Turkey Day Challenge: Pumpkin creme brulee

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The other day at lunch with Lauren, I was lamenting over my inability to get the consistency of some pumpkin creme brulee just right.  It’s something I’ve been borderline obsessive-compulsive over ever since I roasted those pie pumpkins that came in my CSA share last month.  After another test run, I perfected it - the perfect creme brulee for my 100 Mile Thanksgiving.  The bulk of the ingredients are locally grown - eggs, cream, pumpkin, and maple sugar.

So what was the issue that stymied my efforts?  I’m pretty sure it was the fresh pumpkin puree.  If you’ve ever made a pumpkin pie, you’ve probably dealt with canned pumpkin puree.  It’s thick, like a paste.  Fresh puree is far different.  It’s a little watery.  Sure, I could have cooked it down to get a thicker paste, but what’s the point?  I’d rather do a little experimenting!

Here’s the recipe -

2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch ginger
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup fresh pumpkin puree
1/2 c. sugar
maple sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Heat the cream and spices in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk it every now and then until it boils.  Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Combine the yolks with 1/2 cup sugar. Stir with a fork until light in color and the sugar is mixed in.

Pour a little bit of the cream into the yolk/sugar mixture. Whisk well.  Pour a little more of the cream into the yolk/sugar mix.  Keep whisking.  Continue until all the cream has been incorporated. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla.

Place 4 6-ounce ovenproof ramekins in a large roasting pan. Fill the ramekins with the pumpkin mixture. Place the roasting pan on the center shelf of the oven. Carefully pour water into the roasting pan, being careful not to get any into the ramekins. Add enough water to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 45 minutes until the custard is set but still jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and cool. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

Note: the original recipe calls for a baking time of 25 to 35 minutes.  I suspect this would work if you use canned puree or your oven runs much hotter than mine.

Sprinkle a thinnish layer of maple sugar over the tops of the brulees. Use a pastry torch to brown the sugar; or, place the ramekins on a baking sheet under a broiler about 4 inches from the heat until the tops brown and bubble, about 1 to 3 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes and serve.

What an excellent dessert spread we’ll have at Thanksgiving this year - pumpkin creme brulee and apple cake!

Turkey Day challenge: roasted potatoes with watercress yogurt sauce

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Every now and then I like to skip mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner and serve potatoes in some other way.  I know it’s practically sacrilege to say that, but it’s true.  A favorite around here are roasted potatoes with yogurt watercress dressing.

If you’re into Green Goddess salad dressing (which I am), you’ll probably like the dressing - it’s very similar.

1.5 c. yogurt
1 c. watercress, stems removed
1/3 c. mayonnaise
6-7 scallions, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Whirl it all together in a blender until smooth and Bob’s yer uncle.  Er...it’s done, is what I mean.  Refrigerate the sauce for 30 minutes, or until your potatoes are roasted.  I like to use the goat yogurt from Shellbark Hollow Farm and the scallions and mint are local.  Alas, it’s a little late in the season to find fresh, local basil and watercress.

Lancaster Farm Fresh provided the small red potatoes I used for roasting.  Just coat them in good olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper, and roast at 450 degrees for 35 minutes.  Drizzle with the watercress sauce (or, if you’re my husband, drown the potatoes in sauce) and eat ‘em up!

Go Green for Thanksgiving

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

A chilly Sunday evening calls for some nice warm comfort food. So last night we tried the Ray’s seitan that I picked up at the Fair Food Farmstand. I made a seitan strogonoff from Nava Atlas’ Vegetarian Express. It was really tasty and, as promised, was on the table in thirty minutes. I was able to make it pretty quickly while the real star of the table was in the oven: Chard & Kale Gratin. The recipe is based on one in Deborah Madison’s cookbook called Local Flavors, which is a beautiful and thoughtful ode to the diversity of food sold at farmers markets. (This would make a lovely holiday gift for any aspiring locavore!)

