Caramel-Almond Torte with Spiced Mango Compote (for Passover)

Disclaimer: I haven't actually made this yet. Occasionally a recipe shows up on this blog before I've made it because someone sends it to me in hard copy or e-copy and I've nowhere else to store it and I feel compelled to keep it rather than throw it away. This is what my family ate for Passover dessert last year and my mother copied out the recipe on the back of some study materials and mailed it to me, and it looks delicious. Perhaps I'll make it for Passover this spring, if we get the chance to celebrate it (e.g. I am not on the night float.)

From Bon Appetit April 2002 by Jayne Cohen. 

Ingredients:

For the compote:

1 1/4 C. sugar

1 1/4 C. water

1 1/2 T. chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 T. orange zest

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

3 1-pound mangoes, peeled, pitted, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

For the torte:

2 1/4 C. slivered almonds (approx. 9 oz.), toasted, cooled

8 T. sugar

1 T. potato starch

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 large eggs, separated

1 tsp. almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 C. pareve kosher-for-Passover margarine

1/4 C. packed golden brown sugar

Directions:

1. Make the compote: Combine the first six compote ingredients in a medium heavy saucepan. Bring the syrup to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil syrup five minutes then pour into a medium bowl and cool for 30 minutes. Stir in mangoes. Cover and chill at least two hours and up to four days.

2. Make the torte: Preheat the oven to 375F. Blend 1 3/4 C. almonds, 2 T. sugar, starch, and cinnamon in a processor until nuts are finely chopped, about 45 seconds. 

3. Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks, 2 T. sugar, and almond extract in a large bowl until very thick and pale in color, about three minutes. Fold almond mixture into yolk mixture.

4. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and salt in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 4 T. sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold large spoonful of whites into yolk mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whites.

5. Transfer batter to 9" springform pan. Bake torte until puffed and golden brown and tester inserted into smooth and thick, about three minutes. Mix in remaining 1/2 C. almonds. Spoon topping over torte. Cool one hour. (Can be made six hours ahead, let stand at room temperature).

6. Cut around pan sides to loosen torte; release pan sides. Place torte on platter and serve alongside compote. 

Ruggles Pie

I made this pie for the one month birthday of my little son Ruggles. The pie, like my Ruggles, is my own invention! Home grown. I'm sure there are other cranberry-cherry-lime pies out there (are there? I don't know) but this one I made up for Ruggles. It is based off of a little "tart" I made for Bob when I was pregnant with Ruggles. I hardly ever cooked or baked when I was pregnant, I just didn't have any desire to do so. No nausea, no food aversions... just no cooking bug. But with the few pies I did make, I started to make little "tarts" out of the left over dough instead of pie crackers-- the reason being that most pies really are better on the second day, but no one wants to wait that long to eat one, but if you make a little tart you can sate the desire to eat pie without actually eating the pie itself. And on one particular day I had some cherries in the fridge and, having never baked anything with cherries before, decided to give them a whirl. I must have had limes too, and we always keep frozen cranberries around, so I threw them all together into the little tart and it turned out quite delicious! I vowed one day to try and make a whole pie that way, and Ruggles' celebration seemed to be the perfect occasion. And the pie turned out quite well! I was very pleased with the result, and may not even tinker too much with this formulation in the future. Now that it is Ruggles' pie, he will be obligated to have this as his birthday treat and nothing else for the rest of his life.

The crust I used is a "cornmeal crust" and the recipe comes from the Luscious Little Dessert Company. I don't think you have to use a cornmeal crust, other crusts would be equally delicous, but in honor of the original Ruggles pie as it was baked and consumed you can find the pie crust recipe as below:

http://vegetabletuesdays.blogspot.com/2013/10/cornmeal-pie-crust.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/dining/that-photogenic-blueberry-pie.html

But first, pictures of the pie to whet your appetite:

Ingredients (for the filling):

16 oz (approx 3 C.) fresh or frozen cranberries

16 oz (approx 3 C.) fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries (not cherry pie filling!)

2/3 C. brown sugar

1/3 C. white sugar

1/2 C. flour

1 very heaping tsp. cinnamon

1/16 tsp. ginger

Zest of 2.5 limes (2-3, whatever)

Juice of 2 limes (just however many you are zesting, 3 would be ok too)

Directions:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients and the lime zest in a mixing bowl. 

2. In a separate large bowl, stir together the cherries and the cranberries. You don't need to thaw them first or cut them up, although if you are using fresh cherries you should de-pit them which may involved halving the cherries. 

3. Pour the dry mixture over the fruit and combine thoroughly. Add in the lime juice and stir again until the berries are evenly coated with the dry mixture and the lime juice. You can either let the fruit sit for a while or use it immediately. Because the cherries/cranberries aren't that juicy, you don't need to "pre-bleed" the fruit like I will for other fruit pies to reduce the liquid content.

