Pumpkin, Spice and Anything Nice

October 6, 2009

Breanne Simpson welcomed us to her beautiful home for our first fall gathering. The turnout was excellent, as was all the food--mostly desserts, and two delightfully savory soups that kept us from sugar overload. There was lots of pumpkin, lots of spice and everything was most certainly nice. A hearty thank you to all for being part of a fun evening!

Please join us next month, November 3, 8pm, at Catherine Edwards' home. The theme is GREEN!

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||



PUMPKIN SOUP WITH CHILI CRAN-APPLE RELISH (Brecken Cook)
Rachel Ray
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pumpkin-soup-with-chili-cran-apple-relish-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or 2 teaspoons ground thyme (I use fresh Thyme)
  
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree
• 2 cups heavy cream (I only use 1 Cup)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Relish:

• 1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (I use 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder)
  
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add bay, celery, and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce, to taste, then cook flour a minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit then add in cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

While soup cooks, assemble the relish: combine apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon.

Adjust seasonings in soup and relish and serve soup in shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

PUMPKIN ROLLS (Renee Lamoreaux)

Start with Basic Bread dough recipe:

1 C milk

1/2 C sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 C butter
3/4 C (less for lighter flavor) pumpkin puree

1/4 C warm water

2 pks yeast (4-5 tsp)

2 beaten eggs

5 1/4 C flour

Scald milk: stir in sugar, salt, butter and pumpkin.

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a little sugar.

Stir eggs in milk mixture, then yeast. Add 2 C flour and beat till smooth.

Gradually add rest of flour and mix or knead to make a soft dough.

Let dough rise 30 min. Punch down and shape into balls, crescents, whatever!

Let rise again until double, 45 min. to 1 hour, depending how warm your kitchen is.

Bake 375 12-15 min. until golden, depending on size of rolls and your oven.

Frost if desired with cream cheese frosting (try a big dash of cinnamon!)

Sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts.

I use this basic recipe for dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, scones, etc!

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

DEEP-DISH PUMPKIN PIE (Natalie Willes)

• Servings: 8 to 10
  
• Prep Time: 20 Minutes
• Cook Time: 55 Minutes

Ingredients

• No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 (15 oz.) can packed pumpkin (2 cups)
• 1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Ice cream or whipped topping

Instructions

• HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 9-inch square baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
• COMBINE flour, brown sugar and granulated sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture. Press remaining crumbs firmly into bottom of prepared pan.
• WHISK pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, allspice and salt in large bowl. Pour over crumbs in pan. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
• BAKE 50 to 55 minutes or until golden. Cool. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

OLD-FASHIONED GINGERBREAD WITH MOLASSES WHIPPED CREAM (Sariah Toronto)

1 c plus 1 T sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c plus 2 T mild-flavored molasses
2 large eggs
2 c all purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1 1/4 t ground cinnamon
3/4 t ground ginger
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c chilled whipping cream, divided
3/4 c boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Using electric mixer, beat 1 c sugar and butter in large bowl until blended. Beat in 3/4 c molasses, then eggs 1 at a time. Sift in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt; beat until blended. Beat in 1/4 c cream, then 3/4 c boiling water. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack.

Beat 1 1/4 c cream and 1 T sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold in 2 T molasses just until streaks appear (do not overmix). Cut cake into slices; transfer to plates. Serve with molasses whipped cream.

8 to 10 servings


||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||



PUMPKIN ROLL CAKE (Errin Stevenson)

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on high for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in white sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Add pumpkin and lemon juice.
3. In another bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; fold into the pumpkin mixture.
4. Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan; line with waxed paper. Grease and flour the paper. Spread batter into pan; sprinkle with walnuts.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
6. Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.
7. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy.
8. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread filling over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar, if desired.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||



HARVEST PUMPKIN BREAD (Emily Poll)

Cream together:

3 cups sugar

1 cup corn oil (veggie oil works)

1 lb pumpkin (can also use big 1 lb 13 oz can)

4 beaten eggs

In another bowl, sift dry ingredients:

3 ½ cup flour

2 t baking soda

2 t salt

1 t powder

1 t nutmeg

1 t allspice

1 t cinnamon

½ t ground cloves

Add dry ingredients with 2/3 cup water. Mix all together. Pour in 2 large greased bread pans, one huge cake pan, 3 medium bread pans, 1 bundt and 1 bread pan, etc. Bake 1 ¼ hour at 350.

Let cool & drizzle with Cream Cheese Icing. To finish it off, dust with powdered sugar.

CREAM CHEESE ICING

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 T milk, add more for smoother consistency

This recipe makes a lot; for one loaf and one mini loaf, just 1/2 the recipe!

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||



PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES WITH CREAM CHEESE FILLING (Emily Nelson)
Matt Lewis of Baked

FOR THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FILLING

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.