Madison’s recipe uses Bright Lights Swiss Chard and crumbled feta. I used a mixture of Bright Lights and kale because I had both in the garden. I also substituted Hendricks Telford Tomme cheese because I was picking up a few things at the suburban mega-grocery store Hennings when I saw a woman from Hendricks offering samples. I’m a sucker for free cheese! Turns out that Hendricks is now going to be carried at Hennings.  Good stuff.  Anyhoo…the Tomme was great in the gratin. I may make this dish for Thanksgiving because it always elicits rave reviews and it’s nice to have some greens on the table with all the starchy side dishes.

Here’s the recipe:

Deborah Madison’s Chard Gratin
From:  Local Flavors

2 lb. chard (coarsely chopped), including half of the stems (chopped) [I often mix chard and kale]
4 T. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 c. fresh bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T. chopped parsley [lots of different herbs are good in this]
1 T. flour
1 c. milk or cream or a mixture of cream and stock
1 c. crumbled fresh goat cheese [or another cheese or your liking]

Melt 2 T. butter in skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown.  Add greens, sprinkle with 1 t. salt, and cook until wilted and tender (less than 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 400 and lightly oil a 2 qt gratin dish. Melt 1 T. butter in small skillet and add bread crumbs, garlic and herbs. Cook, stirring, for one minute; scrape into bowl and return skillet to heat.

Melt 1 T. butter, stir in flour, then whisk in milk.  Simmer for 5 minutes, season w/ salt, and add to the greens. Add the cheese and season.

Pour into dish and cover with bread crumbs.  Bake until heated through and golden, about 25 minutes. Let settle for a few moments before serving.

Soup For You

Monday, November 12, 2007

If you have ever been to an Italian-American Thanksgiving, then you know that tortellini in chicken broth is a must before anything as American as a turkey.  While I love tortellini soup, I don’t think it has a place on a Thanksgiving-day table.  In true American spirit, I think food of all nationalities can have a place, but tortellini in chicken broth?  There is a bit too much poultry in having a chicken broth and then a turkey.  Also, does anyone need more starch on Thanksgiving? 

The root-vegetable soup below is adapted from Sally Schneider’s The Imrovisational Cook.  I’ve altered the specific vegetables, the amount of water, added beer, etc.  I also happened to add some left-over roasted cauliflower to the mix.  My favorite (and most needed) addition, though, is the cheddar “croutons.” For our Christmas party, I always make frico with Montasio cheese; what follows is just a variation.  My wife and I found them a necessary addition, as this is a soup with a muted flavor.

Root-Vegetable Soup with Cheddar Croutons

2 lbs. mixed root vegetables (celeraic, waxy potatoes, parsnips), diced into equal-size chunks
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 leek, washed, trimmed and cut into thick rings
2 bay leaves
2 tblsp. butter, olive oil or bacon fat
1 c. beer (preferably stout)
2 c. grated cheddar cheese (we used Oak Shade Horseradish Cheddar)
1 c. flat-leat parsley, roughly chopped
water
salt
pepper

Set the broiler on high and scatter the cheese over a piece of parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet.  Be sure to make a single, thin layer.  Place under the broil until the cheese has melted into itself and turned golden brown.  Remove and let cool while you make the soup. 

In a heavy-bottomed stock pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the leeks and garlic and saute until softened.  Add the root vegetables and cover with just enough water to cover.  Bring to a gentle boil until the root vegetables are cooked through (approximately thirty minutes, depending on the size of your cubes).  (Note:  You could also lightly brown the vegetables before adding the water; I think I might try that next time myself.) Once the vegetables are cooked, either puree in a blender (in batches) and return to the pot.  Or, you could just use an immersion blender.  Add the beer and salt and pepper to taste; let it simmer, with an occasional stir, for an additional twenty minutes. 

Break the cooled, melted cheese into bite-size chunks.  Ladle the soup into warmed bowls or mugs, float a couple of the cheese “croutons,” and top with the chopped parsley. 

Hopefully, you’ll find it more Thanksgiving-like, too. 

