saute onions in olive oil until softened but not browned. Stir in remaining ingredients and pack into freezer containers.

For soup add: 2 cups heavy cream, coconut milk (unsweetened) + 1 cup stock of choice or 3 cups stock

For flatbreads: Using already baked flatbreads: top with pumpkin and bake 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Top with prosciutto crumbles and greens that have been lightly dressed with balsamic vinegar

I have been working on a souffle recipe as well and will update when the exact proportions are complete!

posted from Bloggeroid

Chocolate Loaf Cake & Pumpkin Sage Beer Bread Recipes

Good Morning! Thanks to all that came ove to The Boulevard market last night for our tasting! As promised, here are the recipes for the Chocolate Loaf and Pumpkin Beer Sage Bread. You can find the Pumpkin Fondue recipe HERE. Enjoy and happy weekend!

CHOCOLATE LOAF

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup NATURAL cocoa powder (I used Valrhona that we sell at the market. This is not the same as "Dutched" and you won't get the same results substituting)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks (I used Callebaut 66%)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 loaf pan or use 3 disposable pans.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together all liquid ingredients including eggs and egg yolk. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until well combined. Add chocolate chunks. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I baked the small pans 1 hour and 10 minutes and thought it was a little too long, I should have taken them out at an hour. They were just a bit too dry and crumbly for my preference. Cool in pan for 20 minutes and gently tap out to remove.


PUMPKIN BEER SAGE BREAD

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup hearty dark beer
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter, slightly cooled
3 Tablespoons fresh Sage, sliced thinly
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9 inch loaf pan.

Melt butter and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin adding the beer carefully to prevent a foam over, then stir in the butter. Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold gently until just combined. Stir in sage and walnuts and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes and remove from pan.

My Christmas Morning Menu

The only meal I am hosting this Christmas is breakfast for John's folks.  I know they would prefer I make bacon, eggs, toast...diner style.  It's a good thing they are used to my weird-ness with food so here is my menu and recipes!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Cider Syrup
Baked Eggs with Asparagus
Panettone with melted fresh butter
Fresh fruit with dip (my MIL is bring)
Bacon

The Pumpkin Pancakes are a recipe I modified from Paula Deen's Souffled Pumpkin Pancake recipe.  I wanted a fluffy pancake with great pumpkin flavor, so I changed things a bit and make them individual in a skillet.  They taste great with pure maple syrup or I made the Cinnamon Cider Syrup (50-50 blend of maple syrup and cooked down apple cider) back in the fall and left it to steep in the cellar.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pecan halves
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup pumpkin puree 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 
Melt 2 Tablespoon butter in a small pan and add brown sugar, when dissolved, stir in pecan and saute about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Melt remaining 3 Tablespoons butter in mixing bowl and whisk in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Whisk in the dry ingredients and when combined, fold in pumpkin puree until just combined.

I sprinkle the pecans on top of  pancake batter as they cook, or you can use for garnish when serving.

CINNAMON CIDER SYRUP

I simply reduced 2 cups of local apple cider down to about a 1/2 cup, over low simmer in a small saucepan.  It took about an hour.  I then added an equal amount of pure maple syrup and a 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick.  I put the combo in a small jar in the cellar in October and it's delicious!
BAKED EGGS

You can find my recipe for Baked Eggs on this blog!  Just use the search bar!

PANATTONE;
If you've never tried Panattone, it's really special and delicious!  A light and airy, slightly sweet bread
 studded with candied oranges, citron and raisins that is crafted in a tall round loaf from Italy.  Tradition calls for slices unadorned, yet I LOVE a slice brushed with melted butter!  Just enough to make the slice glisten, but not enough to soak in.  You could also serve with mascarpone, a triple creme cheese from Italy or batter with beaten eggs and saute like french toast!  i just adore a hunk of it with my morning coffee too!

FRUIT DIP;
1 jar marshmallow fluff
1 8ounce package cream cheese, softened

Beat them together with flat beater until combined, serve with fresh fruit like grapes, sliced bananas, strawberry halves and cubed pineapple and watch the whole damn dish disappear within minutes.  This is evil, evil dip.

