Pumpkin Cheesecake: It's Just Good

Source: Food Network

A few weeks ago, I posted on Pinterest that pumpkin is one of my top 10 reasons for living. I'd say that statement is only about 50% hyperbole. People, I just love pumpkin. In my oatmeal. In my chili. And definitely in my cheesecake.

If you're one of those cheesecake purists, read no further. But if you're over snoozy New York-style cheese cake, keep reading. (Sidebar: Why is the cheese cake from New York when the cream cheese is from Philadelphia? That kind of stuff makes me crazy.)

Here's where I'd bring this if I were you: To Sunday dinner. To church coffee hour. To work. (I've done it, and it will earn you gratitude.) To bed -- just eat carefully and don't get crumbs in the sheets.

The recipe I like to use comes from Food Network Magazine. I'm a recipe tinkerer, so I usually mix it up a little, but the basics are here and they are good. Make sure you listen to the advice about letting it cool in the oven -- it prevents cracks.

How do you like to use pumpkin? Do tell. Below. Like, in the comments.

Hey, Sugar: Classic Cookies

Bridget Lancaster knows her way around the kitchen. This summer, she posted a recipe for chewy sugar cookies. Normally, sugar cookies seem kind of ho-hummy, but if Bridget gave them the thumbs up, I was game.

Here's what I love about recipes from America's Test Kitchen: they're incredibly detailed. Baking is a science, so good instructions are a must. And you always get them from ATK. The secret to the chewiness? Mixed fats. (Mmm, fats.) The butter gives the cookies a rich flavor, the oil keeps them soft even after they cool.

So, the verdict? These are excellent sugar cookies. I'm not sure I'd ever make them my desert-island dessert (yes, I think about these kinds of things), but if you're in the mood for a classic, this is a great choice.

Want the recipe? Hop on over to the ATK Feed.

The food: Chewy sugar cookies
The verdict: A classic treat, if you like that kind of thing 

Okay, so what's your dessert-island dessert?

Mini Carrot Cakes: Tiny Treats, Big Taste

Win the cookbook this recipe came from! There's still time to enter my giveaway. Contest closes March 23.

* * *

In addition to being a fan of food, I also like to run. The two, actually, are related. Because the more I run, the more I can eat.

I'm starting to train for a race in May, and as part of that, I'm thinking more carefully about what I'm eating and I'm trying to sneak more veggies in wherever I can.

Which was all the justification I needed to bake carrot cake this weekend. This recipe comes from Blue Ribbon Desserts (from Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen) and through March 23, you can win a copy of it through my giveaway.

Making carrot cake also makes me thankful for my food processor -- it's the way to go when it comes to shredding. And while the original recipe makes 12 full-size cupcakes, I've found that's about the right amount of batter to make 36 minis. They're the perfect size for popping in your mouth. On the run or otherwise. And they're easy to make. Really.

Mini Carrot Cupcakes

• 8 T. butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 3/4 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• 8 oz. grated carrots
• Your favorite cream cheese frosting
  (mix a little cream cheese, butter, powered sugar, and vanilla -- what could go wrong?)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 12-cup mini muffin pans.

Whisk together the melted butter, sugars and eggs. Mix in the dry ingredients until combined. Fill the muffin pans and bake 12-15 minutes (or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean). Cool on a rack, then frost.

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies and a Giveaway from America's Test Kitchen

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered! Subscribe to the blog for future giveaways, contests and all-around food goodness.

Hi friends! Want to win a new cookbook from some of my favorite food experts? Keep reading!

So here's what I like best about Cook's Country magazine: it's not fussy food. I don't have to go to specialty stores for the ingredients, I don't have to learn fancy-pants cooking techniques. This is what real people eat.

But it's also really good. So I'm excited that the folks at America's Test Kitchen sent me one of Cook's Country's latest books: Blue Ribbon Desserts. And I'm extra excited that one of you lovely readers will be getting one, too!

If you love classic desserts (and if you don't, let's talk), this is the cookbook for you. Vintage, heirloom, whatever you want to call them -- these recipes stand the test of time.

