Peanut Butter and Julie

Pumpkin Gingerbread Doughnuts

Much like my dad, I have a weakness for doughnuts.  Unlike my dad, I cannot eat as many doughnuts as I want without turning into a doughnut.  If you inherit the weakness, then it should be a given that you also inherit the metabolism, right?  *Sigh*  So unfair.

 

 

My dad is particular to those cinnamon-sugar coated apple cider doughnuts found at the farm stands during the fall months.  I, in a rare turn of events, am less picky.  Cake, yeast-raised, Boston cream, glazed, powdered sugar, holes, crullers, sprinkles, spice, chocolate, coconut......I pretty much like 'em all.

I have, however, always been much more partial to the Dunkin' Donuts variety vs. any of the other brands.  And for some reason Krispy Kremes don't appeal to me at all.  Must be a raised-in-the-northeast thing.  Biting into a powdered cake or a glazed chocolate Munchkin immediately takes me back to elementary school recess.  Those special "Munchkin Days" were the best days ever!

 

Not only do I love to eat doughnuts, I have also developed a fondness for making them from scratch.  There is something very satisfying about producing a beautifully raised and glazed, perfectly round batch of doughnuts and holes.  Maybe it's the "You made those?!?" reaction, which you are almost guaranteed to hear (although it usually comes out more like "Yuh muh thuh?!?", due to mouth full of doughnut.)  Or maybe it's due to you conquering that somewhat daunting task of frying pastries, and then thinking to yourself "Hey! I made those!" ("Ah muh thuh".)

 

When I do prepare doughnuts, I need to find a home for them, stat (after the requisite sampling, of course.)  Otherwise I'll pick at them, crumb-by-crumb, all day long.  This distributing of the doughnuts, as you can imagine, is not the most difficult of tasks.   I have yet to find a potential recipient whose reaction is of the "Fresh doughnuts?  Thanks, but I'm good" persuasion.

These guys are going to the FedEx office.  They always get my stuff where it needs to be when it needs to be there, and they run a lot this time of year, so I figure that donuts are just what they need.

 

I've been on a huge gingerbread kick lately: creme brulee, macarons, and my planned recipe for Thanksgiving breakfast, blueberry gingerbread pancakes.  So, creating a gingerbread-flavored doughnut has been on my list.  I decided to give this recipe an extra fall kick with the addition of pumpkin puree in the dough, which also helps to keep these treats nice and moist.  As far as toppings go, some people love a glaze, while others go for the sugar (while some of us, ahem, go for both.)  So, I have included maple glaze and a spiced sugar options below.

 

 

These doughnuts would be a welcome addition to breakfast for your family and guests on Thanksgiving morning -- or on any morning this holiday season.  Because the dough can be prepared in advance, all that needs to be done that day is the cutting, frying, and glazing/sugaring.  Enlist kids or a willing helper to assist with the rolling and cutting portion as well as the finishing touches.  Anything leftover from breakfast will taste great served alongside hot cider as a mid-day treat.

 

Here are some extra tips for making these holiday-spiced sweets:

• If you like an extra punch of ginger in your gingerbread, chop up some crystallized ginger and add it to the dough, or sprinkle it on top of the glaze for garnish.
• You can also dress up theses doughnuts even more by adding chopped dried cranberries, raisins, or toasted nuts to the dough.
• When cutting out the shapes, try dipping the cutters in flour first.  This helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the cutters.
• One of the handiest tools that I own for frying is a spider skimmer, pictured below.  It facilitates removing items from the fryer while draining.  I found mine for about $4 at the international market, in the Asian foods section.

 

Pumpkin Gingerbread Doughnuts

Printable Recipe

Makes about 15 doughnuts and holes

Ingredients:

4 cups cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

2 tablespoons shortening (preferable butter-flavored)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsulphured molasses

2/3 cup sour cream

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Canola oil for frying

For the spiced sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon

For the maple glaze

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3-4 tablespoons hot water

In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening with both sugars at medium speed until well combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the molasses and beat for one minute more, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the pumpkin puree.  Add this mixture alternately with the dry ingredients to the electric mixer bowl, mixing after each addition until combined.  At this point, the dough should be very sticky and resemble buscuit dough.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover, and chill for at least one hour or overnight.

Place enough canola oil in a large pot to reach 2-inches in depth an place over medium heat.

For the spiced sugar: Stir together the sugar and the spices in a medium bowl.

For the maple glaze: In a medium bowl whisk together the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, maple extract, and maple syrup.  Whisk in enough of the hot water to yield a thin glaze.

Transfer the chilled dough onto a generously floured work surface and roll out to a 1/2-inch thickness.  Using either a doughnut cutter or two round cutters (about 2 1/2-inches and 1-inch in diameter), cut the dough into as many doughnuts and holes as possible.  Carefully reroll any scraps and cut out more doughnuts and holes.

Once the oil has reached a temperature of about 325F degrees, add the doughnuts and holes, a few at a time, to the pot, making sure not to crowd them.  Fry the doughnuts for about 15 seconds, then carefully flip them.  Fry them for about 1 minute, until golden brown, then flip and fry again on the other side for about 1 minute more, until dark golden brown.

Transfer the doughnuts to a wire rack set over paper towels to drain and continue the process with the remaining doughnuts.

If using the spiced sugar, toss the still warm doughnuts in the sugar mixture until coated on all sides.

If using the glaze, dip one side of the still warm doughnuts into the glaze, then place them on wire racks until the glaze sets, about 15 minutes.

 

Holiday Entertaining: Gingerbread Creme Brulee

Broken items in our home don't tend to become fixed items until it is absolutely necessary for them to be fixed.

It wasn't until we had guests coming over for dinner on the patio that we deemed it "necessary" to mend the outdoor speaker system, which had been a problem for months. So Eric spent the better part of the day with his head stuck into our audio-visual center (better him than me), changing wires, turning knobs, and mumbling something about calling The Geek Squad.

Then there's the kitchen cabinet, which I "accidentally" kicked in one particularly stressful afternoon. Long story. I don't really feel the need to fix that just yet. It kinda adds character to the space.

 

I feel very fortunate to have two ovens in my kitchen, since I obviously spend quite a chunk of my waking hours there. One oven is a convection, and the other is conventional, and on many occasions they have been in use simultaneously.

A few months ago, as I was roasting sweet potatoes in the convection oven, I heard a click. The oven had apparently become possessed, locking by itself and starting the cleaning cycle. I couldn't turn the oven off, and I couldn't open it, so I watched in a panic as the internal temperature rose, and rose. My poor little foil-wrapped potatoes were trapped, about to meet their demise. Eric ran to the fuse box and flipped off the oven, which I was finally able to open when it had completely cooled. By then, the unsalvagable sweet potatoes were pathetic piles of burned mush.