I hope your Christmas is merry, drama is little and the food delicious! 

Pumpkins...

Driving through the countryside in out small slice of Michigan, you can't help but notice the fields full of autumnal color in every shade of orange imaginable.  Pumpkins are everywhere!  I purchased 12 pie pumpkins (they have to last through December!) on the side of the road last week!

 John and I took Pierre for an hour on the farm where he can run and sniff, and learn to come when called!  None of us were willing to cross the "bridge" over the creek!  I remember when it had boards over it...

If you haven't tried my Pumpkin Fondue from last year, here is the link, it is SO fantastic and looks outstanding!   It's a great dish to share!
http://blvdmarket.blogspot.com/2010/09/pumpkin-fondue.html

This week I made some lovely pumpkin bread and muffins from the same recipe.  I picked up these super sweet paper cups for a coffeehouse touch!

I am slicing the bread into thick 1 1/2 inch slabs and individually wrapping them for the freezer.  This gives me the opportunity to just bring out a slice at a time for breakfast or dessert.  I LOVE to whip a bit of mascarpone cheese (Italian triple creme) with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon to dollop on a slice of this quick bread!

A few weeks ago I picked up a cheap pepper grinder and filled it with small chunks of unsweetened chocolate, Belgian rock sugar and roasted coffee beans.  It has been a fun and tasty topping for homemade lattes, hot chocolate and baked goods.  I think it would also be lovely finely ground to top my pumpkin muffins and bread!

This is an old standby recipe for me.  I don't remember where it came from some 20+ years ago.  I love that it's a big batch, easily making 12 generous cupcakes and a 9X5 loaf pan, or 2 loaf pans.  These also taste fantastic when you add chopped nuts, dried cranberries or chocolate! 

PUMPKIN BREAD

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon each: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, oil and eggs.  Beat until combined and smooth.  Add pumpkin and all dry ingredients and beat to combine about 1 minute.  Add water and any additions like nuts or chocolate and stir to combine.

Pour batter into lined or greased pans.  Bake loaf pans for 50-60 minutes, cupcakes for 35-40 minutes depending upon fullness.  
 

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's been a chill Halloween day for us. John and I no longer have small children (and the cat holds a grudge if dressed up!) so we live vicariously through our trick or treaters and spent the day doing fall clean up! I am still on "pumpkin/squash status" meaning most everything baked or cooked in our house contains one or both! I have to leave very early tomorrow (at least in my book) and thought I would treat my driver to some breakfast! Since I need every moment to erase sleep creases and puffy eyes, it had to be something I could prepare in advance, be eaten out of hand and complement copious amounts of COFFEE!


PUMPKIN SCONES

2 cups flour
7 Tablespoons Sugar
3/4 teaspoons Freshly Ground Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoons Freshly Ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoons Ground Cloves
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
6 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1 Large Egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients and spices. Cut in butter until mixture resembles large crumbs.

In a small mixing bowl, beat egg, cream and pumpkin until smooth. Add all at once to dry ingredients and using a fork, incorporate wet into dry. Try not to over mix, as this adds to a tougher dough.

Flatten into an 8-10" round and cut into 8 equal triangles. Sprinkle each with raw sugar. Place on a parchment lined pan and bake 12 minutes until golden. Watch carefully to make sure dough is completely cooked.

I have successfully added dried cranberries to these and they turn out great! I like my scones a bit less sweet but if you like you can also make a simple glaze of 10X sugar and milk...maybe add some additional spices to your glaze!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Fondue

One of my all time favorite vegetables is pumpkin. Sweet or spicy, baked, sauteed or pureed, I anticipate many pie pumpkins each autumn. I'm always looking for something a little different to do and this Pumpkin Fondue happens to be a fantastic recipe to make for yourself or share. {The fact that it is filled with CHEESE is a bonus in my book!} I originally made the recipe out of Gourmet magazine, but have tweaked things a bit to be more to our liking.