Think of this as part cookbook, part science lesson. For every recipe, you get a little bit of back story about the development of the recipe. I love learning about what worked and what didn't for a particular food formula. I think it makes me a better cook (and baker) overall.

You also get clear step-by-step instructions. And, perhaps the best feature: the book is spiral bound (inside a hardback outer cover) so it opens perfectly flat. No need to use clothes pins to keep the pages open. Not that I do that.

So I've got two things for you today: a recipe and a chance to win Blue Ribbon Desserts (or one of the two other books from ATK that I posted about on Sunday).

First, the winning. To enter:

1. If you don't already follow Please Pass the Pie, start.
2. Leave a comment letting me know how you follow (via RSS, etc.) and which of the three books you'd like to win (Blue Ribbon Desserts, Light & Healthy 2011 or The Best One-Dish Suppers).
3. Include a way for me to contact you. If I can't reach you through your own blog or blogger profile, you can leave an email address or a Twitter handle.

That's it! Easy. Also, this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Sorry, foreign friends. And entries close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 23. I'll pick a winner at random the next day.

UPDATE: Our winner was Whitney! Congratulations!

And now for the recipe. This one comes from the Bake Sale Cookies, Brownies and Bars chapter of Blue Ribbon Desserts.

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Brownies

For the filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 t. vanilla extract

For the brownies:

• 2/3 c. flour
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 8 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 c. raspberry jam
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch pan. Blend all of the filling ingredients together in a food processor.

For the brownies, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Microwave the butter and chocolate together in short intervals, stirring frequently, until melted. Whisk in 1/4 c. of the jam and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the chocolate mixture. Whisk in the flour mixture until no white streaks are left.

Microwave the remaining jam until just warm; stir until smooth. Scrape half of the brownie batter into the pan. Dollop the cheese filling over the batter and spread evenly. Dollop the jam on the cheese mixture and use the tip of a knife to swirl. Spread the remainder of the brownie batter over the top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few dry crumbs -- about 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool, then cut. Refrigerate.

Pour some (maple) sugar on me: Ben & Jerry's maple walnut ice cream

In Maine, where I grew up, March is the season for maple sugaring--a process I first witnessed during a fourth-grade field trip to a working historic homestead. We got a chance to check the taps and look in on the sugaring shack (after we did a little 1800s-era housework, like sweeping while wearing ruffled bonnets and emptying a few too-realistic-for-comfort chamberpots).

I don't currently have access to maple taps (or, thankfully, chamberpots) but I do keep plenty of syrup on hand. We are not an Aunt Jemima kind of household.

And I firmly believe that syrup is for more than just pancakes. That's why I was happy to test out a maple walnut ice cream recipe from two fellow New Englanders I call Ben and Jerry. Which is what everyone else calls them, too.

They recommend using Grade C syrup for this, which has a sharper maple flavor and is for cooking and baking, not table use. I used Grade A and lived to tell the story. I have a feeling Grade C is a little tougher to find than the lighter Grade A. If you've found it and used it, I'd love to hear what you think.

Most of Ben and Jerry's ice cream recipes start with a sweet cream base (and they suggest three ways to make it). I used a base made with raw eggs. If that weirds you out, you can also make a base by blending 2 cups of light cream with 1 cup of cold sweetened condensed milk.

Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Source: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

•  2 eggs
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 c. heavy cream
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4 c. maple syrup
• 1/2. chopped walnuts

Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Gradually whisk in the sugar until completely blended, then mix in the cream and milk. Gradually add the maple syrup until blended.

Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Just before the ice cream finishes freezing, add walnuts. Transfer to a plastic container and put in the freezer until firm.

The recipe makes a little more than a quart (or about 50 spoonfuls straight from the freezer, which is my preferred method of serving and consuming).


The food: Maple walnut ice cream
The verdict: Worth doing 1800s-era housework for

Fall food: Cranberry oatmeal bars

Fall has finally found its way to North Carolina and I'm baking accordingly. I see some pumpkin- and apple-based foods in my future.