Hoping that this was just a one-time fluke incident, I continued to use the oven.  The next few attempts ran smoothly, with no charred chicken or blackened brownies.  When I was toasting bread for bruschetta, however, it happened again.  Click.  Lock.  Heat.  Ugh.

Since that day, I have worked in a one-oven kitchen, avoiding what I know will be an expensive repair, including phrases like "new motherboard" and "expired warranty." Fortunately, I haven't really needed the second oven......until now.

 

 

Like many of you foodies out there, when I do Thanksgiving at my house, I like to do it BIG, I like to do it ALL, and I like to do it FROM SCRATCH.  Yes, it's a ton of work, and I turn into a flour-stained, sleep-deprived mess for 48 hours, but I love the whole process, and I thrive on the frenzied schedule.  Last year, I didn't get to cook, so this year we are having a group in our home.  Two ovens will be needed.  Time to fix the oven.

Even with two working ovens, it's crucial that my menu contains some items that can be prepared well in advance, and which do not require any sort of reheating.  I'm also planning for the potential news that whatever ails my oven will require an out-of-stock part which takes two weeks to arrive.  Make-ahead desserts are a must.

Whenever I host Thanksgiving, I like to do a buffet of dessert options for my guests.  Of course we have something in the pumpkin and apple families, but I also like to throw in a little cranberry, a dash of chocolate, and my personal favorite, gingerbread.  Having gingerbread cap off your turkey day meal is akin to Santa Claus ending the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade -- it welcomes the Christmas holiday.

This year, I am planning to serve a Gingerbread Creme Brulee dessert in small ramekins.  That way, guests can take a little bit of everything.  This dessert can definitely be prepared in advance and chilled, and the small cups provide a nice visual contrast to the larger pies, tortes, trifles, and cakes.  The warm spices in this dessert mixed with the cool, creamy custard and the sweet, caramelized top are sure to make your guests feel very thankful!

 

 

 

Here are my extra tips for making these marvelous make-ahead desserts:

• If you have a hand torch for making creme brulee, by all means use that as opposed to broiling them. I received one several years ago as a gift, and while I don't use it often, I definitely have fun with it when I can!
• If you aren't serving the creme brulee immediately after caramelizing the tops, you can chill them for several hours, loosely covered or uncovered. It is best to serve them fairly soon after caramelizing though, for a nice crisp crust that contrasts with the creamy filling.
• Crystallized ginger can be a bit hard to find, but this time of year it is easier. Look in the bulk foods section of your grocery store (where the grains, nuts, flours, dried fruits are stored in bulk), in the dried fruit section, or sometimes it is even in the produce section. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, I've found that they sell bags of the ginger at a fairly reasonable price.
• If you don't have ramekins or creme brulee dishes, you can use small oven-proof cups (just be sure that they are indeed oven-proof!)

 

Gingerbread Creme Brulee

Printable Recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups half and half

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

8 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon molasses

6-8 tablespoons granulated sugar

Lightly sweetened whipped cream and chopped crystallized ginger for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.

In a heavy medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the cream and the half and half to a low boil, and then turn off the heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and molasses until well combined. Gradually add the hot mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until thoroughly incorporated. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat for 1 minute more, whisking constantly.

Divide the custard among 6-8 ramekins (4-6 ounce sizes work the best), filling them almost to the top. Place the ramekins in a large baking dish with deep sides, spacing them apart. Pour enough hot water into the baking dish so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake the custards for 30-40 minutes, or until the tops are set.

Carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish and transfer them to a baking sheet or a tray that will fit into your refrigerator. Chill the custards until they are very cold, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat the broiler. After the custards have chilled, sprinkle the top of each with about 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Watching closely, place the ramekins under the broiler until the sugar starts to caramelize and turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Allow the creme brulees to rest for a few minutes, and then serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of candied ginger (optional).

 

Holiday Entertaining Series: Sweet and Savory Cocktail Cookies

At 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning, on my way to the kitchen to make granola, I pulled up to the Starbucks drive-though.

"Good morning!  Welcome to Starbucks!  Can I interest you in one of our wonderful breakfast wraps?!!?"

"Uh, no, thank you.  Just a venti-non-fat-extra-hot-latte, please."

"One ventinonfatextrahotlatte coming right up, Julie!  I'll see you at the window!"

I don't know why, but I'm always a little bit embarrassed when the baristas know me from my order through the drive-through speaker.  True, there aren't many customers who consistently show up at 5:30 in the morning with my exact order, but I do go to Starbucks a lot.

At the window, I handed Stacy (I don't really know that her name is Stacy, but she looks like a Stacy) my Starbucks gold card -- like I said, a lot -- to pay, and in exchange I received.......

A RED CUP!!

 

 

I was completely taken aback by the color of my caffeine vessel, practically dropping it as I reached through the window to Stacy's* extended arm.  After all, it was only November 1st -- much, MUCH too early for this sort of nonsense.  OK, I don't really think that it's nonsense.  I actually love the red cups.  But November 1 is pushing it just a bit.

Now, those of you who still haven't ventured over to the Starbucks extra-dark coffee side might be wondering what the big deal is.  Red cup.  White cup.  So what?  Allow me to enlighten you.

The appearance of the red Starbucks holiday cup is the gunshot that kicks off the frenzied holiday marathon.  It gives stores and radio stations the O.K. to start playing Bing Crosby tunes.  It means that the Salvation Army can set up in front of the supermarket and that Santa should head to the mall.  And it starts the wheels turning in all of our heads: Can I still order a fresh turkey from the butcher?  What on earth am I going to get for my dad?  Where did I store those Christmas lights in the garage? 

 

And, of course, the biggie: What am I going to serve for ThanksChristmaKkuh dinner and our annual holiday cocktail party/cookie exchange/open house??

Aaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!!!

Relax -- take a deep breath.  As luck would have it, I am armed with an arsenal of holiday recipes and ideas, which I will be posting throughout the next few months, and which I hope will give you some help with your festive events.  Some creations will be my own and some will be reprints or riffs on recipes that I have torn out from magazines over the years (my holiday file is massive!)

For starters, I have one of each.  Whenever I have a cocktail party or a finger-foods type of get together, I find that people are always impressed if I supplement the crackers or flatbread type of food with something that I created on my own.  They really shouldn't be all that impressed, since what I usually create is super easy, but that can be our little secret. 

 

 

I had made my own blue cheese coins several years ago, but I had forgotten about them until I was reading the most recent issue of Food and Wine magazine, in which Dorie Greenspan has a piece featuring three of her own "cocktail cookie" recipes.  Eric and I had a little cheese and wine shin-dig this past weekend, so I decided to make one of Dorie's sweet variations along with a savory cookie of my own.

