Pumpkin Muffins

I have been desperate for Fall to appear here in the bay area, and despite my best efforts it still hasn't shown up. I reasoned that if I dress like it's fall and bake like it's fall, then fall will finally show up. Right? Well, apparently not because the temperatures are still in the high 70s, but this has not deterred me from turning on the oven and transforming our house to a sauna like state. 

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I have an unnatural obsession with pumpkin. Which is why it surprised me when I was looking over my blog archive and it dawned on me that I have not published many of my pumpkin recipes.  Well this must be fixed at once!  This recipe is a keeper and all credits go to Smitten Kitchen.  These small muffins are light and fluffy, yet they pack a wonderful punch of fall flavor and pumpkin spice.  A perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee.  Dare I say Pumpkin Spice Latte?

 

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 25 mins

Makes: 1 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-oz can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp pumpkin-pie spice (a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice)
1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Equipment: 12 foil or paper muffin liners; a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups

DIRECTIONS:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350F. Put liners in muffin cups. Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, 1 1/2 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Acorn Squash Lasagna

Not your typical lasagna! Ricotta cheese and pureed squash make a rich, creamy filling that is both salty and sweet.  This lasagna is a great use of leftover winter squash from your garden.

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

Olive oil, for baking dish

4 cups of Acorn Squash Puree (2-3 squash)

2 tbsp butter

½ tsp dried rubbed sage

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 no-boil lasagna noodles, half of an 8 ounce package

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare the Acorn Squash Puree:  Slice acorn squash into quarters and scoop out and discard the seeds.  Place squash slices face down in ¼ cup water and bake at 375 for 30 – 45 minutes or until tender.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

When cool enough to handle, scrape out flesh from squash quarters and transfer to a food processor (discard skin).  Process until smooth.  In a medium saucepan, combine squash puree with 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Cook over medium heat until hot, 3 to 4 minutes. 

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with oil; set aside.  In a medium bowl, mix squash puree with sage, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  In another bowl, mix ricotta with ½ cup parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Set aside.

Lay 2 lasagna noodles in the bottom of a prepared dish; spread with half the squash mixture.  Repeat layering with remaining noodles and mixtures.  Sprinkle top (ricotta mixture) with remaining ½ cup Parmesan.

Cover baking dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until lasagna is heated through, about 45 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Hint: If you don’t have time to make the squash puree, you can use two frozen packages that have been thawed.  I don’t think it is nearly as tasty, but it would work in a pinch. 

Persimmon Cake

On a recent trip to the Farmer's Market, I brought home a bounty of persimmons and I wanted to make something different than the typical cookies or bread that people usually make with persimmons.  Similar to pumpkin bread, this recipe is thick and moist and it would be delicious even without the cream cheese frosting - but the frosting is quite luxurious! 

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

2 cups persimmon pulp

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9x13 inch loaf pan or Bundt cake pan.  Peel and chop persimmons into small chunks and place into a food processor. Pulse the persimmons until they form a smooth pulp.

Whisk together the flour baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl, set aside.  Whisk together the eggs, persimmon pulp, milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until smooth.  Fold the persimmon mixture into the flour mixture until no dry lumps remain.  Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 mins.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese

5 tbsp butter, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

1-2 cups powdered sugar

Water as needed

Place cream cheese, butter and vanilla into a medium bowl and blend together using a hand mixer.  Slowly add in powdered sugar until the mixture forms a sweetness and consistency that you like.  If the mixture is too stiff, add small amounts of water as needed. Add more water for a runny glaze-like icing and less for a thick creamy icing.

Split Pea & Sausage Soup

Prep time: 20 mins to overnight

Cook time: 2 hours

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups of basic vegetable or chicken stock

1 onion, chopped

4 leeks, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3 celery stocks, chopped

1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 2/3 cups split peas, soaked overnight in cold water to cover, drained and rinsed

1 bouquet garni (2 fresh parsley sprigs, 1 fresh thyme sprig, and 1 fresh mint sprig)

1 tbsp molasses

4 Bockwurst, Wienerwurst, or frankfurters, cut into 1-inch lengths

Salt and pepper

Crusty bread, to serve

DIRECTIONS:

Pour in the basic vegetable stock.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, apple, peas, bouquet garni, and molasses and bring to a boil.  Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, skim off any foam that rises to the surface, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.

Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper and remove the discard the bouquet garni.  Stir in the sausages and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti

This was my first attempt at making biscotti and I was quite pleased at how they turned out.  Golden-green, mildly salty pistachios and deep red, sweet and tangy dried cherries complement one another beautifully, both in color, and flavor. I see many more biscotti recipes in my future!

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 60 mins – 1 hour

Makes: 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

6 tbsp butter

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

1 cup dried cherries

coarse white sparkling sugar for sprinkling on top, optional

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one large (about 18" x 13") baking sheet.  

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs; the batter may look slightly curdled. At low speed of your mixer, add the flour, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky. Stir in the pistachios and cherries.

Divide the dough in half, and plop both halves onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them.  Shape each half into a long rectangle about 10 1/2" x 2" wide x 3/4" tall; remember, you need to leave space for expansion between the pieces of dough. Straighten the rectangles, and smooth their tops and sides; a wet spatula or wet bowl scraper works well here.

Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Using a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water, lightly but thoroughly spritz the two pieces of dough, making sure to cover the sides as well as the top. Softening the crust just this little bit will make slicing the biscotti without crumbling easier. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Wait 5 minutes, then use a sharp chef's or serrated knife to cut the biscotti crosswise into 1/2" to 3/4" slices. Or cut the biscotti on the diagonal, for fewer, longer biscotti. As you're slicing, be sure to cut straight up and down, perpendicular to the pan; if you cut unevenly, biscotti may be thicker at the top than the bottom, and they'll topple over during their second bake.  If you've used parchment on your baking sheet, remove it; save it for another day. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet, on edge; they can be very close together. 

Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 35 to 40 minutes, until they feel very dry and are beginning to turn golden. They may still feel a tiny bit moist in the very center, if you break off a piece; but they'll continue to dry out as they cool. You'll want to start checking the biscotti around the 30-minute mark; the ones on the ends of the pan, or any smaller biscotti, may be ready to come out of the oven earlier than the larger/middle-of-the-pan biscotti. Remove the finished biscotti from the oven, and cool them right on the pan.

Black Bean & Roasted Pumpkin Salad

Pumpkin season is upon us! After a long hiatus from my kitchen, I am ready and in full swing to embrace this wonderful season and squash. This recipe proposed an interesting challenge as I have never cut up a pumpkin before (other than to turn it into a jack-o-lantern).  I chose a large garden variety, rather than a small sweet pumpkin, which I suspect would have turned out better in flavor and color. This recipe only calls for 2 cups of pumpkin, so you are left with an abundance of left over squash.  Moral of this story: Sometimes smaller IS actually better!

Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cubed pumpkin
¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained rinsed, drained
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup sliced red onion
¼ cup sliced cucumber
¼ cup sliced celery
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Roast the pumpkin: Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss pumpkin in 2 tablespoons olive oil with garlic and place in a glass baking dish. Drizzle 3 tablespoons water in dish and bake until softened, 20 minutes. Removed and cool.

Prepare the salad: Combine black beans, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, celery, and parsley in a large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Add cooled pumpkin, toss gently, and serve.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Makes: 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

8 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, 4oz coarsely chopped, 4oz cut into 1/4-inch chunks

1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.  Melt coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

Transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla; mix on medium speed until combined.  Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.  Fold in chocolate chunks. 

Scoop batter using a 1 1/2 inch ice scream scoop; place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces begin to crack, about 15 minutes. Transfer on parchment to wire racks.  Let cool 5 minutes.  Cookies an be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

NOTE: The cookies should seem a bit soft when you take them out of the over.  They firm up as they cool, so be careful not to over bake them.