My first fall treat: oatmeal cranberry bars. They contain--wait for it--both oatmeal and cranberry, as you may have guessed, and they've got a subtle orange flavor, too, thanks to a little zest and fresh juice.

This is a recipe from Cooking Light, which means it's not as bad for you as, say, caramel hot fudge peanut sundaes, but I've found that Cooking Light keeps the calorie counts down by recommending tiny portions. For instance, recipe is made in an 11x7-inch pan and is supposed to make 24 servings. You'd better just give me four right now.

Oatmeal Cranberry Bars

Crust:

• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• Cooking spray

Filling:

• 1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°. To prepare crust, spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

The food: Oatmeal Cranberry Bars
The verdict: Wilford Brimley says you should eat them

Stretching Summer: Strawberry Tart

It might be fall, but I'm still getting summer recipes out of my system. Including this swell strawberry tart, adapted from Gourmet Magazine. (Yes, I know, Gourmet has been out of print for a year. I'm a recipe hoarder.)

If you've got a few summer strawberries left in your neck of the woods, I suggest you put them to work in this gem, which also features a creamy mascarpone cheese layer.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

For tart shell

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Rounded 1/4 tsp salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons cold water

For filling

• 1 1/2 lb strawberries (about 1 1/2 qt), trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 lb mascarpone (about 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pulse together in a food processor the flour, sugar, salt and butter until the mixture looks like coarse meal. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, vanilla, lemon juice and water, then drizzle over the flour mixture and pulse.

With floured hands, knead the dough a few times, then shape into a 5-inch disk. Place it in the center of a 10-inch tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and push the dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick with a fork all over and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line tart shell with foil and fill with rice or pie weights. Bake until the side is set, about 20 minutes (the edge will be pale golden). Remove foil and rice and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

While the tart shell bakes and cools, mix the strawberries and sugar and let stand about 30 minutes. Strain the berry juice into a small sauce pan and cook until thickened and reduced. Allow to cool.

Whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.

When tart shell is cool, spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle with strawberry glaze.




Okay, that's my last summer recipe for a while. I promise next time I'll have some fall-appropriate eats. I'll also have in the near future a kitchen equipment review, with a to-be-determined gadget courtesy of CSN Stores. They've got a wide selection of kitchen essentials, from dining tables to souffle dishes. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to testing out a new toy.

The food: Cheesy strawberry tart
The verdict: Worth postponing fall for

What Did You Put in This? The Black-and-White Brownie

When our small group Bible study got together for a cookout earlier this month, I needed some non-fussy desserts.  I ended up making Karly's eclair cake (easy! tasty!) and a batch of black-and-white brownies.  They're basically blondies with melted and cooled white chocolate creamed into the butter and sugar mixture.

It was an interesting idea, but I can't say I've become a fan.  The white chocolate taste was kind of faint -- just enough to make you say, "Huh, what's that?"  But not really in a good way.

If you'd like to experience the "what is going on here?" brownie, you can find the recipe, courtesy of King Arthur Flour, here.

Daffodil Cake (no, there aren't real flowers in the recipe)

For those of you who live in regions where early May is still spring and not blazing-hot summer (sorry, Raleigh readers), you might want to celebrate the season with a daffodil cake. It's angel food cake with a denser bottom layer (you add in egg yolks) and an orange glaze.  (Which is always my favorite part. I've been known to lick the serving platter after the cake is gone.  But I do it very demurely.)

If you're not up to making your own angel food cake batter or if you're pressed for time, you could cheat and use a box mix.  Angel food isn't tough to make from scratch, though, so you might want to give it a try.

Daffodil Cake

• Your favorite angel food batter
• 6 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 t. orange extract
• 3 T. cream cheese, softened
• 1/3. c. orange juice concentrated, thawed
• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Make the angel food batter.  Set aside about 3 cups; pour the rest into an ungreased tube pan.

Add egg yolks and orange extract to reserved batter and fold together.  Spoon into tube pan over plain batter.  Bake until toothpick in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Cool and unmold.