Dorie's cookie pairs dark cocoa with a hint of spicy cayenne and a sprinkling of flake salt -- a trio that works so well together.  These cookies are versatile, pairing well with coffee and both red and dessert wines.  You could also serve them alongside peppermint stick ice cream.

My savory blue cheese, walnut, and thyme cookie is a great complement to a cheese tray, or you can just set out a bowl of them for nibbling (they will disappear quickly!)  Both varieties would also make a great hostess gift, packaged in a box so that they don't crumble

 

 

 

Here are a few extra tips for making these cute cocktail coins:

• The rolled out and frozen cookie dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept frozen for up to 2 weeks.
• The baked cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Feel free to experiment with different flavor combination:  substitute ground ginger for cayenne in the chocolate cookies, fresh rosemary for the thyme in the cheese cookies, almonds for walnuts, etc.
• Try adding some finely chopped dried fruit to the dough for another variation: figs, apricots, and cranberries would all work well!

 

Dorie's Chocolate-Cayenne Cocktail Cookies (slightly modified)

Printable Recipes

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

8 ounces butter, softened

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg yolk

Flake salt, for sprinkling

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cayenne, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with both sugars at medium speed until light ad fluffy.  Add the egg yolk and beat until well combined and smooth.  Add the dry ingredients and beat until incorporated.

Transfer the dough onto a work surface and knead it gently until it comes together.  Divide the dough in half and press each half into a disk.  Roll out each disk between 2 pieces of parchment paper to about 1/4-inch thick.  Slide the parchment paper-covered disks onto a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour, until very firm.

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Working with one layer of dough at a time, peel off the top sheet of parchment paper.  Using a 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, stamp out the cookies and close together as possible.  Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets and sprinkle with some of the flake salt.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until they are just firm.  Shift the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Julie's Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Thyme Cocktail Cookies

Makes about 6 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces blue cheese (I used Point Reyes)

8 ounces chilled butter, cubed

1 large egg yolk

Place the walnuts, sugar, and the thyme in the work bowl of a food processor; pulse until the walnuts are finely chopped.  Add the flour, salt, and the blue cheese to the bowl and pulse to combine.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add the egg yolk and process until large clumps of dough form.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form it into a ball.  Divide the dough in half, and form each half into a disk.  Roll out each disk in between two pieces of parchment paper to a thickness of about 1/4-inch.  Stack the parchment paper-covered disks on a baking sheet and freeze until very firm, at least 90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Working with one sheet of dough at a time, peel off the top sheet of parchment paper.  Using a 1 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out cookies as close together as possible and arrange about 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden.  Let the cookies cook on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

Spiced Butternut Cupcakes with Brown Butter Buttercream

 

Well, I did it again.

It has been two weeks since my last post, but that's because it was a busy two weeks.  I did have some rather lofty and laughable aspirations of posting a new recipe within 3 or 4 days of the Tate's Bake Shop giveaway (congratulations to the winner, Donna!), so I missed the mark by just a tad.  Note:  In this case, "a tad" is defined as 11 days.

So here's a rundown of past two weeks:

First, some exciting news!  Well, it's exciting for me at least.  Eric's kind of excited too, since there's a potential substantial cash prize involved.  Those two words always seem to get his attention.  Last week, after submitting a video entry, I learned that I am one of four finalists who will be vying for the title of Sterling Vineyards Ultimate Host!  Now, I don't know all of the details yet, but I do know that I will head to NYC in December to compete against the three other finalists for not only this prestigious title, but for $40,000 and a trip for four to Napa!!  AND, as if that basket of goodies isn't enough, we will be judged by none other than Padma "Please pack your knives and go!" Lakshmi of Top Chef fame.  No, I'm not at all intimidated. Not one teensy-weensy bit.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.  

You can bet that I will be praying to the Hosting Gods every night for divine hosting inspiration between now and December.

 

 

I also had the opportunity to serve as a judge for Mix 94.1's Bite of Las Vegas, our largest local food and music festival, which was loads of fun.  Basically, my job (and I use that term loosely) was to visit the 40 food vendors at the festival, sample their best menu items, and then choose the winners in about 10 different categories.  Yeah, it was rough. 

My co-judges for the event were my friend, local food critic Al Mancini, and my new friends, chef Sammy D. from First Food & Bar at the Venetian, and our reigning Miss Nevada, the beautiful Alana Lee, who is doing one heckuva job representing our state.  At 21-years-old, she has 100 times more charisma in her little toe I than ever had at that age..........but that's probably why she's Miss Nevada at 21, whereas I was waiting tables at The Outback.

 

 

The big winner of the day was a relatively unknown mom & pop barbecue joint called H&H BBQ.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it was the best barbecue that I have ever had.  I say this as a girl who lived in Texas for 6 years and who went to graduate school in North Carolina, where BBQ is a religion.  Seriously, give H&H a try.  You won't regret it.

 

 

Right after my brutal judging gig, my mom arrived for a quick visit.  Between you and me, I think that she really came to visit her beloved grand-dogs, who have the Pavlovian response of rolling over onto their backs and sticking their stomachs upwards whenever she (a.k.a. Chief Belly Scratcher) enters the room.

In between belly-scratch sessions, Eric and I took her to see the Cirque du Soleil show, The Beatles LOVE, which is by far my favorite of all their Las Vegas shows.  To be honest, I'm not quite deep enough to really understand all of the symbolism that occurs during the show.  I think that the creator might have had some, ahem, herbal assistance when he was coming up with his ideas, if you get my drift.  It was still extremely entertaining, and I will definitely see it again.

And then, right after my mom departed, Eric came down with the flu over the weekend.  No offense, but you men are such babies when you are sick.  As a result, we missed our dinner out to celebrate our 8-year anniversary.  On the bright side, as Eric put it, "At least I was able to go back to work on Monday and maintain my 16-year streak of no missed work days."  Such a hopeless romantic, that Eric.

 

So in addition to all of the above and my work obligations, I have two big fat recipe flops to blame on this delayed post.  Occasionally I'll have one idea that works really well in my head, but it is either a complete failure in the taste or the appearance department (or both.)  Most food bloggers out there know that, even if your creation tastes extraordinarily yummy, it is extraordinarily tough to sell it to your readers if the picture doesn't do it justice.  So, recipe #1 was a mess in the photo department.  

Recipe #2 was just a mess.  Period.

Fortunately, the third time was a charm.  I had been experimenting with butternut squash puree in desserts instead of pumpkin, inspired by this year's rumored pumpkin shortage.  The butternut puree has a higher water content, and the flavor is not quite as bold as pumpkin, so there was a bit of trial and error involved with the ingredient ratios.  That said, when you roast the butternut squash before pureeing it, it becomes extra sweet and caramel-ly, which sets it apart.  These butternut cupcakes are super moist and basically interchangeable with pumpkin cupcakes in the event of a pumpkin stock-out.