4. Add the filling to a large pie dish with one half of a crust in the bottom. Cover the filling with the top crust. Cut slits in the top to vent out extra steam-- this pie won't bubble much so you don't need a lot of slits or to put a pan under your pie plate in the oven. If desired, brush the top of the pie with buttermilk, milk or cream and top with raw (demerara) sugar.

5. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes and then reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or follow the instructions for your crust recipe and bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit has softened (approx one hour).

Serve hot or cold with whipped cream or vanilla icecream, although the pie is not too strongly flavored that this is necessary. Enjoy and picture the cute, cute baby as above. Cheers, Ruggles!

Pear Pomegranate Pie

I've had this recipe sitting in my to-bake box since 2009 when it first came out on the NYTimes. I know a few other people had tried it out, but it somehow never made the priority list, especially as I have two other reliable, delicious pear pies under my belt. In a pie frenzy prior to Thanksgiving, however, I wouldn't rest until I had made it. I used Odwalla pomegranate limeade for the filling, and ended up not quite following the instructions as far as the molasses was concerned. In the end, two of the three people I shared it with raved about it, but the Robber (the third, and perhaps most honest) said, "I can't tell if it is supposed to taste sophisticated or if it is a little bit burned." And in the end I have to agree. It wasn't bad. It was interesting. But I think unless it is the wintertime I'll be sticking to my other pear pie recipes for now.

Note: I don't see the point of ever pre-cooking pears for a pie. They soften beautifully and when I attempted to pre-cook them for this pie and for a scone recipe a while back (which I didn't blog because it failed so epically), I found the pears too be way too mushy and to release too much fluid, whereas using them raw produced a tender, less soupy product. If I make this again, I will disregard the instructions to pre-cook, omit the butter, and just stir my pears up in the molasses, sugar and spices. 

Originally from the NYTimes, but my link is from PieLoveYou:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/12/pear-pomegranate-pie-47.html

Ingredients:

For the pomegranate molasses:

4 C. pomegranate juice

1/2 C. sugar

1 T. lemon juice (omit if using Odwalla pomegranate limeade)

For the crust:

1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

10 T. unsalted high-fat butter, chilled and cut into pieces

2-5 T. ice water

For the filling:

4 Bosc pears, peeled and cored

4 Anjou pears, peeled and cored (can also use Bartlett or red)

6 T. pomegranate molasses

3 T. unsalted butter

3 T. tapioca (I used flour)

3/4 C. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

For the pomegranate molasses:

1. Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved.

2. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 1/2 C., about 50 min.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool in saucepan for 30 min. Transfer to glass jar and cool completely before covering and refrigerating for up to 6 months.

For the crust:

1. Mix together flour and salt. Cut in (or use a food processor to combine) butter until small pieces are formed. Add ice water 1 T. at a time until dough just holds together.

2. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the filling and assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Slice pears. Bring 3 T. molasses to boil in large skillet over med-high heat. Simmer for approx 2 min until molasses thickens.

3. Arrange half the pears in a single layer in the skillet. Add 1 1/2 T. butter to pears. Cook, turning occasionally, until pears are well caramelized on all sides, about 5 minutes.

4. Scrape pears and molasses into a bowl. Add tapioca and toss to combine. Repeat cooking process with remaining molasses, butter and pears. Add the second batch of pears to the first.

5. Stir in sugar, ginger and salt.

6. Roll out crust. Add pear filling to bottom crust in pie plate and the add top crust either as a complete crust or as a lattice.

7. Place pie on on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 min.

8. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes until pears are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve after the pie has cooled at least 30 min. 

Plum and Ginger Crumble

My mother sent the Robber home from his trip to Utah with some plums from their backyard tree and, having just made him plum pie, had to go adventuring to find what to make next with the plums. I remembered this delicious crumble which my sister R had made in the Rochacha long ago. It is simpler to make than a pie-- quite simple, actually-- but still can be made in a pie plate and it ultimately very satisfactory. I am loving loving plums this year, something about the bright color and tartness of the flavor are making me very happy indeed.

This recipe is actually an adaptation of one of the NYtimes most famous recipes of all time, the plum torte recipe which I recorded on this blog earlier (search under plums) but have never actually made because really, given the choice, wouldn't you rather have a crumble? 

An old link, but a good link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/dining/213frex.html

Ingredients:

12 Italian prune plums, halved and pitted

2 T. brown sugar 

1 1/2 T. plus 1 C. all-purpose flour

1 heaping tsp. cinnamon 

1/4 heaping tsp. ground ginger

2 heaping T. finely chopped candied ginger (I used crystallized)

3/4 C. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 large egg, well-beaten

1 stick butter (1/2 C.), melted

Vanilla ice cream, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place plums in bowl. Mix brown sugar, 1 1/2 T flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground ginger, and candied ginger together and mix with plums. Arrange plums, skin side up, in ungreased 9 inch pie plate.