One for Me, One for You

Sunday, November 11, 2007

We were invited to a friends’ house for dinner last night. My husband made the arrangements and forgot to ask what we should bring.  I feel naked showing up at someone’s home, especially for a meal, without something homemade to offer.  When he called back, we learned that the meal, dessert and wine were already taken care of.  I still couldn’t bring myself to show up without some food.  What to take?  I decided on a quick bread. They’re..uh, quick, they’re easy, they’re yummy and so versatile, doing duty as breakfast, as a snack, as a dessert or thrown in the freezer for the next time you need a hostess gift.  I’ve made pumpkin bread plenty of times so I decided to make up a recipe using the beautiful local sweet potato sitting on my counter.  The best part is that it makes two tasty loaves - one to keep at home and one to give away. What could be better? This would be a lovely hostess gift to take to Thanksgiving dinner if your host declines your request to make something.

Maple Sweet Potato Quick Bread

Mix together dry ingredients:

2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c. brown sugar

In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients:

2 c. sweet potato puree (pumpkin or squash would work just as well)
1/2 c. maple syrup
2 T. flax seed meal mixed with 6 T. water*
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. canola oil
2 eggs

Topping:

1/3 c. oats mixed with 1 T. brown sugar

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in 2 c. chopped walnuts.  Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.  Sprinkle top of each loaf with the topping. 

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

*This is the basic way to make a flax seed egg replacer:  mix 1 T. ground flax seeds with 3 T. water and let sit for a couple of minutes.  In this recipe, I used the equivalent of two eggs made from this mixture plus two of the real things. You could use four eggs instead or use all flax seed egg replacer using the above formula to equal four eggs.  You could also make this vegan by substituting soy milk or water for the cow’s milk.

The sweet potato, maple syrup, whole wheat flour, eggs and milk were local.

Dark Days and Turkey Day: the loaf and the sweet, sweet potatoes

Last night’s Dark Days challenge meal (my third for this week!  The other two: a tomato omelet and a grilled cheese sandwich and ‘kitchen sink’ soup) coincides with FTP’s own Turkey Day challenge (Farm to Philly writers and their favorite Thanksgiving meal recipes) - how serendipitous! 

The Dark Days meal is meat loaf, cabbage gremolata, and cranberry glazed sweet potatoes.  It was delicious - a meal full of bright flavors!  And I’m happy to say that there are enough leftovers for a couple of lunches throughout the week, which is always fantastic! 

The meatloaf, a blend of local ground beef and turkey, was about as close to totally local as you can get - local garlic, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, parsley, my homemade, local catsup, bread crumbs from local bread, and local eggs and milk.  The only things not local: olive oil, salt, pepper, and soy sauce.  I was especially excited with the meatloaf, because this is the first opportunity I’ve had to use the catsup I made.  It’s yummy and ended up having a really great consistency.

The cabbage gremolata finally used up the cabbage from my CSA share that’s been hibernating on my counter for weeks!  Aside from the lemon juice and lemon rind from two lemons in it, it’s entirely local - cabbage, butter, shallots, garlic.  It was a really excellent way to use cabbage, and a new favorite side dish for my very picky husband.

And last but not least, the cranberry glazed sweet potatoes - and the Turkey Day portion of the meal!  I will confess to you that I do all the cooking for Thanksgiving for a very specific reason: I refuse to be in the vicinity of mashed sweet potatoes with melted marshmallow topping.  I think that particular dish is one of the most vile things on the planet.  Strangely, I think a lot of typical Thanksgiving fare is pretty grotesque - I also can’t abide the infamous green bean casserole with the canned cream soup and crispy onions on top...and I think I’ve expressed my hatred of canned cranberry gel before.  I know people love this stuff, but I just don’t get it.  Hey, different strokes and all that, right?

So anyway, as a replacement for the dreaded sweet potato/marshmallow concoction I always offer up cranberry glazed sweet potatoes.  The cranberries offer a wonderful sweetness and the sweet potatoes are delicious!