Now, onto the really important stuff:  Let's discuss the buttercream.

 

If you've never had anything with brown butter in it or on it, I'm really, really sorry. Nutty, rich brown butter is not only one of the best aromas in the world, it transforms everyday recipes from ho-hum to woo-hoo!  The idea occurred to me to take my simple vanilla buttercream recipe and replace the regular butter with brown butter.  What resulted was one of the best, if not the best, simple buttercreams that I have every made.  Addictive. I could not stop taking little samples here and there.....and there.  See the little flecks of the brown butter in the photo above?  I'm kicking myself for not making a triple batch (suggestion: make a triple batch).

 

Here are some extra tips for preparing these squash-based sweets:

• The brown butter buttercream can be prepared up to five days in advance and chilled, covered, until ready to use.  Allow it to come to room temperature before proceeding.
• Make some extra brown butter and chill it separately.  Use it for spreading on toast or warm rolls, topping pancakes and waffles, or on a baked sweet potato!
• Butternut squash puree:  Preheat the oven to 425F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.  Spray the foil/parchment with nonstick baking spray.  Using a sharp chef's knife, halve a large butternut squash lengthwise and place the halves, cut sides down, on the baking sheet.  Pierce the halves several times with the tip of the knife.  Bake the squash until it feels soft to the touch and the skin has browned, about 40-50 minutes (depending on the size.)  When the squash is cool enough to handle, remove the seeds and the pulp with a large spoon.  Remove the peel and transfer the flesh to the work bowl of a food processor.  Puree the squash until smooth.
• If you have any leftover squash puree, save it for a healthy side dish!  Mix it with some cinnamon and maple syrup -- yummy!

Spiced Butternut Cupcakes with Brown Butter Buttercream

Printable Recipe

Makes about 28 cupcakes

For the cupcakes

1 cup canola or safflower oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup golden brown sugar, lightly packed

4 large eggs

2 cups butternut squash puree (see tips above)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Brown Butter Buttercream

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3-5 tablespoons heavy cream

Prepare the cupcakes:  Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil with both sugars until well combined and smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat in the butternut squash puree and the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butternut mixture, beating until smooth and well combined.

Using an ice cream scoop (or a spoon) transfer the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.  Bake the cupcakes until the tops are firm and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean, 16-18 minutes.  Allow the cupcakes to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the buttercream:  Place the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat.  Melt the butter, stirring occasionally, and continue to cook until the butter has turned deep brown in color and it has a nutty aroma.  Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a bowl.  Chill the butter until it has firmed up but is still soft enough to stir.

Place the butter, confectioner's sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat the mixture on low speed until well incorporated, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and beat until combined.  Add the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well for 30 seconds after each addition, until your desired buttercream texture is achieved.

Decorate the cooled cupcakes with the buttercream, either by spreading with a knife or by using a piping bag.

Spiced Sweet Potato Ice Cream Pie

I've said it once.  Actually, I've probably said it about 1000 times, but that's not going to stop me from saying it again:  I love sweet potatoes. 

I've never been a huge fan of white potatoes themselves.  I know;  that's very un-American.  Baked potatoes don't thrill me, and I'm rarely tempted by french fries.  Luckily, Eric consumes enough of those to fulfill my quota.  And mashed potatoes?  The majority that I've tasted are just blah.  There was this one restaurant that we went to, which served a sort of mashed potato "tasting" with your entrees, including lobster mashed potatoes and truffle mashed potatoes.  I'll admit that those versions were pretty darn outstanding.  But let's face it:  You can add lobster and truffles to just about anything and make it outstanding.  In that situation it wasn't really about the potatoes, now was it?

My first memories of sweet potatoes are probably similar to those of most people, ones that involve Thanksgiving dinner.  My mom would always make candied sweet potatoes, using the canned version in syrup, cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, and I think raisins (Mom, am I right?)  The tops of the potatoes would get nice and caramelized in the oven, and this super sweet dish was the perfect foil to her savory gravy, turkey, and stuffing (and it tasted even better the next day.)  Since my dad and brother never indulged in orange food, other than Doritos, I could have as much as I wanted.

When I started to become a bit of a health nut, and my taste buds became less sugar-dependent, I started to realize that sweet potatoes didn't necessarily need to be doused in sugar, syrup, and more sugar to be delicious.  They were, after all, SWEET potatoes, right?  Sometimes for dinner, I'll just roast up a red-skinned variety and top it with the tiniest amount of butter, cinnamon, and maple syrup:  heaven.  The same applies for the very similar tasting, but even lower calorie butternut squash.  I consume these two vegetables on such a regular basis, it's a wonder that my skin hasn't turned a spray-tanned Snooki shade of orange by now.

Sweet potatoes and butternut squash are a great substitute for pumpkin in most recipes, and I'm always trying to think of new ways to incorporate them into my cooking and baking.  While using fresh pumpkin puree might be the only way that Martha Stewart rolls, it's a huge pain in the butt to make, and it's not attainable year-round.  Fresh sweet potato puree is ten times easier, so that is what I like to use in muffins, pies, pancakes, etc.

I believe that I've also mentioned about 1000 times that I'm not a huge dessert person.  Obviously, there's nothing that I love more than creating desserts.  I just like to give them away, probably because I find it much more gratifying to watch others enjoy something that I've made.  Ice cream is the exception, especially the fresh or homemade variety.  If a restaurant dessert menu offers a tasting of exotic ice creams and sorbets, it's hard for me to turn that down.  When Eric and I were in Jackson Hole this summer, I must have dragged him to the town square ice cream shop every other day to get a scoop of their local huckleberry ice cream.  I could never work in an ice cream shop.

After a humongous Thanksgiving dinner, I tend to decline dessert.  I might take a bite off of someone else's plate, just to taste, but a heavy piece of custard or fruit-filled pie is usually not even a little bit tempting.  I love the idea of serving an ice cream pie though.  It's essentially a scoop of ice cream in a thin cookie crust (in this case gingersnap), and it seems like a much more refreshing option than some other alternatives. Plus, you can use the leftover ice cream and cookies to make fun mini sandwiches for the kids...or adults who should be seated at the kids table.

I love to play around with my ice cream maker.  I have a really inexpensive version, and it has never  failed me.  This is my first attempt at sweet potato ice cream, and I was really thrilled with the results.  You can definitely omit the spiced pecans, but I think that they add some great texture and flavor.  Here are my extra tips for making this cool and sweet post-Thanksgiving dinner treat:

• Here's a great bonus ideas for a fun kids dessert: Use leftover ice cream, gingersnaps, and chopped nuts to create some fun mini Sweet Potato Gingersnap Ice Cream Sandwiches.  You can also roll the outsides of the sandwiches in sprinkles, coconut, mini chocolate chips, etc.
• The ice cream pie can be prepared up to one week in advance.  Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze.  Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving to guests.
• While you can definitely mash the baked sweet potato flesh to make a puree, I have found that a much better method is to actually puree it in a food processor, as this yields a much smoother outcome -- more suitable for an ice cream base.
• Instead of using a combination of whole milk and cream, you may use all half and half (or even al heavy cream if you want a REALLY rich ice cream.)