3. Combine white sugar, baking powder, remaining flour, and remaining cinnamon and salt and mix well. Stir in egg. Rub together with fingertips to combine ingredients and make a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle over plums. Drizzle butter evenly over top.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm, plain or with vanilla ice cream. 

Rhubarb Snacking Cake

Another Smitten Kitchen recipe that I made for visiting teaching outside in the summer sun. I will admit to not knowing what a snacking cake is, but this cake was snacked on during the teaching session so I suppose it served its purpose. When I made this the bottom was a little overdone oddly enough, maybe I baked it for too long? The rhubarb is delightful, but I think I always like rhubarb when it is more of the main affair. Rhubarb pie or rhubarb crisp-- no cake to dilute the rhubarb-ness. There are other snack cakes by Smitten Kitchen and this was good enough for me to perhaps try out the others later this summer. Oh, and also I tripled the cinnamon and of course wanted even more. So it goes.

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/05/rhubarb-snacking-cake/

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/4 lbs. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths on the diagonal

1 1/3 C. granulated sugar, divided

1 T. lemon juice

1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

2 large eggs

1 1/3 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. table salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/3 C. sour cream

For the crumb:

1 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 C. light brown sugar

1/8 tsp. table salt

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or a nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper, extending the lengths up two sides. (It will look like a sling). 

2. Stir together rhubarb, lemon juice and 2/3 cup sugar and set aside. 

3. Beat butter, remaining sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at at time, scraping down the sides after each addition. 

4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon table salt and ground ginger together in a small bowl. Add one-third of this mixture to the batter, mixing until just combined. Continue, adding half the sour cream, the second third of the flour mixture, the remaining sour cream, and then the remaining flour mixture, mixing between each addition until just combined.

5. Dollop batter over prepared pan, then use a spatula — offset, if you have one, makes this easiest — to spread the cake into an even, thin layer. Pour the rhubarb mixture over the cake, spreading it into an even layer (most pieces should fit in a tight, single layer).

6. Stir together the crumb mixture, first whisking the flour, brown sugar, table salt and cinnamon together, then stirring in the melted butter with a spoon or fork (would make this before the cake.) Scatter evenly over rhubarb layer. 

7. Bake cake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when a tester comes out free of the wet cake batter below. It will be golden on top. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.

8. Cut the two exposed sides of the cake free of the pan, if needed, then use the parchment “sling” to remove the cake from the pan. Cut into 2-inch squares to serve. 

Note: Cake keeps at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge, covered tightly.

Gingerbread Raisin Scones

My last scone recipe! For...... now!

I have made some edits from the reviewers on Epicurious, so the recipe reflects what I did and is just a little bit different from the one at the link below. Also, the Epicurious people all hate raisins and lurve candied ginger, so that is an option for the future. They also suggest using 1/2 whole wheat flour, but as I was out I wasn't able to try this.

I ended up freezing these scones for at least a month before I ate them and they got rather flat from being squished in the freezer and then I cooked the first one too long and burned the edges a bit. So it's hard to tell how much I would love these fresh. The flavor was quite good-- just like a big gingerbread cookie-- and I actually liked the raisins, even if the texture suffered from the flattening above. I think these deserve another chance-- perhaps I'll make them again closer to Christmas.

From Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-Raisin-Scones-1109

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour

1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar

1 T. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

6 T. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/3 C. milk

1 large egg

3 heaping T. light unsulfured molasses

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 - 1 C. raisins (I used baking raisins)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease baking sheet or cover with parchment paper. Blend first six ingredients together. Add butter and cut in or use food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add raisins and stir until raisins are lightly coated with flour.

2) Beat milk, egg, molasses, and vanilla in smaller bowl. Add wet ingredients into flour mixture, stirring just enough to thoroughly wet dry ingredients.

3) Gather dough into ball. On lightly floured surface, press dough into 1-inch-thick round. Cut round into 8 wedges. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Note: The Epicurious reviewers all liked brushing the tops of these with milk and then sprinkling on cinnamon sugar or lots of white sugar, so I did that and then froze them so they probably weren't as pretty as they might have been unfrozen. Sprinkling with turbinado sugar might also be fun.

African Peanut Stew

What Sister F. served us for Sunday dinner over rice and with some form of deliciously grilled strips of chicken. She served this with whole unsalted peanuts on the side and with herbed flatbread. What a hearty, delicious Sunday meal! I ate some leftovers the next morning for breakfast.

From Sister F., original source unknown.

Ingredients:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 C. finely chopped red onion (about 2 medium)

1 1/4 C. finely chopped green bell pepper (1 large)

1/2 C. chopped carrot (1 medium)

1/2 C. chopped celery (2 stalks)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. minced, peeled fresh ginger

1 T. curry powder

1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bay leaf

4 C. reduced sodium vegetable broth

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 C. shelled edamame

1/4 C. creamy or crunchy peanut or almond butter

1/4 - 3/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 6 oz. bag baby spinach, torn

1/2 tsp. salt

Blank pepper and additional salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a 4 qt. saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and peppers, carrot and celery. Saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute (do not brown garlic.)