To make the glaze, mix together the cream cheese and orange juice concentrate.  Whisk in the sugar.  Drizzle over cooled cake.

Hopping on the Food Blogger Bandwagon: Macarons

If you read food blogs regularly, you're no doubt aware of the macaron craze. Could you respect me as a blogger if I didn't make my own attempt at these little confections?  No?  I didn't think so.

In that case, here they are: raspberry and cheese-filled macarons.  I used a great recipe from Tartelette, skipping the pink food coloring and substituting cream cheese for the mascarpone.  (Sorry, Tartelette.  I know cream cheese isn't very French, but I've got a lot of it.)

And if the macaron trend has somehow caught you unawares, here are the quick facts: Puffy little meringue cookies made with ground almonds and aged egg whites. Tasty fillings, often chocolate. Piped batter, often messy. Fun to make, fun to eat. They kind of fall apart in your mouth.

If you're serious about macarons, you might want to invest in a scale -- flour and such can be kind of persnickety, so you'll get a much more consistent end-result if you weigh, rather than measure, your ingredients for baked goods. Food scales are cheap, and I'm sure you'll find all sorts of other uses for one, like figuring out whether that letter needs extra postage or if you really got your full 13.5 ounces of creamed corn like the Jolly Green Giant says you did.

The food: Macarons
The verdict: Ooh la la!

The Genius of the Mini Cheesecake

The best present I got for Christmas last year was a membership to Sam's Club.  Yes, I know -- Sam Walton was kind of a bully.  Yes, I've seen Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.  Yes, it's weird that they make you flash your i.d. card at the door.  Flaws and all, I like shopping at Sam's Club.

Thanks to my new love of bulk buying, I'm now in possession of a three-pound (count 'em, three) block of cream cheese.  Philadelphia brand, of course.  Which explains why I've been on a cheesecake kick as of late.

The first cheesecake project: raspberry mini cheesecakes from Cook's Country.  These little delights are genius.  Why?  Because they're tasty.  And because they're fast and easy.  And tasty.  Did I mention that?

I could eat cheesecake every day, but I'm not much on lining pans and setting up water baths and crushing graham crackers and baking forever and then waiting for the thing to cool in the oven.  The trick with the mini cheesecakes is that they use whole butter cookies in place of crumb crusts (I told you, genius!) and they bake quick because they're small.

I also like the individual portions (no cutting) and the cupcake liners (no mess).

Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes (adapted from Cook's Country)

• 18 round shortbread cookies (like Keebler Sandies)
• 2/3 c. seedless raspberry jam
• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened 
• 2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
• 3 large eggs

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners, then put a cookie into the bottom of each.  Put a dollop of jam on each cookie.  (There will be jam left over.)

Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and condensed milk, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth.

Divide batter among muffin cups.  Bake until set, about 20 minutes.  Cool tins on wire racks.  Once cupcakes have reached room temperature, refrigerate about 1 hour.

Microwave remaining jam until thinned, about 30 seconds.  Glaze the top of each cheesecake with jam and serve.

Makes 18 mini cheesecakes.

The food: Raspberry mini cheesecakes
The verdict: Mini cakes, mucho tastiness

Sweets for your Sweetie: Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars

Looking for a sweet treat to make your Valentine's Day sweetheart?  May I recommend salted chocolate caramel bars?

Adapted from a recipe on Lisa is Cooking, the bars are like grown-up Twix, with a surprising sprinkle of sea salt.  The creamy chocolate ganache, the chewy caramel and the crunchy shortbread layer are an interesting mixture of textures and tastes.  I think you'll dig them.  And so will your Valentine.

One note: My shortbread fell short of my expectations.  Maybe I baked it too long or didn't add quite enough butter.  In any case, when I was cutting the bars, the crust crumbled and fell away in quite a few spots.  My mom (a genius) called just as I was cutting the bars to take to a party — she suggested I cut them into small squares and serve them in mini-muffin papers to disguise the disfigured underside.  It worked.  Dessert saved.