Spiced Sweet Potato Ice Cream Pie

Serves 8-10 (with leftover ice cream for ice cream sandwiches!)

For the ice cream:

3 medium red-skinned sweet potatoes

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the spiced pecans:

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups pecan halves

For the crust:

2 cups finely crushed gingersnaps

2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Prepare the ice cream base:  Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.  Prick the sweet potatoes several times with the tines of a fork and wrap them in foil.  Bake for one hour or until soft.  When cool enough to handle, peel and then puree the potatoes in a food processor (or mash the potatoes.)  Measure out 1 3/4 cups puree.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and maple syrup.  Place the milk in a medium saucepan set over medium heat; bring to a simmer.  Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that you won’t scramble the eggs.  Return the mixture to the saucepan set over low heat.  Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it thickens to a custard consistency, 8-10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the potato puree.  Mix in the cream and vanilla.  Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover, and chill until very cold (at least 3 hours.)

Prepare the praline pecans:  Keep the oven at 325F degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick baking spray.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until foamy.  Whisk in the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.  Add the pecans, and toss the mixture until the nuts are evenly coated.  Spread the pecans in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.  Cool completely.  Reserve 15-20 pecan halves for garnish, and coarsely chop the remaining pecans.

Prepare the gingersnap crust:  Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir together the gingersnap crumbs, sugar, and butter until the mixture is evenly moistened.  Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch glass pie plate.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set.  Cool completely.

Prepare the ice cream:  Transfer the chilled custard to your ice cream maker, and prepare according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Five minutes before the ice cream is ready, add 1 ½ cups of the chopped praline pecans to the machine.  When the ice cream is ready, transfer it to the gingersnap crust, smoothing the top (there will be ice cream left over.)  Arrange the reserved pecan halves decoratively on top.  Cover the dish and freeze for 2 hours, until firm enough to slice.

Garnish the pie slices with lightly whipped cream or caramel sauce (optional).

 

 

English Spice Cake with Cinnamon Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Oh, Oprah!  You can't leave us.  You mustn't!  We're not ready to go on without you and your show.  Who will tell us what to read?  Who will give every member of their unsuspecting audience a "BRAND NEW CAR"?  Whose couch will Tom Cruise turn into his personal trampoline?  Most important of all, who will provide us with an annual list of their Favorite Things right before the holiday shopping season?  Who?  WHO?

Well....O.K.  Stop begging.  I'll do it.  I mean, I did put together a list last year as well as the year before, so why not assemble one for this year too?  So what if it requires hours and hours of frustration trying to configure all of those links and pictures into one post?  You're my readers, and I love ya, so you're totally worth it.  Besides, I'll likely be in my post-Thanksgiving coma anyhow, so sitting with my laptop will be the perfect level of activity.

So stay tuned for Saturday's post of Peanut Butter and Julie's Third Annual Favorite Things.  One of this year's items was very easy for me to pick (there's a hint somewhere on my homepage), although I'll admit that I am a bit biased.  It's a project that I have been working on for a few years, and it is finally ready.  The other items, while maybe not as fancy-schmancy as some of Oprah's typical selections, will be items that have caught my eye throughout the year.  And no, you won't all get one of everything.  Sorry.  Harpo's budget is a bit larger than mine.

This post was originally supposed to go out on Sunday, and then Monday.  My immune system, however, had other plans.  Without being too graphic, if I wasn't curled up in a ball on the couch yesterday, I was likely one with the cool tile bathroom floor (thank goodness I had just mopped--you get an entirely new perspective from that angle.)  I felt rotten, so rotten that I didn't eat a thing until about 8p.m., and even then I could only down a cup of brown rice.  I did get my flu shot a few months ago, and I feel much better today, so it must have just been some inconveniently-timed 24-hour thing.  And hey, on the bright side, thanks to yesterday's fast, I dropped a few pounds.  Just in time for a big Thanksgiving dinner too!  Bring on the turkey, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce!

This is a two-part dessert recipe that would be perfect for any holiday get-together.  The first recipe is a slight adaptation of one that I found in Saveur magazine.  The recipe is similar to gingerbread, but it has more of a cake-like texture.  When it is baking, the kitchen smells just like a holiday kitchen should smell, full of warm spices and a hint of orange.  While the cake is wonderful on its own, why not go that extra calorie step and top each piece with some rich, rum-spiked ice cream?  Why not indeed!  This impressively delicious duo will make everyone extra thankful for your culinary skills.  Here are a few extra tips for making this scrumptious spiced dessert:

• The spice cake recipe, as listed in Saveur, calls for Lyle's Golden Syrup, a popular grocery item in the UK, but one that can be tough to find in the US.  Specialty groceries, such as Whole Foods, tend to stock the syrup, but you can also use light or dark corn syrup as a substitute.
• I didn't have orange marmalade on hand when I prepared this recipe, so I substituted apple butter and added the zest of one orange instead.  You could also substitute apricot or even strawberry jam, although I do not recommend using grape!
• This cake is best eaten the day after it is prepared and tightly wrapped, as the flavor tends to improve over time.  It will keep for 3-4 days.
• Depending on how rich you like your ice cream, you can substitute heavy whipping cream for the half and half.  You can also use all whole milk or all half and half as opposed to a combination of the two. 

English Spice Cake with Cinnamon Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Serves 12

8 tablespoons butter

1 1/3 cups Lyle's Golden Syrup

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

Zest of one orange

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

2/3 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

For the glaze

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Confectioner's sugar

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.  Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.  Spray the parchment paper.

Heat the butter, syrup, brown sugar, orange zest, and marmalade in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Cook the mixture, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.  Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.  Whisk in the milk and the eggs.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.  Add the syrup mixture and whisk until combined.  Pour the batter into the baking pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean, 45-55 minutes.

Transfer the cake to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons of butter along with the sugar and the lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Using a pastry brush, brush half of the lemon mixture over the top of the cake.  Invert the cake onto a cooling rack set over a piece of foil or parchment.  Brush the remaining lemon syrup onto the bottom and sides of the cake.  Wrap the cake in plastic and let cool completely.  The cake will keep for up to 4 days.  Cut cake into squares and dust with confectioner's sugar. 