3. Add tomatoes and bay leaf and cook, uncovered, until tomatoes are slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

4. Add broth and sweet potatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 8 minutes.

5. Add edamame and peanut butter, stir to combine. Add cilantro and spinach, cook until thoroughly heated and spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and desired.

Baked Pumpkin and Sour Cream Puddings

I made these the last weekend I was in Rochester with pumpkin leftover from my pumpkin butterscotch scones. I didn't have any sour cream, so instead I used my egg whites left over from the chocolate cream pie I made for Valentine's and used the meringue from my lemon meringue pie recipe to top off the ramekins. So delicious! Why do we never have pumpkin meringue pie? Seriously! Maybe next time I make a lemon pie, I will try topping it with the sour cream.

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/11/baked-pumpkin-and-sour-cream-puddings/

Ingredients:

For the pudding:

1 3/4 C. pumpkin puree

1/2 C. granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 C. whole milk

1/2 C. heavy cream

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the topping:

1 C. sour cream

1 T. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. The quickest method: In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the pudding ingredients.

2. For creamier, silkier pudding: Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium-high. Once glurping and simmering in the pot, cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will thicken and get a bit darker. Reduce heat slightly and whisk in milk and cream. Off the heat, slowly whisk in eggs. (This is the method that I used)

3. Both methods: Divide between 7 to 8 (I used 7) ovenproof 6-ounce pudding cups or ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until puddings barely jiggle when shimmied and/or a knife tip inserted into the center of puddings comes out clean. Try not to overbake.

4. While they bake, combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. When the puddings are cooked through, transfer to a cooling rack on the counter and leave oven on. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sour cream mixture onto first pudding and use a small offset spatula, butter knife or spoon to quickly (it will get melty fast) spread it over the top of the first pudding. Repeat with remaining puddings.

5. Return puddings to oven for 5 more minutes, then cool completely at room temperature, about 1 to 2 hours. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with gingersnaps.

Yield: 7-8 6 oz. puddings.

Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes And Swiss Chard

So the Robber makes these amazing lentils and I asked him where he got the recipe from and he sent me this link which I kept to try out... but truthfully the Robber's lentils aren't really much like these at all, and are actually better. Which is not to say these are not good. They are really good, and I was surprised how much I liked the Swiss chard. Who knew Swiss chard? Anyway. If you have a good peeler and can get around the annoyance of chopping sweet potatoes, and if you like pea soup, these are for you. Perfect for a cold Rochester day when I want something warm and healthy and feel good. Would be good with some pita.

Note: I didn't have garam masala and I think it would have made a difference in bringing this from good to great. Also, self, try using chicken broth next time instead of vegetable stock.

Adapted from the NYTimes by Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/curried-lentils-and-sweet-potatoes/

(Note again to self: the above link has a link to this blondie recipe you want to try...)

Ingredients:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced (I omitted this)
4 to 5 C. vegetable broth as needed
2 lbs. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 C. dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 lbs. Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced (I used 2)
1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 C. finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional)
1/4 C. chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.

Yield: 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

Moroccan Style Tomato Soup With Chickpeas

Here's another recipe that I've had in my to-make pile but haven't done because the Robber doesn't like soup. Which is really a shame because now that I have made this recipe I think he would really like it over some rice. I like it just plain without rice. In fact, I think I really like. The spices are just spicy enough for me, it just hits the spot in cold gray New York, and it is super easy to make. This one might be something I return to again and again.... pending the Robber's approval.

From Mark Bittman: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/07/magazine/mag-07eat-recipes.html?ref=magazine#Moroccan_Style_Tomato_Soup_With_Chickpeas

(He has another recipe very close to this one, only with bread instead of chickpeas: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/07/magazine/mag-07eat-recipes.html?ref=magazine#Garlicky_Pappa_al_Pomodoro)

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. ginger
2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
2 C. vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (I just used a 15 0z. can)
Parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook onion and garlic and ginger in olive oil for 5 minutes.

2. Add 2 teaspoons each cumin, coriander and cinnamon; cook for 1 minute.

3. Add tomatoes, stock and cooked chickpeas.

4. Simmer until saucy. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Pumpkin Scones

I previously posted a pumpkin scone recipe on this blog from the NYTimes, but didn't do it justice as I lacked some key ingredients. Annie had her own recipe for pumpkin scones, and it has been waiting in my lineup of recipes to try now since April. Now that the raisin scones are gone, I needed a new breakfast meal which for me means another new batch of scones. After this one, only one more new recipe to go! (Ok two. I just found another one.)

