Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Scones, a la Starbucks
For the Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
6 tbsp cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tbsp half-and-half
1 large egg

Powdered Sugar Glaze
1 cup plus 1 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp skim milk

Spiced Glaze
1 cup plus 3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp skim milk
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Prepare the Scones:
Preheat the oven to 425F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Use a fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and form the dough into a ball.
Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle about 3 times as long as wide. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut each of the portions in an X pattern (four pieces) so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Make the powdered sugar glaze:
Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth. When scones are cool, use a brush to spread plain glaze over the top of each scone.

Make the spiced icing:
While the powdered sugar glaze is firming, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced icing. Drizzle over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (about an hour). Attempt not to devour all the scones at once.

12 scones

Pumpkin Bread

1 cup pumpkin 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 eggs 1 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil 1 tsp. grated orange peel 1/2 cup pecans 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. salt Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat together sugar, oil, eggs and orange peel. Stir in pumpkin and remaining ingredients. Turn batter into an oiled loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Brush top of loaf with melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar, maple sugar, turbinado sugar or white sugar.

Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream

10 first-course servings

5 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, halved, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 6 cups)
2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 large)
1/2 cup chopped peeled carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled cored, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 cups apple cider, divided

2/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream
Chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium high heat. Add squash, leeks, carrots, celery; saute until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Mix in apples, thyme, and sage. Add broth and 1 cup cider; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Boil remaining 1/2 cup cider in heavy small saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Cool. Place sour cream in small bowl. Whisk in reduced cider.

(Soup and cider cream can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool soup slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold,then cover and keep refrigerated. Cover cider cream and chill. Bring soup to a simmer before continuing.)

Mix whipping cream into soup. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with cider cream. Top with chives.


From The 2006 Bon Appetit Cookbook

Butternut Squash Ravioli in Cider Broth

I am waiting for a special occasion to try this, but it sounds delicious. I found the recipe here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/104456

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

32 (about) gyoza (potsticker) wrappers*

1/3 cup chopped shallots (about 2)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned broth
1/2 cup apple cider

Shaved Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place squash, cut side up, in baking pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with syrup; dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Pour 1/2 cup water into bottom of pan. Bake until squash is tender, about 1 hour. Cool completely.

Scoop out squash into bowl. Mash. Transfer 3/4 cup squash to medium bowl (reserve remaining squash for another use). Mix in ricotta, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons parsley and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

Place wrappers on work surface. Place 1 level tablespoon filling in center of each. Brush edges with water; fold each in half, pressing edges to seal. (Ravioli can be made 4 hours ahead. Arrange in single layer on foil-lined baking sheets dusted with flour. Cover and refrigerate.)

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large pan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add stock and cider; simmer 8 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Working in batches, cook ravioli in pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, divide ravioli among shallow soup bowls. Bring cider broth to simmer; ladle over ravioli. Top with shaved Parmesan.

*Available at Asian markets, gyoza wrappers can also be found in the refrigerated section of many supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute wonton wrappers and cut into 3 1/2-inch rounds.

Bon Appétit
December 2000

Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 8

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2" chunks
1 box low sodium-chicken broth
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1-2 cups light cream or half and half
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring as needed, until softened, about 5 min. Add spices.

2. Stir in the squash and cover with broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until squash is tender, about 30 min. Uncover and simmer 5 min more.

3. With a slotted spoon, squash to a blender or food processor and puree. Stir the puree back into the liquid. Taste and adjust spices as necessary. Stir in the cream. Increase the heat and cook until heated through, about 2 min.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Thyme

From Cook's Illustrated The Quick Recipe, p. 129

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 medium onion, chopped ifne
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 T. chopped fresh thyme leaves
3/4 cup chicken broth
salt
1 lb. gemelli or spiral pasta
2 T. chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese, plus a bit more for table
1 -2 T. lemon juice to taste
black ground pepper

1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in large pot.
2. Place almonds in a large skillet and set over medium high-heat. Toast, stirring often, until the almonds are fragrant and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. REturn the pan to medium-high heat, add the oil, and heat until oil is shimmering but notsmoking.Add the onion and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes. Add the squash, thyme, and broth; reduce the heaet to medium and cover. Cook until squash is tender but retains its shape, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add 1 T. salt and the pasta to the boiling water, stir to separate, then cook until al dente. Reserving 1 cup of pasta water in a measuring cup, drain pasta and return to the cooking pot. Add the squash mixture, parsley, Parmesean, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Mix until combined, adding more cooking water as neccessary to moisten the pasta. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.

