Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Cheesecake

My farm fresh pumpkin!

Start by removing the top stem from the pumpkin, removing the seeds and cutting into equal halves.  Bake both halves of the pumpkin in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.


Pumpkin Soup

1/2 cooked pumpkin
1 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup of half and half
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 teaspoon of Penzey's Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
dash of salt

Spoon out cooked pumpkin pulp.  In a blender combine pulp, broth, half and half, syrup, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Blend everything together until smooth.

Pour contents into a saucepan and cook until heated.  Serve hot.

Serves 6

Results: Yummy Soup!

A yummy pumpkin soup that was neither too creamy nor too sweet.  Vegetable broth might have been better to use but I only had chicken on hand.  Still it was pretty yummy.  I got this recipe off thepioneerwoman.com.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

1/2 cooked pumpkin
16 oz of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon of Penzey's Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
20 oreo cookies
4 tablespoons of butter
whipped cream for topping

For the crust, crush up oreos.  A food processor would probably work best for this but I don't own one so I tried to use the blender.  It didn't really work so my pie crust was a little chunky.  Add in melted butter.  Mix well and spread out in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.

For the filling, spoon out cooked pumpkin pulp.  Combine pumpkin, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt with an electric mixer one ingredient at a time.  Mix well (I had to put everything in the blender to liquify and combine everything evenly and then moved it back to the electric mixer).

Cover crust with the filling.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let cool at room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.  The brunch was fast approaching so I put it in the freezer for 1 hour.  The edges set but the middle was still a little soft (it needed more time to set).

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Serves 9

Results: Delicious Cheesecake!  

Even though I didn't have enough time to let it set before serving, it was still delicious.  The oreo crust was a perfect compliment to the cheesecake.  I got this recipe off of myrecipes.com.  I'd never used a whole pumpkin in cooking before and I think both dishes turned out really well, especially the cheesecake.

Fall Baking Brunch

After our trip to the farm we all got together for a fall baking brunch.

For an appetizer we had pumpkin soup by Kieu.

For lunch we had pomegranate couscous by Meli...

And chili riano casserole by Evelyn and Coelho.

For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake by Kieu.

Thanks to everyone who came.  Feel free to post your recipes in the comments if you'd like to share them.

Fall at Underwood Family Farms

Last trip for the year to Underwood Family Farms for our fall baking.

 They had a corn maze.

 And various pumpkin patches.

 Even the sunflowers were orange.

Persimmon Pudding Squares

My produce items: Persimmons, Delicata Squash

1 delicata squash
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 persimmons
1 cup of milk
4 tablespoons of butter
1 egg
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of Penzey's Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
1 tablespoon sugar
whipped cream for topping

Cut off tops and peel persimmons.  Chop into pieces.  Blend together persimmons, milk and melted butter.  Remove from blender and place in a mixing bowl.  Beat in egg, flour, baking soda, salt, allspice and sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Cut delicata squash in half and seed.  Chop into 1/2 inch moon shaped pieces.  Spread out on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Turn pieces over and bake another 15 minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and place in a mixing bowl. Coat with maple syrup (sprinkle allspice if desired.

Cut out a square of the persimmons pudding.  Top with delicata squash pieces.  Top with whipped cream if desired.  Can be served hot or cold.

Serves 6

Final Verdict: Yummy.

The pudding recipe is a variation I got off of cooks.com.  The pudding isn't really a pudding.  It's more like a pumpkin pie but the flavoring is a little different.  I can definitely see persimmons being a pie filling.  It was a yummy dessert.  I wasn't sure if it really needed the delicata squash topping but I was told that the squash gave the dish a nice balance so it wasn't too sweet.  Persimmons are pretty sweet on their own so I thought they'd be good for a dessert.  I had read that delicata squash is a very sweet squash that turns custardy when baked.  I'm not really sure that I agree with that, but it was sweet enough to use for the dessert.  I was originally going to put the squash in the pudding mix but I'm glad I didn't.  Both flavors are pretty different from each other.  The way to eat it is to have some pudding and then a bite of squash eating them together but keeping the flavors separate.

Vegan Cupcakes

My produce items: Lemon, Avocado

3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup of avocado (1 medium avocado well mashed)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can of frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda.  Mix together avocado, vegetable oil, water, lemon juice, vanilla extract.  Combine wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix well.  I used an electric mixer.  Pour batter into cupcake holders.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes before applying frosting.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Final Verdict: Delicious

I was skeptical at first but after trying vegan cupcakes I absolutely loved them and wanted to try my hand at making them. They taste exactly like regular cupcakes except way more moist.  They're super moist chocolate cupcakes.  I actually got the recipe from jbahr who sent it to me.  This recipe is a slight variation from joythebaker.com.  I didn't have any white vinegar so I substituted lemon juice.  Because of the substitution I also added an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract.  I think it turned out well.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies!