These scones were good but not as good as I think they could have been, perhaps the glaze ups the oomph a bit? I think they were better than my other pumpkin scone recipe. Perhaps they are competing for my attention with the pumpkin cornbread, which just keep getting better, and my sudden urges for dark dark chocolate every evening which I think it just a manifestation of my missing of the Robber. The butterscotch and pumpkin combo is interesting, but not life changing. At any rate, I think I might make this pumpkin base again, but put in toasted pecans or walnuts or chocolate chips instead.

Adapted from the Joy of Baking by Annie:
http://annies-eats.com/2009/12/07/pumpkin-scones/

Notes: I never make the glazes/washes/toppings but I did sprinkle some Demarara sugar on the top of the scones right before baking. I doubled the cinnamon as I do in any cinnamon recipe and doubled the butterscotch chips as I double every scone add-in. And I sliced up the scones before baking. Whatever.

Ingredients:

For the scones:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
8 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3-½ C. butterscotch chips
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 C. powdered sugar
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
2 T. milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk just to combine. Add the cold butter chunks to the bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and the largest butter pieces are no bigger than peas. Mix in the butterscotch chips.

3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together gently just until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead a bit with your hands, but be careful not to overwork the dough or you will end up with a tough scone.

4. Transfer the sticky mass of dough to the prepared baking sheet. Pat the dough into a 8 or 9-inch round. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Slice the dough round into 7 or 8 wedges.

5. To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and spices in a small bowl. Add the milk and whisk to combine, until a thick glaze is formed. (If necessary, add a bit more milk to achieve a consistency good for drizzling the glaze.) Use a whisk to drizzle the glaze over the finished scones (I use a plastic baggie with a tip cut off). Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Pumpkin Walnut Pancakes

I made these for my friend J. for brunch and they were sweet and autumnal and light and delicious as a pancake should be in the fall. You can either put the walnuts in the pancake or sprinkle them on top, it's pretty equivalent either way. The recipe is originally from Mirror Lake Inn at Lake Placid in New York (there's a little nostalgia here for upstate New York in the fall), found on the internet by way of Epicurious, but I have modified it somewhat here as per the reviewers comments.

The original recipe at Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Walnut-Flapjacks-108613

Ingredients:

1 1/4 C. buttermilk

3/4 C. canned pure pumpkin

4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

2 T. sugar

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 1/3 C. cake flour (can also use regular or 1/2 whole wheat)

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ginger

3/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Vegetable oil or butter

1/2 C. finely chopped walnuts

Pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Whisk buttermilk, pumpkin, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend; whisk in melted butter.

2. Whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl to blend.

3. Add dry ingredients to buttermilk mixture and whisk to combine.

4. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Fold whites into batter.

5. Lightly oil or butter heavy large skillet set over medium heat. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto skillet; cook until bubbles form on top, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn flapjacks over and cook until second sides brown, about 1 minute.

6. Transfer flapjacks to plates. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve with syrup.

Maple Pumpkin Pie with a Gingersnap Crust

Sounds intriguing, no? The maple and the pumpkin are really good together, and gingersnap crusts are always my friends, but somehow the combination didn't WOW me like I wanted it to. This recipe has wowed other women in large numbers, however, so it is worth giving it a try and it is worth making again, to mix the pumpkin pie world up and to give the boringness of most pumpkin pies a little zing. But I think the "throaty" Sokolov pie elsewhere on this blog has my true pumpkin pie heart.

From Kimberly at Pie Love You:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/11/45-maple-pumpkin-pie-with-gingersnap.html

Ingredients:

For the crust:

14 2-inch gingersnaps (about 4 oz)

1 C. pecans (about 4 oz)

1/4 C. granulated sugar

1/4 C. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:

1 C. pure maple syrup

2 C. canned solid-pack pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. heavy cream

2/3 C. milk

2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Use a small amount of the melted butter to grease a 9" (1 quart) pie pan. (Note: Use a big one, this is not your average thin pumpkin pie.)

2. In a food processor grind gingersnaps, pecans, and sugar until fine and add remaining butter, blending until combined well. Press mixture onto bottom and up side of buttered pie plate. Bake crust in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden around edge, and cool on rack.

3. In a 3- to 3 1/2-quart heavy saucepan gently boil maple syrup until a small amount dropped into a bowl of cold water forms a soft ball, about 210° F on a candy thermometer, and cool slightly. In a bowl whisk together pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cream, milk, and eggs and whisk in maple syrup.

4. Strain filling through a fine mesh sieve. Use a spatula to stir and press mixture through sieve. Once you get almost everything through the sieve (no need to force the small amounts of stringy or flavorless pumpkin, which are the only things remaining in the end, through the sieve), pour filling into cooled shell. (I skipped the straining part and didn't half a problem.)

5. Bake pie in middle of oven 1 hour, or until filling is set but center still shakes slightly. (Filling will continue to set as pie cools.) Transfer pie to a rack to cool completely.

