November 29, 2012

Old fashioned pumpkin pie

Serving a slice of old fashioned pumpkin pie.

Well, maybe it's not completely old fashioned because it's my slightly adapted recipe from the classic pumpkin pie. But it is a regular ole pumpkin pie - no fancy add-ins or anything. 

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I really like this version because it uses slightly more pumpkin puree and a bit less cream and sugar. I also like to keep the spices on the lower end so that the pumpkin flavor really shines through. I made the crust, the pumpkin puree, and freshly whipped up some unsweetened heavy whipping cream to top this pie. It was absolutely fantastic.

We bought a sugar pumpkin back in October and have used it as one of our decorations through the fall season. But when we bought it, the understanding was that it was to become a pie once its decorating duties were complete, as requested by my husband. He waited patiently until after Thanksgiving -- I wasn't going to post it because I figured that most people have had their fill of pumpkin by now and have moved on to more Christmas-like treats. 

But while I was making this pie, I was listening to some Christmas music and realized that many of these songs reference pumpkin pie (think: There's No Place like Home for the Holidays or Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree or Sleigh Ride). It made me wonder why pumpkin pie seems to have been relegated to Thanksgiving

I think that pumpkin pie is a completely appropriate dessert all through the fall and winter. After all, winter squash is stored away for the winter and would be the perfect thing to make into a pie when the mood strikes.

November 27, 2012

Shredded brussels sprouts with chestnuts and pomegranate


Around here, we love our brussels sprouts. I made this dish as a side for Thanksgiving dinner this year. Some people (like my mom and grandma) were a bit skeptical about the idea of shredding brussels sprouts, but I proved them wrong. While shredding may take some time on the front end, it allows them to cook up in a snap. This was the only part of the main meal at Thanksgiving that was completely gone after dinner. My husband requested to have it again soon -- so we did. I think this dish would be great for the holidays because of its green and red colors, plus chestnuts always feel festive to me. You can find them already roasted and shelled this time of year, usually in the produce section.

Seeing that my husband just brought home two large stalks full of brussels sprouts from his dad's garden this weekend, I am sure this dish will be making its way onto our table a couple more times this season. This recipe will make a side dish for about four people. 

November 16, 2012

Turnip and Yukon gold potato gratin


In my experience, most people don't get very excited about turnips. But, I'm not one of those people. In fact, I get pretty excited for all root vegetables and root vegetable season. Look at those lovely large pink turnips in the photo (I used much smaller ones in this dish). This time of year the food blogs are filled with recipes featuring pumpkins, other winter squash, and apples - rightfully so... but you don't see as many featuring turnips, rutabagas, beets, celeriac, parsnips, radishes, etc... Maybe next fall/winter I'll start a "roots" event because I want to try to use these vegetables in more creative ways as well. I almost start to squeal with delight when we are walking through the farmers' market and cute little white baby turnips begin to make their first appearance. I dream of the day when we have land for a garden and in my mind, my garden is almost exclusively full of root vegetables, winter squash, and herbs.

I never even had turnips until the first Thanksgiving I was dating my husband. We were going to a dinner at his aunt and uncle's and she told him that we could "bring the turnips." I was in shock. Tunips?! I had never even tasted a turnip before, let alone cooked one. So, I searched the internet and found a recipe for roasted turnips. After searching the grocery store for turnips, I bought some, made the recipe, and hoped for the best. Well, they were delicious and everyone enjoyed them. Now that I make Thanksgiving dinner, I almost always have a turnip side dish to try to convert more people to turnip lovers. This gratin is lightened up because it doesn't contain any cream - although this dish is probably still a little heavy for a Thanksgiving side dish for me.

November 6, 2012

Pumpkin pie ice cream

Bowl of pumpkin pie ice cream.

I had my first taste of pumpkin ice cream a few years ago at a local ice cream shop. Ever since then, we go there each year in early October when they first have it available and get a dish.  

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When I got my ice cream maker this year, pumpkin pie ice cream was at the top of my list, even though it was only spring. I've waited patiently until now and finally made my own. 

This ice cream is fall in a dish - it's basically like frozen pumpkin pie filling without the crust. I read a few recipes and found that they were all really low on the pumpkin for my liking and all contained a lot of egg yolks. 

I decided to forgo the eggs and really pack in the pumpkin so I could taste it. The pumpkin is already creamy, and the end product was perfect for me in terms of pumpkin flavor. This ice cream is not super sweet, so taste the base before you freeze it and add more brown sugar or even a tablespoon of molasses if you want it sweeter.

I'm so glad to know that I can make ice cream now with only a few simple ingredients and not all the additives and artificial flavors that are in most commercial ice creams. 

I've been loving my ice cream maker this year and even have a wintery ice cream flavor or two that I'm hoping to try near the holidays. This recipe will make a bit more than a quart of ice cream. It's great topped with chocolate sauce (we had ours with a homemade chocolate sauce, not pictured) or caramel. I think that some ginger snap cookies broken up into it or on top would also be delicious (and act like a crust).

Top view of pumpkin pie ice cream in a serving dish with a cinnamon stick.

November 2, 2012

Borscht


Honestly, I didn't become friends with beets until the past few years. As a kid, I couldn't stand them...as an adult, I love them. We were given a large bag of beets and for some reason I became determined that I must make borscht. Why? I'm not sure - other than the fact that I like to try cuisine from all over the world. I've never eaten borscht, but for some reason I felt like it was my duty to turn some of these beets into it. There seem to be numerous spellings of borscht and even more ways that you can make it. I read a bunch of different recipes, surveyed my fridge and freezer, and this is what I came up with. I must say that both my husband and I were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it.

This recipe is a bit time consuming, but it's worth it to get the best flavored broth and to get a lot of the excess fat skimmed off the top. This photo is from right before we ate it, but, like pretty much any soup or stew, it gets better the next day. It's a nice meal for these cold and rainy days we are having and it will easily serve four to six people.