Cinnamon Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

6 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup golden raisins

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl.  Pour 1 cup of the half and half into another medium bowl.  Whisk the milk, sugar, salt, and the remaining half and half in a medium saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.

Slowly mix the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. Return the mixture to the saucepan and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until it thickens slightly to a custard consistency(the temperature should be about 170F degrees), about 5 minutes.  Whisk the custard into the reserved half and half, and then whisk in the rum, cinnamon, and the raisins.  Cover and chill until very cold, about 2 hours.

Prepare the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover, and freeze until firm, about 4 hours. 

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Well, I did it.  After many, many unsuccessful, albeit well-intentioned attempts, I finally got it done.  It took a great deal of bravery on my part, but somehow I made it through the process without falling to pieces or passing out.

Yes, I chopped 6 inches off of my hair.

You ladies will understand how I feel.  Michael Bolton would probably understand too.  Cutting a sizable chunk of length from your hair is no easy feat, especially when your hair has been at the same comfortable length for the past 8 years. 

I tend to be a very impulsive person, which can prove to be both a positive and negative attribute.  On the plus side, I shop for clothes and shoes quickly, which is great because I don't really like to shop (I know, how very un-girly of me.)  On the minus side, sometimes the results of my rash decision-making take a bit of getting used to.  Such is the case with my hair.  Did I mention that I darkened it a bit too?  My appointment was originally for a trim.  Like I said, impulsive. 

The change in my hair probably doesn't come across as all that dramatic to anyone other than myself.  I guarantee that if I hadn't mentioned it to Eric first, he wouldn't have been able to pinpoint exactly what was different about my look.  I was actually fine with the new do as I exited Color Salon, rocking expertly coiffed tresses that only hairstylists can achieve.  The shock came when I washed and styled on my own for the first time.  "Style" being a term that I use loosely, since I have absolutely no cosmetology chops whatsoever.  I'm so used to brushing and drying my long locks that the difference in length suddenly became vividly apparent.  Oh dear, what did I do?  I had absolutely no idea how to work with my new hair, immediately foreseeing weeks of baseball caps and (very short) ponytails in my future to make up for a string of perpetually bad hair days. 

I'm sure that I was overreacting, which I tend to do sometimes (right mom and dad?)  In a matter of weeks, I'll probably be well-acquainted with the new style, and maybe I'll even grow to appreciate the shorter length=greater efficiency aspect.  But at that point, I was not happy with the shear madness of my decision.  I needed to lose myself in an activity (baking of course), and I needed some comfort.

I needed a cupcake, but not just any cupcake.  I needed a cupcake that smelled, looked, and tasted like the holidays--a double dose of comfort if you will.  A cupcake with hints of ginger, cinnamon, and clove, studded with crystallized ginger and raisins and swirled with a rich caramel buttercream that had been on my mind for weeks.  Ah, yes!  I needed a gingerbread cupcake!

This recipe is actually the result of a second attempt at this idea.  The first go-round I prepared the batter using butter instead of safflower oil.  As I have found with many cake, cupcake, and gingerbread recipes, the butter produces a drier texture than one prepared using oil.  Although butter might yield a more desirable flavor, in this case any difference would be overshadowed by the spices and molasses, so I opted for the oil.  In other cases, such as vanilla cupcakes, I tend to go half-sies, using 50% butter and 50% oil.  That seems to work well.  I just hate a dry cupcake, don't you?  Bleh.

The addition of the soaking syrup is something usually reserved for layer cakes, but in this case, it adds an extra layer of ginger flavor as well as another source of moisture.  I picked this trick up complements of another recipe from Mr. Bobby Flay.  Here are a few extra tips for making these triple-ginger treats:

• The cupcakes are best eaten the day that they are prepared, but they will keep, tightly covered at room temperature, for 2-3 days.
• Crystallized ginger, also called candied ginger, can now be found at most grocery stores, but in various sections.  I have found it mixed in with the dried fruit and nut, in the produce section, or in the baking section.  The best solution is to ask!  Trader Joe's carries crystallized ginger at the lowest price that I have found so far.
• Although adding the crystallized ginger and/or golden raisins to the batter is optional, I would highly recommend it.  Not only does it add texture and a punch of contrasting flavor, but it helps to keep the cupcakes moist.
• The buttermilk in the cupcake batter may be replaced with sour cream or yogurt.
• When preparing both the buttercream and the syrup, be sure to stir the sugar until it has dissolved, otherwise it will develop a grainy texture.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Makes 12

Ingredients:

For the soaking syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger

For the cupcakes

1/2 cup canola or safflower oil

3/4 cups brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup molasses

2 large eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger or golden raisins (optional)

For the buttercream

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten in a heatproof bowl

1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1-1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

Prepare the soaking syrup:  In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and ginger.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves.  Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for 5-6 minutes, until it thickens slightly.  Remove from the heat and allow the ginger to steep for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the cupcakes:  Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil with the brown sugar and molasses at medium speed until well combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat in the buttermilk.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating until combined.  Stir in the crystallized ginger and/or raisins.

Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each just about halfway full.  Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean, 15-18 minutes.  Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack set over a piece of foil. 

Discard the ginger from the syrup.  Brush the syrup generously over the tops of the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in before applying a second coat.  Let the cupcakes cool completely.

Prepare the buttercream:  In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, stir together the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves.  Increase the heat to medium-high;  boil the mixture until the syrup turns a deep amber color, swirling the pan occasionally, about 8 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the cream.  The mixture will bubble vigorously.  Stir the mixture over low heat until the caramel bits dissolve.

Very gradually, whisk the hot caramel into the beaten eggs.  Cool the mixture to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt until light and fluffy.  Beat in the cooled caramel.  Add enough of the confectioner's sugar to achieve a smooth and spreadable consistency.  Pipe or spread the buttercream on the cupcakes.  Garnish with chopped ginger and serve.

Pumpkin-Caramel Flan with Ginger Spice Cookies

This is the second of the two recipes that I was asked to create and of the three that I ultimately decided to create. There were just too many ways for me to use the Carnation Evaporated Milk, and, try as I did, I couldn't narrow it down.  I'm really unskilled at the whole narrowing things down competency.  It's something that I need to work on.  In this case, however, the result was extra dessert--not necessarily a bad thing.

Prior to preparing this recipe, I'd never attempted to make flan.  Actually, I'd never even tried flan.  Personally, I don't find the word flan to sound that appetizing, and it can't really hold it's own on a menu next to the caramels and brulees of the world.  It sounds kind-of blah, no matter what one's approach is to the pronunciation of the "a".  Does it rhyme with "plan" or "yawn"?  I dunno.

What did intrigue me about flan is that it is essentially a pie without a crust.  I've never been much of a pie person mostly because of the crust.  There's usually just too much of it, and it's often doughy, crumbly, or, to coin a term from the preceding paragraph, blah.  I am much more partial to a flavorful filling, which gives the pie its personality.