Chicken Tikka Masala ala the Robber

The Robber made this awesome chicken tikka masala, and just the chicken alone would make a pretty awesome meal, quoth the Robber. "What I would almost want to do," says he, "the grilled chicken is always super tasty coming right off the grill and I think the chicken tikka masala is going to be better on day 2, so we should make extra chicken and eat it fresh with rice and veggies and use the leftover chicken in the masala sauce." Good logic Robber!

For the marinade:

Ingredients:

3 lbs. chicken, boneless skinless breast and thigh meat

2 C. plain yogurt

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1) Pound the chicken to flatten it and prepare it for the marinade. Mix together the yogurt and spices. Pour the marinade over the washed chicken and refrigerate overnight.

Next day:

2) Take the chicken out and scrape off the yogurt. Heavily salt the outside of the chicken according to your salting preferences.

3) You can broil or grill the chicken.

-- To broil: Cover the inside and edges of a baking dish with tin foil. Broil for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

-- To grill: Heat the grill on high, once the grill is maximum temperature (20 min or so) put the chicken on, let it cook for two minutes and flip it, then allow it to cook two minutes more. May need to cook additional minutes if not done.

4) When chicken is cool, chop into desired size of pieces for dish.

For the sauce:

Ingredients:

1 C. heavy cream

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

1 T. minced garlic

2 tsp. ground cumin

1-2 tsp. paprika

1-2 tsp. chili powder

2-4 tsp. garam masala

1-2 T. white sugar

Optional: additional cayenne pepper

Optional: 1/4 C. ground almonds

Directions:

1) Saute onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until onion becomes translucent. Add spices. Stir fry 1-2 min more.

2) Add in tomatoes (including juice) and sugar. Simmer for 10-20 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Add in cream. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

3) Add chicken. Simmer for another 10 minutes until ready to serve.

Serve over basmati or brown rice.

Rhubarb "Big Crumb" Coffee Cake

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen by way of Eggs On Sunday to this little bloggo here. Our neighbors the Reams have a beautiful rhubarb plant still growing away and have been urging us to partake of it and this morning we made a pre-Conference trek out to their place with a little chopping knife and devoured part of their rhubarb plant. The Robber thinks this is not so much coffee cake as just cobbler-ness, but regardless he ate over half the pan in one go so that tells you what he really thought of it. More work than a regular coffee cake, but definitely delicious. Ultimately, however, if the amount of rhubarb you have is limited, this is not a good way to use it because the rhubarb gets lost in the cake and the flavor isn't emphasized as much as it is in rhubarb pie or just rhubarb puree, which we have also been making lots of and eating on Greek yogurt. The cake would probably be just as delicious without the fruit or with pears/plums/other fruit as substitution for the rhubarb.

I found the recipe here:

http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/rhubarb-big-crumb-coffee-cake/

Ingredients:

For the rhubarb filling:

1/2 lbs. rhubarb, trimmed

1/4 C. sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

For the crumbs:

1/3 C. dark brown sugar

1/3 C. granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, melted

1 3/4 C. cake flour (I’ve used all-purpose as well and it works fine, but do use cake flour if you have it)

For the cake:

1/3 C. sour cream

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 C. cake flour (see note above about AP flour substitution)

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

6 T. softened butter, cut into 8 pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan.

2. Slice the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces, toss with the sugar, cornstarch and ginger, and set aside.

3. Make the crumbs: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, spices and salt. Add the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Dump in the flour and stir it into the sugar/butter mixture until fully incorporated. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Set aside.

4. Make the cake: In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the pieces of butter along with a spoonful of the sour cream mixture, and mix on medium speed until the flour is moistened and the butter is broken into bits. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds, then add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and set aside 1/2 cup batter.

5. Scrape the remaining batter into the pan, spoon the rhubarb over the batter, and dollop the reserved 1/2 cup batter over the rhubarb (don’t worry if it’s not even).

6. Break the topping mixture into big crumbs with your fingers. The recommended crumb size is 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Sprinkle the crumbs over the cake, and bake cake until a tester comes out clean (it might be moist from the rhubarb), 45-55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Chana Masala 1

I put a 1 here because this is a dish I definitely want to learn how to make well, but I'm not sure this is the recipe I'm going to keep and use for life. It got better with time, but the Robber thought it smelled like marijuana on the first day (probably the fried cumin powder, oh the silliness of trying to make substitutions in cooking food you know nothing about.) I thought it was just fine but needed some more tomato. In the end of course it all got eaten with plenty of happiness with our leftover naan, but in the future I might try another recipe or tweak this one or just make this one with all the proper ingredients.