Another note: The caramel takes forever to make.  I recommend stirring with one hand and holding a good book with the other.

Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars
Shortbread crust:

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar

Caramel:

• 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 c. light brown sugar
• 4 T. light corn syrup
• 2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate ganache:

• 8 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
• 4 T. butter, cut into pieces
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

For the shortbread, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Cream butter and sugar, then add in flour mixture.  Press dough into an even layer in the prepared pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Cool completely.

For the caramel, combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until caramel reaches soft-ball stage (about 245 degrees).  Remove from heat and pour over cooled shortbread crust.  Spread evenly and allow to cool completely.

For the chocolate ganache, combine the butter and chocolate in a large, heat-proof bowl or double boiler.  Heat mixture over simmering water until smooth.  Pour over cooled caramel and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with sea salt.

Once the ganache cools, cut into bars or squares.  Sprinkle again with salt, if desired.

The food: Salted chocolate caramel bars
The verdict: Guaranteed to make your Valentine swoon, whatever that means

Marshmallow Fluff: The Cupcake Baker's Best Friend

I love a good cupcake.  But more than a good cupcake, I love a good frosting.  I spend a lot of time over at Cupcakes Take the Cake, admiring the professional decorating jobs, wishing I could get my frosting to pile on fluffy and thick like they do.  I have a couple of tried-and-true recipes, but while they taste good, they don't have much body to them, so big, puffy piles of piped-on frosting just don't happen for me.

Until now.  I think I've discovered a frosting hack.

And it's Marshmallow Fluff.

I had half of a container left over from Christmas fudge making and I needed to use it up, so I combined about 8 oz. of Fluff with about 3/4 c. softened butter and added powdered sugar and vanilla to taste (probably about 1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar and a 1/2 t. of vanilla) and mixed with my faithful KitchenAid stand mixer.  It was good!  Rich and not too sugary.  But more than that, it was really fluffy and I could spread and pipe to my heart's content.  I'd say it made enough to frost 18-24 cupcakes, depending on how generous you're feeling.

I think the Marshmallow Fluff brand of marshmallow creme is made in Massachusetts, so maybe it's more of a regional treat, because I had a tough time finding it here in North Carolina.  In Maine, I remember flavored Fluff -- raspberry and strawberry, I think.  I'd love to get my hands on that for frosting purposes.  In the meantime, I think I'll experiment with orange extract.

Let's hear it for Fluff, the baker's best friend.

It's Back: The Christmas-Time Pumpkin Roll

I realize I've posted about pumpkin roll before, but if you'll indulge me, I'd like to remind you about how pumpkin roll is the perfect holiday food.  A little sponge cake.  A little cream cheese goodness.  A little fancy.  A bit hit all around.

If you'd like to roll out one of your own, you can find the recipe on my previous post.

Pumpkin Fudge: The Best Way to Eat Your Vegetables

Okay, maybe pumpkin isn't really a vegetable.  (It's a berry!  Did you know that??)  So in that case, pumpkin fudge is a great way to eat your berries.

I found this recipe two years ago in The Progressive Farmer — which, while not my go-to recipe magazine, hit the nail on the head with this one.

Unlike a dense chocolate fudge, pumpkin fudge has a nice, light texture.  The pumpkin isn't overwhelming — in fact, next time I might try adding a little more.  And I skipped the nuts when I made my batch, but the fine folks at The Progressive Farmer suggest folding in some toasted, chopped pecans.

Also, be warned: there's a lot of stirring involved.  I like to keep the mixture moving with one hand and use the other to hold up a good book — usually one about food.

Pumpkin Fudge

• 3 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. butter, melted
• 2/3 c. evaporated milk
• 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
• 2 T. light corn syrup
• 1 t. pumpkin pie spice
• 12 oz. white chocolate chips
• 7 oz. marshmallow creme
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil.  Grease the foil and set aside.