Mike's Birthday Party Menu

prosciutto-topped mushrooms

cheesy cucumber bites

Red Velvet Cake

fruit, cheese, & crackers tray

Mulled Apple Cider
Mix one gallon apple cider with one 5.65 oz. package Aspen brand mulling spices (available at Hallmark) and warm on stove or in slow cooker.

Sam Adam's Octoberfest seasonal ale

Paula Deen's Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake

1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix or spice cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.

3. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.

4. Pour filling from step 3 onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point!

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares, top with a pecan half.

Butternut Squash Soup

This was so delicious and easy enough for a weekday meal. The soup is nice and thick; the Canadian bacon and broth keep the calories and fat down while maintaining a delicious flavor. The original recipe said "makes 4 servings" but I had more like 8 servings - about 3 quarts. It could be that I used a bigger squash then the 2 pound one required; I didn't weigh it. Also the original recipe called for 4 teaspoons of minced fresh sage and black pepper as the only spices; I changed that up for our tastes but you could try it either way.


One 2-2 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 oz. Canadian bacon, diced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or use 1-2 cloves fresh garlic)
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Place peeled, chopped squash in a vegetable steamer until tender, or put in a microwavable bowl with 1/2 cup water, cover, and microwave on high for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and saute onion and bacon until light golden, about 5 minutes; add seasonings to the pan and stir while cooking.

3. When the squash is cooked, add it and the broth to the pan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the squash is very soft, 10-15 minutes.

4. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processor; puree. Work in batches if needed. Return to saucepan and serve hot.

Great with crusty bread and a green salad.

Per serving: 185 calories, 7 g fat, 5 g fiber. Weight Watchers POINTS = 3.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup

three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 cups beef broth
a 16-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup dry Sherry
3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds



In a food processor coarsely pureé 2 of the 3 cans of beans and tomatoes.
In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean pureé and extra can of whole beans. Stir in broth, pumpkin, and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Just before serving, add vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Serve soup garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Makes about 9 cups.
Modified from recipe found on Epicurious, originally appearing in Gourmet, November 1996

Mark Bittman's "Minimalist" Thanksgiving

When searching for Mark Bittman last night, I ran across this link for his Thanksgiving menu which can be prepared in about three hours, the time it takes the Turkey to bake. I think I may have found my Thanksgiving solution, seeing as how I will be cooking for 8 this year in one tiny apartment kitchen (sans dishwasher). Also, as much as I love to cook, I don't really want to spend whole days in the kitchen since Sarah is coming to visit. There are too many other things to see and do!


The author of How to Cook Everything streamlines the holiday feast.
Last Thanksgiving, I vowed to minimize everything: time, number of ingredients and, most of all, work. Heretical as it may seem, I thought it might be fun for the cook to have enough energy to actually enjoy the meal for a change. My idea was to buy all the food in one trip and prepare the entire feast in the time it took to roast my 15-pound turkey - roughly three hours. And, with one minor exception, I was successful.
The results, I believe, are as close to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner as you can get without spending an entire day - or more - in the kitchen. Without using convenience foods - I made both the stuffing and the cranberry sauce from scratch, each in less than 10 minutes - I prepared a full-fledged feast for 12.. If I didn't slave over a hot stove for two days, like my grandmothers always did, I still prepared more food than anyone could possibly finish; and, with all due respect to my ancestors, there were many aspects of this meal that were fresher and better-tasting than any Thanksgiving food I ate as a child.
My Menu
Turkey with Bread Stuffing and Sherry GravyTo get good-tasting turkey (this, I admit, I learned from my maternal grandmother), you have to start with a decent bird. Like her, I use kosher turkey, available at nearly every supermarket in the metropolitan area. It's tastier and moister than any other commercial turkey. A high-heat boost at the beginning gets the bird cooking fast, insures browning, and keeps roasting time well under three hours.
The stuffing was inspired by a recipe from the late Pierre Farley, who often roasted a chicken with a "sandwich" of bread, liver, and parsley. It took a little tinkering to adapt this to turkey, but the result is a light, almost pate-like stuffing that was even eaten by the kids. You can make it and stuff the bird in less time than it takes to preheat the oven. The sauce relies, of course, on pan drippings, but is finished with nothing more than water, good sherry, and butter; it's made in 10 minutes or so, as the turkey rests before carving.