From Manjula's Kitchen: http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/01/28/chola-chana-masala/

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can of chickpeas (kable chana, Garbanzo beans)

3 T. oil

Pinch of asafetida (Hing) -- didn't have any of this

1 tsp. cumin seeds -- used ground cumin, hmmm

1 T. gram flour (Besan) -- replaced with cornmeal

1 large tomato

1 tsp. ginger paste -- used chopped fresh ginger

1 tsp. chopped green chilies -- omitted

2 tsp. coriander powder

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. red chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garam masala

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro (Green coriander)

Thinly sliced tomatoes for garnish

Directions:

1. Drain the water out of the can of chickpeas and wash the chickpeas well.

2. Blend the tomatoes, green chilies and ginger to make a puree.

3. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed crack right away oil is ready.

4. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds.

5. After the cumin seeds crack, add the gram flour and stir-fry for a minute.

6. Add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder and cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat.

7. The mixture will start leaving the oil and will reduce to about half in quantity. Add the chickpeas and a half cup of water and let it cook for 7 to 8 minutes on medium heat, covered. Press the chickpeas with a spatula so they soften. Note: add more water as needed to keep the gravy consistency to your liking, and let it cook for few more minutes on low heat.

8. Add the garam masala and cilantro. Let it cook for another minute.

9. Garnish with thin tomato slices and serve.

Note: We added about 2 T. brown sugar to this the first day to make it a little sweeter which made it better tasting to our poor American palettes.

Sri Lankan Mango Almond Curry

A few months ago on a date in Santa Cruz the Robber and I just about died and went to heaven eating mango almond curry at this Sri Lankan place. In fact, if you google "mango almond curry" it will link you there because it is so good. I resolved that, if at all possible, the Robber and I would make it for ourselves. At home.

But alas, finding a recipe, so hard. I finally came across this one for mango curry, without the plaintain or almonds that the restaurant used, and adapted it trying to make what we had at Malabar. We made it last night and had it over coconut rice. It was close... but not quite there. Maybe not having the curry leaves or the pandan leaf made a big difference? Even without these more exotic spices, however, the dish was delicious and we will definitely be making it again.

Adapted from: http://www.cookingandme.com/2009/05/sri-lankan-mango-curry-recipe.html

Ingredients:

1 raw mango

1 plantain

1 C. blanched whole almonds

1/2 onion, chopped fine

2 tsp. crushed garlic

1 tsp. crushed ginger

(or use 2 tsp ginger garlic paste)

1 tsp. mustard seeds

2 T. vinegar

4-5 curry leaves

1 pandan leaf cut/torn into bits

a 1" cinnamon stick

1 15 oz. can thick coconut milk

1 15 oz. can light coconut milk

1 T. oil

Directions:

1. Peel mango and cut into long, thin pieces. Do likewise to the plantain.

2. Grind mustard seeds and vinegar together to form a paste.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and cinnamon. Saute until onion turns golden - about 5-7 mins.

4. Add the mango, plantain, almonds light coconut milk, pandan leaf bits and the mustard seed mixture and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat and simmer until mango and plantain is cooked and tender. Add the thick coconut milk and simmer for another 10 mins. Add salt. Serve over rice.

Citrus Pear Pie

I have had my eye on this recipe now for a few months, and a belated spring Easter dinner with Bob seemed the perfect time to try it out, especially with Bob around to help zest the lemons. He is a natural zester. Who knew?

I used my standard pie crust, but include their pie crust recipe just for future reference. This website is really into cold corn oil in their crusts. Maybe some day I'll be tempted to try it out, but for now I'm happy with my pie crust and Bob is happy with it so I don't feel like rocking the boat.

This is from the same place I got the boozy Liz banana pie recipe. They make a convincing argument in favor of pear pies. I have never even had a pear pie before and they list at least five different recipes! Very strange. The website advises using Anjou and Bartlett pears, but not too ripe! If you use Bartlett, you have to use more thickening as they are juicier. I used three Anjou and three red pears, just for effect. Here's the link:

http://everythingpies.com/citrus-pear-pie.html

The red pears were so pretty in the final baked pie. What is funny about this pie is that the Robber loved it more than I did. Since when does that happen for a fruit pie? He raved about it. It was good, light, and yet with an interesting flavor but wasn't my favorite fruit pie. None-the-less, because the Robber loved it so much I will be making it again. If I make it again I think I will increase the zest, add just a little bit of lime zest, macerate the pears first, and then boil down the released juices and add them back in so that the pie retains more of the lemon flavor. I also baked the pie for much longer than the recommended time (for an hour at the lower temperature) and I think I would do this again as the pears, which were firm and crunchy before baking, were the perfect softness with the longer baking time.

Ingredients:

Pie crust (makes one double crust)

3 C. all-purpose flour

4 T. sugar

1/4 C. ice cold water

1/4 C. cold corn oil

1/2 tsp. fine salt

1 C. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

1/8 tsp. fresh lemon zest

Pie filling:

3 pounds pears (about 6 pears)

1/2 C. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp. fresh lemon zest

2/3 C. sugar

2 T. all-purpose flour

2 T. tapioca flour (I just used 2 T. more all-purpose flour)

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

pinch of salt

1 T. cold unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Prepare the pastry: Roll the pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate with the bottom crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust. Chill the pastry.