Stir together the sugar, butter, milk, pumpkin, corn syrup and pie spice in a large, heavy saucepan.  Heat on medium-high, stirring constantly.  Once the mixture reaches soft-ball stage (there are a few ways to measure this, but I like to use a thermometer, and soft-ball stage is about 234 degrees F), remove from heat.  Stir in the chips, creme and extract and mix until well blended.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool and hardened.  Makes about 3 lbs.

The food: Pumpkin fudge
The verdict: The Progressive Farmer comes up with a winner

Chipotle Peanut Brittle: A Crazy Take on a Traditional Christmas Treat

I like traditional things.  When it came time for school pictures and my classmates were selecting backdrops with neon lasers and other sweet lighting effects, I said, "I'll just sit in front of that gray canvas, please."  When I was planning my wedding and several magazines suggested I write my own love-infused vows and perform a complicated-yet-symbolic ritual involving pouring sand from one glass into another, I said, "How about we just stick with the 'til death do you part, I do' stuff."  And when I make a classic traditional treat like peanut brittle, I say, "Give me my grandmother's recipe and no funny business, mister."

But when I found this recipe for peanut brittle with chipotle, I admit it: I was curious.  So I made a batch for Ben to take to a football viewing party.  And I'm proud to report that in this case, I'm willing to part with tradition.  At least once in a while.  

Peppery peanut brittle is pretty interesting.  At first, you don't really taste anything different about it.  But as you're chewing, the smoky spiciness sneaks up on you and your mouth gets zinged.  It's quite a feeling.

If you're heading off to a holiday party soon and need a treat to take (or a hostess gift), this peanut brittle would be a fun, unexpected choice. And it beats fruit cake.

Chipotle chile powder probably isn't available everywhere, but I was able to find a McCormick-brand jar of it at Harris Teeter. I'd avoid regular old chile powder, since the real beauty of this recipe is the smokiness. I guess you could substitute regular chile powder and liquid smoke if you wanted. Let me know how that goes.

If you don't already have a candy thermometer, you'll need one for this recipe. (The recipe developer suggests cooking times, but it took me less time to reach the specified temperatures than suggested.) And when you add in the peanuts toward the end, don't be afraid when the mixture seizes up on you. Keep heating and stirring. It will soften and liquefy again.

Non-Traditional, Smoky Spicy Chipotle Peanut Brittle (from the estimable Cooking Light)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light-colored corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 11.5 ounces of salted, dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper; coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook 18 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 275°, stirring frequently. Add peanuts; cook 3 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 295°, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and chile powder. (The baking soda will cause the mixture to bubble and become opaque.  This is cool.)

Quickly pour mixture onto prepared pan.  Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll mixture to an even thickness. Discard top parchment sheet. Cool mixture completely; break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

The food: Chipotle peanut brittle
The verdict: A good blend of spicy, smoky and sweet

Merry Christmas, Have Some Pumpkin Ice Cream

I've never been one to make Christmas lists, but I've been wanting an ice cream-making attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer for about a year, so I did recently suggest that if Ben was running low on gift ideas, an ice cream maker under the tree would be most welcome.

Two weeks ago, while perusing CraigsList, I happened to find someone offering the attachment, brand new, for pretty cheap.  I couldn't resist the deal, so Christmas came early this year.

To celebrate the season, we made a batch of pumpkin ice cream from
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.  All of the recipes begin with the sweet cream base (Vermont's finest ice cream makers offer three versions), then suggest ways to customize.  For this recipe, we added pureed pumpkin and a little bit of pumpkin pie spice.  It was really good.  Not as sweet as pumpkin pie, and not as rich as Goodberry's pumpkin custard (which is made with more eggs than ice cream), but very good and fun to make.

Next on our list to try is coffee.  Or a nice eggnog ice cream for the holidays.  Because frozen desserts aren't just for summertime.


Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Ice Cream 
Makes 1 Quart

Whisk two eggs until light and fluffy, about two minutes.  Gradually whisk in 3/4 c. of granulated sugar until completely blended.  Add in 2 c. cream (heavy or whipping) and 1 c. milk.