For those of you who might miss the presence of a crust, I supplemented the flan with a simple Ginger Spice Cookie, meant to mimic the taste and texture of a gingersnap cookie crust.  Eat it separately or crumble it on top.  Either way, it serves as a perfect partner to this smooth and spiced, caramel topped flan. Here are a few extra tips for making this fantastic fall-flavored flan (try saying that 10 times fast!):

• Although the recipe says to prepare the flan in one souffle dish, I actually did it in individual creme brulee dishes.  In retrospect, these were too shallow (as noted in the photos!), so next time I will opt for deeper individual ramekins. 
• If preparing individually-sized flan, the baking time decreases to 35-40 minutes.
• The flan can be prepared one day in advance.  Chill it overnight covered loosely with plastic wrap.
• The cookie dough can be prepared 3-4 days in advance and chilled, tightly covered.  The baked cookies will keep, covered, at room temperature for 2-3 days, or you can wrap them and freeze them for up to 2 weeks.
• A great use for any leftover cookies would be to turn them into a pie or tart crust.  Grind them in a food processor, toss them with a few tablespoons of butter, and press them into a pie/tart pan.  Proceed as you would with any other cookie crumb crust.

Pumpkin-Caramel Flan with Ginger Spice Cookies

For the flan

Serves 8-10

2 cups sugar

1 cup whole milk

1 1/3 cups Carnation evaporated milk

5 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons tequila

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.  Heat a 2-qt souffle dish on a sheet pan in the middle of the oven.

Place 1 cup of the the sugar in a heavy medium saucepan oven medium low heat.  Cook the sugar, stirring with a fork, until it is melted and golden brown.  Continue to cook the caramel without stirring, swirling the pan, until the caramel is deep golden, 3-4 minutes.  Immediately remove the hot dish from the oven and pour the caramel into the dish, tilting it to cover the bottom and the sides.  Set the dish aside.

Scald the whole milk and the evaporated milk in a saucepan; remove from the heat.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs with the remaining cup of sugar until smooth and creamy.  Beat in the salt, pumpkin puree, tequila, and spices.  Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture while the mixer is running until well combined. 

Pour the custard over the caramel in the dish.  Set the dish in a hot water bath with the water coming halfway up the sides of the dish.  Lower the oven temperature to 350F degrees.  Bake the flan until it is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center emerges clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.  Carefully remove the dish from the water and transfer it to a rack to cool.  Chill the flan, covered, until very cold, about 6 hours.

Unmold the flan:  Run a knife around the flan to loosen the sides.  Wiggle the dish from side to side until the flan moves freely in the dish.  Carefully invert the flan onto a serving dish.  The caramel should pour out over and around it.  Cut the flan into wedges and serve with the ginger spice cookies.

For the cookies

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

1/2 pound butter, softened

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1/3 cup honey

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

Turbinado Sugar (such as Sugar in the Raw)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Mix in the honey.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix at low speed until combined.  Gather the dough into a ball and transfer it to a sheet of plastic wrap.  Flatten the dough into a disk and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Pour about 1 cup of the turbinado sugar into a shallow dish.  Roll the dough into 1-inch (approximately) balls, and roll them in the sugar.  Transfer the balls to the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.  Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand (or the bottom of a glass.)  Working with one sheet at a time, bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until they are golden brown and cracked on top.  Repeat baking process with the rest of the dough.  Cool completely.

 

Ina's Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

One of the benefits of the site Epicurious.com is that visitors can read recipe reviews written by those who have already tried the recipe out.  These reviews are very helpful to me when I am trying to narrow down my choices, and although I am relying on other peoples' opinions, a long list of positive or negative reviews is usually a good indicator.

That being said, one of my pet peeves is a review on Epicurious that starts out with the reviewer listing  the multiple changes that he or she made to the original recipe.  This sometimes goes on for paragraphs.  Inevitably, the posting ends with the reviewer telling us how incredibly awful and inedible the recipe was.  What a surprise.  You changed virtually every ingredient, the oven temperature, the cooking vessel, and the technique, and the recipe didn"t turn out perfectly?  Go figure.  As far as I'm concerned, "reviews" such as these are not only a waste of space, but they skew the results of what could be a "four fork" recipe.

My friend Meredith has this same grievance, and apparently we are not alone.  She found this Epicurious review one day while looking at a recipe for Bacon and Mushroom Mac and Cheese (I know--yum!)  This witty individual does a fantastic job of mocking the type of review that I detailed above--enjoy!:

"In keeping with the proud tradition of the cook from Jamaica Plain, MA, I say RECIPE SCHMECIPE! So instead of macaroni I substituted shredded eggplant boiled in 7up instead of water. Rather than make a cheese sauce, I combined mayonnaise, lingonberry jam, 4 cups of sea salt and one large casaba melon. Bacon? You must be kidding. No, I used half a pound of sweetbreads and one whole flounder. I baked the dish at 550 for 3 hours, then moved out of town to start a new life as a palm reader in Fresno. This dish was truly a life-altering one and I highly recommend it to all adventurous epicures."

Pretty funny, huh?  Epicurious is not the only site featuring these types of reviews.  A few nights ago, I watched the Barefoot Contessa's Thanksgiving dessert special on Food Network (Jacob, a.k.a. Food Network Addict, was lucky enough to be personally invited by Ina Garten to be part of the show---soooo jealous, but he did a great job!)  Ina prepared the most fantastic looking spiced gingerbread, which I swore I could smell as it baked in her enviable kitchen.  Immediately deciding that this is a must-try recipe, I logged onto FoodNetwork.com to print it out.  To my surprise, the recipe showed a 3 out of 5-star rating, a rarity in Ina's case.  As I read the reviews, only 1 reviewer had actually prepared the recipe!  The others simply speculated on whether eggs had been left out of the ingredient list, followed by a low rating.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Being the Ina Garten fan that I am, I felt obligated to try the gingerbread recipe, as written, so that I could write an educated review.  Plus, I was really craving gingerbread.  Well folks, I am very happy to report that no eggs are needed!  Ina's extremely fragrant gingerbread came out of the oven nicely risen, dark, and moist.  The unique addition of crystallized ginger and golden rum-soaked raisins adds texture and a bit of a kick.  It is indeed a delicious, perfect-for-the-holidays recipe--not that I ever doubted you, Ina!  Here are a few extra tips for making Ina's seasonal spiced dessert:

• I made a few modifications to Ina's recipe, and the gingerbread still turned out to be delicious (I love a flexible recipe!)  I used a 9-inch square pan instead of an 8-inch.  I also added the raisins along with any remaining rum, as opposed to just the raisins, to the batter.  Finally, I topped the finished gingerbread with powdered sugar instead of the glaze.  I have always preferred gingerbread this way, but I'm sure that the glaze is outstanding too )maybe next time....)
• Ina also suggests serving the gingerbread with lightly sweetened rum whipped cream.  Just flavor sweetened whipped cream with a little bit of rum instead of vanilla.
• Crystallized ginger can be found in various parts of your grocery store, depending on the company.  Whole Foods sells it in the bulk bins.  Some grocery stores keep it in the produce section, while others place it in the natural foods area.  You might even find it in the baking aisle.  When all else fails, ask an employee for help!
• Although it is probably best eaten the day that it is made, the gingerbread can be stored, tightly wrapped, for 2-3 days.  Wrapping it tightly will help to retain moisture.  The flavor will intensify a bit over time. 