I adore a one-dish wonder and this is it! It can be served as an appetizer or a side to your feast. The idea that the cooking vessel is the pumpkin itself is quite trendy if you see this month's cover of Food Network magazine (or maybe it was Rachel Ray?) and shouldn't intimidate you! I use an old fashioned enamel roasting pan with perfect results and shallow enough to get the sucker out and onto a serving platter! (I made the mistake of putting it into a higher edged casserole dish the first time and it was a challenge to lift it out of the baking dish.)

The recipe calls for Swiss cheeses, but if you're a cheddar person, feel free to substitute! I have also successfully added blue cheese to my Swiss blend and it was fab! Cheese dishes taste a little bit better when you use a blend of cheeses; Gruyere and Emmentaler, Cheddar and Asiago, Butterkase and Manchego...it gives the finished dish more dimension. Some cheeses tend to be on the drier side and need a complimentary cheese to give it some goo (technical cheese term!). Shredded cheese from the grocery works well on pizza, but is not up to snuff flavor-wise for this recipe. If you want to use a squash, feel free! I made this in a butterCUP squash, a squatty, ridiculously tough skinned, dark green squash and it was delicious! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Fondue

1 5lb-ish PIE pumpkin (do not use jack o lantern type pumpkin)
1 lb. Cheese- 1/2 lb. Gruyere and 1/2 lb. Emmentaler or read above
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups stock, vegetable, chicken or veal
a generous pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
10 1/4 inch thick baguette slices, toasted until dry and crispy
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
a pinch of Salt
Remainder of Baguette sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices for eating

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut top off pumpkin and clean out seeds. Sprinkle salt onto inside flesh of pumpkin.

Chop or grate cheeses and set aside. Bake baguette slices until crunchy and golden brown. Mix heavy cream, stock and nutmeg together.

Place pumpkin into shallow roasting dish and layer baguette slices, then cheese, then cream mixture into 2 layers inside pumpkin. You may have baguette left over.












Put pumpkin top back on. Rub exterior of pumpkin with olive oil. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and pumpkin is golden brown. Using 2 spatulas, remove from baking dish carefully and place on platter. Serve with additional baguette slices or as a side dish. You'll want to scoop up the roasted pumpkin flesh with all the cheese as you are serving or eating!

It can't be the end of October?

I couldn't believe my eyes when looking back at my last post! Sept 28...what happened? October happened! October is extremely crazy for us every year with 2 of my daughters birthdays, festivals for the store and harvest at the farm. Not to mention the absolutely terrible weather Michigan has had this season! I have been cooking like mad, but instead of writing...I am falling asleep on the couch at 10pm! Apparently, blogging is not a compulsion yet, but I'm working on it! I think this morning I will make some pumpkin quick bread and muffins for the masses of teenagers sure to invade our house (AGAIN) this weekend! My favorite recipe is actually a huge batch that I split and turn 1/2 into bread and 1/2 into muffins, adding whatever seems to be on hand in the way of dried fruit, nuts, chocolate or cheese. Since there is no photo yet...please enjoy "Precious"! Actually this is Otto...technically he belongs to my youngest daughter, Jamie, but I ply him with treats for affection! He in turn brings in many dead animals (or almost dead), muddy paws and lots of cheap entertainment! Enjoy your day!

PUMPKIN BREAD
3 c Sugar
1 c Vegetable Oil
4 eggs
1 16oz can pumpkin puree
3 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg, freshly ground
1 t allspice
2/3 c water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries, chocolate chips or any combination you enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, oil and eggs and beat about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin, dry ingredients and spices. Mix 30 seconds, add water and nuts and stir until just combined.

At this point I fill one 9X5X3 inch loaf pan that has been greased and floured and then muffin tins (about 18) with the remainder of the batter. the bread takes about 50-60 minutes to bake through and the muffins about 25 minutes...watch them carefully. When finished baking,let rest in pans about 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.