INGREDIENTS:

Green Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes, Fennel, Peppers

I recently acquired a mini pie pan and have been dying to make mini chicken pot pies. Originally I intended to buy store bought crust. However, the stores decided to work against me so I ended up making my own crust. I included the crust recipe along with the pot pie recipe if you are feeling ambitious.

CRUST RECIPE:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 Butter (1 Stick - room temperature, cubed)
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Water (You most likely will not use all of this)

1) In a bowl or food processor, mix together the flour and the salt.

2) Slowly add in cubes of butter. The mix will start to resemble cornmeal.

3) Once all the butter has been added, slowly drizzle 1 tsp at a time of water and mix together with the flour and butter. Continue this process until the dough starts to form into a ball. You will probably not use all the water as you don't want to use to much; this will cause your dough to become sticky.

4) Refrigerate your dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.

POT PIE RECIPE:

2 Chicken Breasts (medium size - cubed)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fennel
2 Sweet potatoes (small - cubed)
2 Peppers (small - cubed)
1 cup Peas
1 Zucchini (cubed)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups Chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/2 cup Milk

1) Heat oven to 425°F. Roll out your dough and place into mini pie pan. I placed the bottoms in and left the tops of parchment paper for after the pies are filled. 

2) In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

3) Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

4) Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

These were delicious! And the mini pie size is perfect for a one person serving. I have already made them again and will probably make them again later this week. Enjoy! 

Chicken Fricassee

Martha Stewart Recipe (two pictures from me. One from www.marthastewart.com). 

Produce from the box: white onion

Produce from the Farmer's Market: carrot, celery, herbs, lemon, eggs

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, cut into ½-inch dice (1 cup)

1 carrot, cut into ¼-inch dice (1/2 cup)

1 celery stalk, cut into ¼-inch dice (1/2 cup)

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ up dry white wine

4 cups chicken broth

2 sprigs fresh flat-leave parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

½ cup heavy cream

2 to 3 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions 

1. Brown Chicken

Season chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil to the pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down in a single layer, do not crowd pot. Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

2. Sauté mirepoix

Reduce heat to medium and add mirepoix (onion, carrot and celery) to pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Sauté mirepoix, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Cook mushroom and flour

Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy, and begin to release liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until flour is absorbed by vegetables and is no longer visible, about 1 minute.

4. Pour in Wine and Broth

Add wine to pot, and bring to a boil, stirring until liquid just thickens, about 45 seconds. Add broth and stir.

5. Simmer Chicken

Place chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables, our juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. Tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs and bay leave together with kitchen twine, add to pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken registers 165, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs.

6. Make and add liaison

To make the liaison (sauce thickener), whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour ½ cup cooking liquid. 1 tablespoon at a time, into liaison to temper it. Stir tempered liaison into pot.

7. Finish with Tarragon, Lemon and Butter

Return chicken to pot. Add tarragon, lemon juice, and the remaining butter. Bring to simmer, stir gently to combine, and serve.

Summer Veggies

Produce from the box: one white pepper, onion (used 1/2 of it)

Produce from the Farmer's Market: yellow, green, red pepper, celery, carrots.


I cut all veggies in cubes and made two groups.
Group 1: onion, celery carrots.
Group 2: all the peppers.

Heated oil in the pan, added first group of veggies into the pan, cooked them for about 3-4 minutes, stirred often until onions were soft. Added peppers with some salt, pepper and vegetable broth. Continued to cook it for another 3-4 minutes until all peppers were soft.

Cooled the mix and made small portions. Brought some of it to friends and put some of it in the freezer.
It can be used warm (as side-dish or mixed with pasta or rice), cold as salad or as base for a soup.

I didn't add a lot of spices. I will do it when I take a portion out of the freezer. Pepper flakes can be added, curry version can be made or some fresh herbs will add a kick.

Lemon curd & yogurt fool

Produce: Strawberries


Ingredients (4 servings)

11 oz jar lemon curd (I used only 1/2 of it.)
18 oz tub 0% Greek yoghurt
7 oz strawberries
1 tbsp sugar


Method

Put the lemon curd and yoghurt into a bowl. Fold together for rippled effect. Dvidie the mixture between four glasses and chill.

Mix strawberries and sugar (I added some Cointreau and lemon zest) together and gently crush, then spoon with their juices over the chilled mix and serve.

Asian green beans with garlic and beef

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pound green beans, washed
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups of flank steak, cut in small pieces

Directions:

1.    Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add garlic slices and cook for a minute.

2.    Stir in green beans and sesame oil and cook for eight to 10 minutes. Beans will turn bright green. 

3. Add steak cubes into the mix, continue to mix.

4.    Add soy sauce and cook for another five minutes, stirring frequently, and then transfer to serving platter.