2. Preheat the oven to 425° F.

3. Pour the fresh-squeezed lemon juice in the bottom of a large bowl. Add your lemon zest to the bowl. Peel, halve and core the pears with a melon baller or corer. Be sure to remove the fiber in the center of the pear. Slice them evenly about a 1/4 inch thick into the bowl, coating them with the lemon juice as you go.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, tapioca flour, cardamom, ginger and salt. Add them to the pears just before you want to bake the pie, mix gently and then taste a pear slice. Add more sugar to taste as needed.

5. Scrape the filling into the bottom crust, dot with butter and cover it with the second crust. Trim and crimp the crust; chill the pie for 10 minutes in the freezer. Cut vent slits in the top crust. It is your option to sprinkle it with sugar or brush the top with egg white.

6. Bake the pie on a baking sheet for 10 minutes or until the crust looks dry, blistered, and blonde. Turner the oven down to 375°F, and bake for at least 30 minutes more or until the crust is golden brown, and visible juices are thickened and bubble slowly through the slits in the top crust. Check if the bottom crust has darkened. If not bake a little more and cover the top crust, so it does not burn.

7. Cool the pie completely before cutting at least a few hours. Serve it at room temperature. Store the pie uncovered in a cool place up to three days.

Pumpkin and Ginger Scones

The second recipe of my scone experiment/binge. This one comes, yes, from Recipes For Health and Ms. Shulman. How she suckers me in! I was at the less-fancy Wegman's, which didn't have crystallized ginger, so I substituted 1/2 cup baking raisins and 1/2 chopped walnuts for the ginger. Not the same effect, I know. And maybe raisins are weird with pumpkin? But they wanted using and I had them, so I guess I will find out when I bake up one of these! I also cut this into 8 instead of 12, because it just seems like a more reasonable scone size, and they are a little easier to freeze when cut larger.

Here is the link to the recipe in the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/health/nutrition/26recipehealth.html?ref=pumpkin

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup pumpkin purée, well drained, canned or made from 1/2 pound fresh

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup chopped candied ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Sift together the flours, salt, ginger, baking powder and baking soda. Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

2. Add the butter to the food processor, and pulse several times until it is distributed throughout the flour. The mixture should have the consistency of coarse cornmeal. (I just do this step with a cutter, since I don't have a food processor.)

3. Beat together the pumpkin purée, buttermilk and maple syrup in a small bowl, and scrape into the food processor. Add the ginger, and process just until the dough comes together.

4. Scrape onto a lightly floured surface, and gently shape into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into six squares, then cut the squares in half on the diagonal to form 12 triangular pieces. Place on the baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on a rack.

To roast the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the pumpkin pieces on the baking sheet, drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive or canola oil on top, cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Roast for 1 1/2 hours or until thoroughly tender. Remove from the heat, transfer to a strainer or a colander set over a bowl or in the sink, and allow to cool and drain. Peel the pieces, and purée in a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Nutritional information per serving: 143 calories; 4 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 25 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 223 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein

Green Beans With Corn

After a long hiatus, I dipped back into my Indian cookbook by Balkejar et al. to create a dish for a family medicine potluck. I wanted to make something that wasn't carbohydrate-full, like most of the fare for potlucks. This dish, while having its problems, certainly fit well into the rest of the foods presented and got eaten entirely, although no one commented on it to me. Overall I found it rather too strong and wished that the flavors of the ginger and the garlic were less overpowering, although admittedly the combination was rather interesting. In the future I might half the amount of the spices (as well as the salt-- too much), or substitute a smaller amount of powdered ginger and garlic salt for the actual ginger and garlic. I used fresh green beans, which are my current favorite fresh vegetable, and cooked for the same amount of time with nice effect. The green beans were cooked but still a bit crunchy at the end, just how the Robber would like them. I also omitted the red chile, and seeing as how it was spicy enough without it, didn't feel the loss. Furthermore, I found the kidney beans somewhat superfluous. Like all recipes like these, the proportions are probably best played with to find something most satisfactory to you, but following the original recipe will yield a tasty-- if strong--vegetable product.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 medium red onion, diced
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup canned red kidney beans, drained
6 oz. frozen green beans
1 fresh red chile, seeded and diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1-inch piece fresh ginger root, finely chopped
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced, to garnish

Directions:

1) Heat the oil in a karahi, wok, or heavy pan for about 30 seconds, then add the mustard seeds and onion. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

2) Add the corn, red kidney beans, and green beans. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.

3) Add the red chile, chopped garlic and ginger, cilantro, and salt and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

4) Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and garnish with the diced tomato.

Nutritional Notes

Serves 4-- per serving:
84 cal energy
3.44 g fat
0.50 g saturated fat
11.13 g carbohydrate
2.70 g fiber