Archive for the ‘Pumpkin’ Category

It’s fall! [Insert girly squeal here]

I know, I know. Your calendar says differently. But allow me to present to you my evidence:

See?

You might have noticed that things have been rather quiet around here. And if you haven’t noticed, let me tell you: things have been rather quiet around here. Most of the things we own have just had their two-month protective cover of drywall dust removed and the top of my kitchen island is no longer being used as temporary tool storage.

I’ve recently shaken the whole first trimester “food is gross” feeling. After living off of Campbell’s soup, Townhouse crackers, and Chick-fil-A, I’ve actually started cooking again. And just in time for fall! (I haven’t even looked at comments/email yet… sorry.)

I’m certain that I’m not the only one with fall-food cravings. The canned pumpkin shelf at Kroger looked liked it was hit by a tornado – or at least pre-hurricane shoppers. I scavenged for a couple of cans and left positively giddy. Have I mentioned how excited I am about it being fall?

A lil’ ol update: Y’all. Let’s talk about those leftovers. Whip up your favorite french toast batter and put the rest of that loaf to bed! I used AB’s recipe, subbing maple syrup for the honey and adding 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. [Swoon] The pecans lost some of their crunch so they didn’t add anything special to the french toast – I might leave those out next time.

Pecan-Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon-Honey Butter
3/4 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick + 1 Tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs, at room temp
7.5 oz canned pumpkin (1/2 of a 15oz can)
1 5/8 cup (210 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 heaping tsp all-spice
1/2 heaping tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup milk
Cinnamon-Honey Butter (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans out on a baking sheet and toast 5-7 minutes. Let cool. Prepare a 9- or 10-inch loaf pan (baking spray, butter + flour, etc).

Add remaining ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix at low speed until just combined. Fold in pecans and pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes (check with skewer after one hour) or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from the pan, and cool completely on a baking rack. Serve warmed with whipped honey-cinnamon butter. Wrap leftovers (riiiiight) tightly.

Yields: 1 9- or 10-inch loaf
Source: Southern Living, October 2002

Cinnamon-Honey Butter
2 sticks butter, at room temp
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Place softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed and add honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix for 1-2 minutes more. Turn softened butter out onto parchment paper or plastic wrap, roll into a log, and refrigerate until firm.

Source: Food Network

Originally uploaded by Confections of a Foodie Bride.

Some people have pie with their Thanksgiving dinner. We have Thanksgiving dinner with our pie. The kitchen island held the turkey, dad’s baked beans, and an array of sides but the “dessert table” was where the real fun was. Growing up, the dessert table took up the entire bar:
- 10-12 chocolate pies
- 1-2 pumpkin pies
- 2 deep dish pecan pies
- Whipped cream for the pie slice(s) of your choice
- Mom’s fruit salad
- A miscellaneous pie/cake/dessert (if I get lucky, this is a rockin’ mincemeat pie!)

Our Thanksgiving traditions have run like clockwork for as long as I can remember:
1. The night before is Pie Night. All pies are baked or no one goes to bed. We go to sleep to the smell of pie and wake up to the smell of turkey.
2. Dad gets up at dawn to start the turkey and dressing. One oven, 4 bakers. The idea of getting his stuff out of the way early makes him seem like the smart one… ’til the alarm goes off at 5am. After all these years, I’m still convinced that the joke is on him
3. Dad is back in bed by the time Mom gets up to make chocolate gravy, eggs, and biscuits for breakfast.
4. Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is on background TV – the entire house stops mid-task (chopping veggies, cooking, washing dishes, or running after a wayward grandchild) to watch Santa roll on through – and then someone pops in A Christmas Story. ‘Cause you always need a reminder that you will shoot your eye out. Just ask my little brother.
5. We eat.

6. Half of my family roots for our favorite team, which is always whoever is playing the ‘pokes. Tomorrow, we are Seattle Seahawks fans. The other half of the family will root for Jessica Simpson’s boyfriend – and for that shameful act, they will not be allowed to eat dessert.
7. We eat pie.
8. We put up the Christmas tree.
9. We eat more pie.
10. And somehow we still have room for even one more slice of pie.

Pumpkin pies were (and maybe still are) the most under-appreciated pie at our Thanksgiving. The only reason my mom even baked one pumpkin pie was because somehow it was my sister Angie’s favorite pie. Far more easier to make than the army of 12 chocolate pies, I’ve grown to really appreciate the dessert over the last few years.

Paired with a fantastically buttery and flaky pie crust that has never let me down, there is nothing I am looking forward to eating tomorrow more than a slice of this pie topped with a dollop of Bourbon-Whipped Cream. More than once today have I thought about the conversation that would unfold if I brought the pumpkin pie in and set it down on the cake plate tomorrow morning, one slice missing.

Pecan Pumpkin Tart
1 9.5-inch removable-bottom tart pan prepared with 1/2 recipe Pate Brise, unbaked*
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups Pecan Pumpkin Butter (homemade or 1 jar store-bought)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 recipe Bourbon-Whipped Cream (follows)

Preheat oven to 450. Whisk eggs until blended. Whisk in pumpkin butter and cream until well combined. Pour into tart pan prepared with dough. Bake for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 350. Bake for an additional 35-40 minutes or until center is just set. (A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.) Serve at room temperature.

* I’ve been using this pie crust for probably close to 12 years. I’ve experimented with other recipes but I keep coming back to good ol’ Martha’s Pate Brisee. Super buttery, tender, and fantastically flaky – this is exactly what pie crust is supposed to be like.

For decoration: Using a floured leaf-shaped cookie cutter (I have a few different sizes from a Wilton fondant and gumpaste set), cut leaves out of the dough scraps. Place on greased parchment, mark with a wooden skewer or toothpick, brush with egg wash, and bake at 350 until golden brown. Place baked leaves on finished tart and serve.

Bourbon-Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp Bourbon
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Whip the cream, vanilla, and bourbon in the bowl of a stand mixer. Once the whisk attachment starts to leave traces in the cream, add the confectioners sugar. Beat until soft peaks form and serve. You can make a couple of hours before and refrigerate before serving.

Filling adapted from: Muirhead Foods

I cannot consider any trip to the mall complete without a 20-minute detour in the over-priced-kitchen-store-that-will-not-be-named. We like to slowly creep along the aisles, pointing out $30 garlic presses and $100 pairing knives, and making mental notes of which products that we need to look-up online later (we rarely buy anything there unless we’ve Googled the product to death and cannot find it cheaper elsewhere ).

We bought a few jars of Pecan-Pumpkin Butter at said store last fall and used it for holiday baking. That stuff is terrific. I’m not the only fan – an entire loaf of pumpkin bread was gone before Thanksgiving dinner last year and the brie – oh my goodness, the brie (slather it on a wheel of baked brie, wrap it in puff pastry and devour). At $10 for less than 2 cups, it’s a wee bit cost-prohibitive to load up for a marathon baking session or to just stand there and eat it with a spoon (another serving suggestion that I highly recommend).

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