2 large sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds (I use a mandoline to ensure uniformity)
1 c. water
4 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. bourbon
salt and pepper
3/4 c. cranberries
1/3 c. brown sugar
a pinch of both cinnamon and cayenne

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a large baking dish and arrange the potato slices in concentric circles, overlapping the slices slightly.  Pour 1/2 c. water over the potatoes and bake for 40 minutes (cover the dish with foil).

Increase the temp to 425 degrees at the end of the baking period.

Mix the melted butter and bourbon; pour over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Continue baking 25 minutes.  Baste midway through.

Combine cranberries, 1/2 c. water, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil over med-high heat until cranberries start to pop, about 10 minutes.  Drain the cranberries, reserving the liquid.  Stir cayenne and cinnamon into the liquid and drizzle it over the sweet potatoes.  Bake an additional 20 minutes.  During the last five minutes of baking, spread cranberries over top of the potatoes.

The brown sugar, bourbon, salt and pepper, cayenne and cinnamon are not local.  However, I think this would be just as good using local maple sugar in place of the brown sugar, and Sailor Jerry’s rum in place of the bourbon.

Turkey Day challenge: bourbon cranberry sauce

Thursday, November 08, 2007

My husband really likes canned cranberry sauce.  He won’t eat any cranberry related concoction unless it has tin can grooves in it and the expiration date is visible.  Growing up, we always had the canned stuff, too.  But the second I had fresh cranberry sauce I gave up the ways of the pre-packaged cranberry gel.  My husband, well...I’m still trying to drag him kicking and screaming to the light.

Last year for Thanksgiving I made a cranberry sauce I was sure he would love: bourbon cranberry sauce.  In the end, my husband refused to even try my cranberry sauce, but I made a convert out of his father.  Go figure.

The sauce is easy to make and stores really well, either canned in a water bath or in the fridge for a few days:

1 lb. cranberries
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. bourbon

Mix the cranberries, cinnamon, and sugar together and bake, covered in foil, for one hour at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven and give it all a good stir; pour in the bourbon.  Refrigerate overnight and serve chilled.

The Fair Food Farmstand has both white and red heirloom cranberry varieties from Paradise Hill Farm this week.  I can vouch for both of these - they are absolutely delicious, and the bourbon gives the sauce a little bit of zing.  It’s still the tiniest bit alcoholic, though, so be sure not to operate any heavy machinery after Thanksgiving dinner!

Turkey Day Challenge: Forget the Mashed Potatoes!

Okay, maybe you shouldn’t really forget the mashed potatoes this Thanksgiving since they are awfully good.  But a nice supplement to the “mashed vegetables alongside the turkey” category would be mashed turnips with roasted garlic.  Mild turnips, such as the white Hakurei, are best for those who aren’t huge turnip fans.  If you enjoy their spicy, somewhat bitter taste, opt for a variety such as Scarlet Queen.  Turnip season is in full swing and many varieties are available around the city’s various farmers markets.  These lovelies came from Weavers Way Farm. 

TURNIPS AND ROASTED GARLIC MASH

2 bunches of mild turnips (Hakurei variety works well)
1 large head of garlic
2 T. butter
generous pinches of salt and pepper
fresh chives to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Place whole head of garlic, unpeeled, on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Roast garlic in oven for 30 minutes or until very squishy.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

While garlic is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil.  Wash turnips well, trimming off tops and roots.  Cut into 1 inch pieces and boil until tender, about 20 minutes depending on the variety.  Drain off water and allow to sit for five minutes.  Turnips will release more water as they cool.  Drain additional water off and use either a potato masher or an electric mixer to begin mashing up the turnips. 

Cut a half inch off the top of the roasted head of garlic, exposing the cloves inside.  With your hand, squeeze out all the garlic pulp into the turnips.  Add butter and salt and pepper before continuing to mash turnips to the desired consistency.  If turnips appear to be releasing more water after being mashed, drain it off and add more salt if necessary.

Serve immediately with a few snips of fresh garlic chives.  If desired, serve cooked turnip tops along side turnip mash.  To cook turnip tops, simple wash and roughly chop.  Heat olive oil or butter in a skillet and add turnips when hot.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turnip greens are fairly bitter.