Thai Pumpkin and Tofu Curry

For me, there is nothing closer to heaven than Thai food.   I love just about any Thai dish, but if Pumpkin Curry is on the menu I will order it every time.  This isn't the first time I have tried to recreate this curry at home, but this recipe comes pretty close to the real thing.  You can used Thai red curry paste that you find in Asian grocery stores, but I have also included a recipe here if you have the time to make. 

Prep time:  1 hour, 15 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS:

6 tbsp Thai red curry paste (see recipe below)
1 14 ounce can coconut milk
½ teaspoon lime zest
1 small pumpkin or kabocha squash; peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 package firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes

½ yellow bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces

½ green bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces

½ onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
¼ cup basil leaves
1 teaspoon lime juice
Cilantro leaves to garnish (optional)

¼ cup Soybean oil

Curry Paste:

3 dried red New Mexico or Anaheim chili peppers

10 small dried red chilies, such as chiles de arbol or chiles japones

½ cup coarsely chopped shallots or onions

¼ cup coarsely chopped garlic

1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh ginger or fresh galangal

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

½ tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

For the Paste: Stem and seed the large and small dried red chilies, break them in large pieces and place them in a small bowl.  Add warm water to cover and set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In the work bowl of a small food processor or blender, combine the shallots, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, pepper and salt.  Add the softened chilies along with ¼ cup of the soaking water.  Process everything to a fairly smooth puree, stopping now and then to scrape down the sides, and add more soaking water a tablespoon or two at a time, if you need it to help grinding. Transfer the paste to a small jar and cover tightly.  The paste can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks, or in the freezer for about 3 months.

For the Curry: In a wok or large saucepan, heat the soybean oil until hot and bubbly. Add the drained tofu and pan fry on each side until slightly browned and crispy.  Remove tofu and dry off on a paper towel to remove excess oil.

In a large saucepan, cook the cubed pumpkin in boiling water until it is just cooked through, about 6 minutes (or microwave with about 1 cup water for 6 minutes) Drain and set aside.

Heat a large sauté pot over medium-high heat. Add the red curry and stir for a few seconds, then add the coconut milk and lime zest. Cook for five minutes, then add the bell-pepper, onion, sugar, fish sauce, basil leaves, and lime juice until onions are translucent and cooked through. Add the cooked squash and tofu. Bring to a boil again and cook until the squash is soft, about 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired. Serve with Jasmine or brown rice.

Pumpkin Gingerbread with Orange Glaze

You can either make this gingerbread as a loaf or muffins. Either way, the orange glaze adds the perfect finishing touch. I made this for a work meeting and it was almost entirely devoured before we started! This is another winning recipe from King Arthur Flour. 

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Makes: 2 loaves or 24 muffins

3/4 cup (6 ounces) butter or vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cup (9 ounces) brown sugar
2 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup (2 ounces) crystallized ginger, minced
1/2 cup diced pecans or chocolate chips (optional)
3 large eggs
2 tbsp(1 1/2 ounces) molasses
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin 

Orange Glaze:

1 1/4 cup (5 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon tangerine oil or orange oil OR 1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) water or milk

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare your pans -- grease two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans for loaves; if you're making muffins, grease 24 muffin cups or line them with muffin papers.

In a large bowl beat together the butter and brown sugar until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, ginger, and nuts (if you're using them) then mix well; the batter will look crumbly. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in both the molasses and the pumpkin until they are evenly distributed. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips (if you're using them). Scoop the batter into the greased loaf pans or the muffin cups - filling the cups about 2/3 full.

Bake the muffins in the preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned on the edges and the middle springs back when touched. Bake the loaves at the same temperature for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan(s). Let it cool a bit then glaze, if you like (see below).

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together all the glaze ingredients until smooth, adding additional liquid, a bit at a time, until the glaze has the consistency of molasses or will drizzle from a spoon in a long strand.

For a shiny finish, brush the glaze over the bread or muffins while they're still warm; for a thick white finish, cool the bread completely before glazing.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Makes: 16

INGREDIENTS:

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and butter lining.

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.

With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Spooky Spiderweb Brownies

I came to an important realization while making this recipe: I cannot follow directions.  I have been excited about making these brownies for months ever since I decided to host the Halloween potluck at work.  Normally I opt for box-made brownies because I think they are just as good (Sacrilegious, I know).  

I found this recipe on King Arthur Flour and they seemed simple enough and so perfect for a Halloween party.  The picture shows one large spiderweb, seemingly thick so I assumed that one 8'' pan would suffice.  I'm pretty sure I even read that in the footnotes. Wrong!  I ended up having to cook these brownies so long since the batter was so thick in one pan that the spiderweb turned brown. Horror or horrors!  I decided to post it anyhow since it's such a cute idea and the brown web doesn't look too horrible.  Let's just hope it isn't rock hard! 

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Serves: 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp espresso powder

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 cups chocolate chips

Spider web mixture:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp All-Purpose Flour

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp mint flavoring (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan or two 8’’ round pans.  In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Or simply combine the butter and sugar, and heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. 

Continue to heat (or microwave) briefly, just until the mixture is hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the mixture to this point will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth. Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips. Spoon the batter into the lightly greased 8" pans.

To make the spider web:

Combine the cream cheese, sugar and flour in a small bowl, and mix until smooth. Add the egg yolk and flavoring (if using), mixing until smooth once again. Transfer the mixture to a disposable pastry bag, and cut just the very tip off the end.

Place a small pool of the mixture in the center of the brownie batter. Draw circles around this pool, about 1 inch apart, moving out from the center each time. Once the circles are drawn, take a table knife, wet the tip, and draw it back and forth through the circles. Once you've gone all the way around the circles, take up your pastry bag again. Use the remaining filling to trace the path where the knife traveled, to create the spokes of the web.

Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, until the brownies just barely pull away from the edge of the pan. The center will rise while baking, but will sink back level once the brownies are cool. Remove them from the oven and cool before cutting.