Sweet Potato Home Fries with Garlic and ParsleyThere's no room in the average home oven for both a 15-pound turkey and a sweet potato casserole, or even baked sweet potatoes, so preparing either of those would have stretched my cooking time by at least an hour. I got around that problem by starting the potatoes in boiling water, then transferring them to a roasting pan to finish cooking after the turkey comes out of the oven. Garlic and extra-virgin olive oil add punch, and parsley makes the color combinations pop. Peeling, parboiling, and roasting add up to about 40 minutes.

Green Beans with LemonThe green beans are precooked in boiling water (you can use the same water for both sweet potatoes and green beans), then finished at the last minute with both juice and zest of lemon. Total time, including picking over three pounds of beans: about 20 minutes.

No-Cook Cranberry-Orange RelishBy adding a handful of mint and a couple of pinches of cayenne, I take the now-classic recipe - printed on nearly every package of cranberries - one step further. Start to finish, 5 minutes, including washing the food processor.

Pear, Mesclun, and Gorgonzola SaladA far cry from the days of iceberg and bottled dressing, but not much more work. Peel and slice some pears, wash and dry some mesclun, crumble some gorgonzola. Dress with bottled dressing if you must, but I prefer extra virgin olive oil and sherry or balsamic vinegar, or a homemade vinaigrette. Depending on your choice, this will take you 15 to 20 minutes to put together. I started my guests off with cheese and crackers and passed mixed nuts and fresh fruit after the meal. You can do more work if you like . . . but I don't see the point.

The Order of Battle

Timing, of course, is never exact, but there's little likely to go wrong here. If you're the nervous type (like me), allow an extra half-hour. But do not in any case begin roasting the turkey more than three and one half hours before you wish to eat.
Zero Minus Three Hours: Preheat the oven; rinse the turkey; prepare the stuffing, stuff the bird, and put it in the oven.

0 minus 2.30: Peel, cut up, and boil the potatoes. Turn down the oven heat and check the turkey; make the cranberry relish.

0 minus 2.00: Drain and cool the potatoes; toss them in a roasting pan with the garlic and oil. Trim and boil the string beans. Check the turkey.

0 minus 1.30: Drain and cool the stringbeans; zest and juice the lemons. Check the turkey.

0 minus 1.00: Crumble the gorgonzola; wash and dry the mesclun; make vinaigrette should you choose to do so. Pick over and chop the parsley for the potatoes. Check the turkey.

0 minus 30: Assemble but don't dress the salad. Ready ingredients for sherry gravy. Check the turkey with an instant-read thermometer and remove it when ready.

0 minus 15: After removing the turkey, crank up the oven heat and insert the potatoes. Heat a skillet and finish the green beans.

Turkey Time: Force someone else - your dad or father-in-law is usually a good candidate - to carve the turkey while you make the sauce and finish the string beans. Put everything on the table except the salad, which you can dress and serve after or during the main part of the meal.

Spiced Shortbread

Perfect with a hot cup of tea.

1 1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Combine dry ingredients with a whisk. Cut in butter and mix with warm hands until thoroughly integrated. Mixture will resemble coarse meal and be a bit dry. Pat into a ball and place on lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth. Do not worry about overworking, just keep kneading until dough is ready to be rolled out. I like to then press into a fluted pie plate and cut into 16 wedges before baking, but you could also roll into a rectangle or cut out circles. Prick all over with a fork. Bake in preheated oven, at 325, for 20-25 minutes. Delicious when warm from the oven.