Ina's Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

Serves 9

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dark rum

1/2 cup golden raisins

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup unsulphured molasses

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons orange zest

2 1/3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/3 cup minced dried crystallized ginger

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2-3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.  Spray the parchment paper.

Place the rum and the raisins in a small saucepan, cover, and heat until the rum boils.  Turn off the heat and set aside.  Place the butter and the molasses in another small pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Cool for 5 minutes, then mix in the sour cream and orange zest.

Whisk together the flour, baking, soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a medium bowl.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture and mix only until smooth.  Drain the raisins and add them and the crystallized ginger to the mixture with a spatula.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.  Set aside to cool completely.

When the cake has cooled, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice and pour it over the gingerbread, allowing it to drip down the sides.  Allow the glaze to set.  Cut the gingerbread into squares and serve.   

One Potato, Two Potato....

  "For me, a plain baked potato is the most delicious one......It is soothing and enough."

                                                             -M.F.K. Fisher, food writer

Hmmm......  Now I know that I am not alone among food bloggers when I tell you that M.F.K. Fisher is one of my favorite authors, whose talent for discussing "the art of eating" redefined food writing.  That being said, I am going to have to respectfully disagree with Ms. Fisher's statement above.  While a plain baked potato may indeed be "enough," it would need some sort of topping in order for me to find it "soothing,"  and there are several other potato dishes that rank higher on my delicious-ness scale.

That's the thing about potatoes.  Options for their preparation and presentation are so numerous that people rarely agree about which version represents the superior spud.  At any given mahogany paneled, power lunch steakhouse across America, diners are inevitably presented with a double-column list of  "meant to be shared"  potato dishes, which complicates the ordering process.  No two people ever want the same thing.  One diner prefers Lyonnaise, the second can't live without steak fries, the third wants to splurge on the signature truffled mashed......

A similar situation occurs during Thanksgiving, usually when one is a guest at someone else's house.  Those who can't imagine a plate of turkey without a side of marshmallow-topped pureed sweet potatoes are served cider-glazed candied yams.  Garlic-roasted red bliss potatoes might take the place of traditional creamy mashed Yukon Golds, so perfect for drizzling with gravy.  Some, like my dad and brother, never touch the sweet potatoes (more for me!), while I take only the tiniest taste of the mashed, just to make sure they turned out nicely. 

While it would be nice to please everyone with their favorite potato recipe, that's probably not the best use of your time or ingredients.  Besides, they can serve it when they invite you as a guest next year.  This is your show, and Thanksgiving is about being a gracious, thankful guest anyhow, right? I like to look at Thanksgiving as an opportunity to try out some new dishes, perhaps discovering a new favorite as a result.  Here are three different variations of potato side dishes: A mashed potato recipe incorporates tangy soft goat cheese and fresh sage in with the creamy Yukon Gold potatoes.  Pureed sweet potatoes are topped with half roasted salted cashew streusel and half toasted marshmallows, so guests will have options.  The sweet and savory version I'll admit is more of a gamble, combining the two, but I was surprised by how well they paired together.  Here are my extra tips for this tasty trio of Thanksgiving sides:

• Both types of mashed potatoes can be prepared up to 3 hours in advance.  Cover and let stand at room temperature.  Rewarm the potatoes over low heat, adding extra milk if necessary. 
• The sweet potato portion of the two-toned potatoes can be prepared up to 6 hours in advance and then refrigerated until ready to bake.  The cashew topping can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. 
• If you don't want to use goat cheese in the mashed potatoes, feel free to substitute another variety.  Grated Parmesan, white cheddar, or Gruyere would all be good alternatives.
• Instead of topping the "two toned" potatoes with a cashew topping, you can substitute hazelnuts or pecans.  If the nuts are not salted, then add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the topping mixture.
• Save any leftover cashew topping to sprinkle over baked sweet potatoes or oatmeal for breakfast.
• You can prepare individual portions of the two-toned sweet potatoes (as I did in the photo) by using 8-10 ounce ramekins.  These only need to bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Creamy Goat Cheese and Sage Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4-6

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 ounces soft goat cheese

1/3 cup whole milk, plus more if needed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes until tender, about 12 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and then return them to the pot.  Add the goat cheese, milk, and butter.  Mash the potatoes until all ingredients are incorporated and they reach your desired consistency.  Mix in the sage and season with salt and pepper.  Serve, garnishing with extra sage leaves, if desired.

Two-Toned Sweet Potato Casserole

(adapted from a recipe in Saveur magazine)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

4 pounds sweet potatoes

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted,

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

2 large eggs

3/4 cup lightly toasted salted cashews

1/2 cup golden brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.  Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet; bake until soft, about 1 hour 15 minutes.  Let the potatoes rest until they are cool enough to handle.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350F degrees.  Peel the potatoes and then pass them through a food mill or a ricer into a large bowl.  Whisk in the evaporated milk, sugar, 3 tablespoons of the butter, orange zest, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and the eggs.  Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart  baking dish.

In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together the cashews, brown sugar, flour, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter until coarsely ground.  Crumble the cashew mixture over half of the casserole and top the other half with the marshmallows.  Bake until the marshmallows are golden brown, 25-30 minutes.   

Sweet and Savory Mashed Potatoes

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 bay leaf

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons butter

3 cloves roasted garlic, mashed

Salt and pepper to taste

2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons orange zest

Bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add the Yukon Gold potatoes and the bay leaf.  Simmer the potatoes, covered, until the potatoes are fork tender, 15-20 minutes.  Drain, discard the bay leaf, and return the potatoes to the pan.

Meanwhile, bring 6 cups salted water to a boil in another large saucepan.  Add the sweet potatoes.  Simmer, covered, until the potatoes are fork tender, 15-20 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the cream, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan.  Mash the Yukon Gold potatoes with a hand masher, adding the garlic and half of the cream mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mash the sweet potatoes, stirring in the bananas, remaining cream mixture, maple syrup, cinnamon, and orange zest.  Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, gently fold both batches of potatoes together to combine.