Put about 1 c. of the milk mixture in a separate bowl and add 1 c. pureed pumpkin and 2 t. pumpkin pie spice.  Mix until blended, then whisk together pumpkin mixture and remaining milk mixture.  Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.


The food: Pumpkin ice cream
The verdict: It's the great pumpkin ice cream, Charlie Brown

Getting Fresh: Apple Cake

Raleigh is a lovely place, but it's not known for its apple orchards, so they truck them in from other places, like Michigan and Pennsylvania.  You know those Pace commercials where the cowboys have near-coronaries after they discover their salsa is made in New York City?  That's how I feel about the apples I get here.  I'm sure they're swell and all, but I like Maine apples and that's that.  Mom, if you're reading this, send me a peck or two, would you?

Maybe my apple bias is why I wasn't all that thrilled with my latest attempt in the kitchen, Fresh Apple Cake.

I can't blame the recipe source: the King Arthur blog.  Those bakers know what they are doing for sure.  I think it was probably me.  I used too small a pan.  I overbaked.  My apples weren't cut uniformly.  I substituted apple juice concentrate for the boiled cider.  And there just wasn't all the apple goodness I was hoping for.

That being said, I think I should give it another try.  Everyone seemed to have great success with it except for me.  Any suggestions on perking it up a little?

French Donuts: Ooh la Yum!

When Ben and I went camping recently, I was concerned about the following things:

• Avoiding a sunburn.
  
• Whether or not I could get a warm shower.
• The eats.

Needless to say, food is an important part of the camping experience.  That being the case, I made a batch of French donuts for us to enjoy for breakfast at dawn.  Or 9:30 a.m., which was a more likely rise-and-shine time for us.

I've seen lots of variations on this recipe and it's been called lots of things.  "Donuts" might be a little misleading, since these are really little cakes that are baked (not fried) then rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar.  So you don't have to call them donuts if you feel like that's dishonest or misleading.  You can just call them "yum."























French donuts

For "donuts":

• 1/3 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 2 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 c. milk

For sugary-goodness coating:

• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 t. cinnamon
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 12-muffin tin.  Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add egg and mix well.  Sift together dry ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with milk.

Fill muffin cups half full and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.  Allow muffins to cool.  Meanwhile, mix 1 c. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon.  Dip cooled muffins in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar.


The food: French donuts
The verdict: Not really donuts, probably not really French, but exceptionally tasty

You're a Peach

The other day, someone from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture knocked on my door and said, "You have to learn to make a peach cobbler or get out. It's a requirement for residency." So I did and I gave him a bowlful. He's letting me stay.

Okay, that's not really what happened. But, as a relative newcomer, I am learning that North Carolinians take their cobblers pretty seriously. Especially peach. Especially when served with barbecue.

Here's the real story about my cobbler. Last weekend, I went to the farmer's market for corn. That was it. But then, once I got there, I got all farmer's markety. Ooh, peppers! Yes, please! And peaches! (Here's a secret -- don't tell that guy from the Department of Agriculture. I don't even like peaches! They're furry! Fruit has no right being furry.) The lady selling them was so wholesome looking, and the little girl on her hip was calling me ma'am and the balsa wood baskets the peaches sat in were so square. So I bought a few, fur and all. Unfortunately, I did not get to take the basket home with me. I just put my purchases in my Liberty Graphics canvas market tote bag (made with organic cotton -- a farmer's market must).

When I returned home and fell out of my farmer's market fog, I was left with a question: what am I going to do with these peaches.

As it often does, Cook's Illustrated provided the answer, this time in the form of a recipe for peach cobbler.

The thing I like best about Cook's Illustrated is that it gives the backstory to recipe creation, so you know what works and what doesn't. For instance, a cookie-like crust for this cobbler was found too sweet, so the author opted for a nice biscuit topping. Heavily sweetened peaches tasted like they came from a can, so the recipe calls for just a quarter-cup of sugar.

In the end, I think my only problem was that the peaches weren't quite ripe. The sweet biscuit topping was tender and just sweet enough, and the peaches cooked without becoming mushy. I'd recommend you give this one a try. With fresh peaches. Farmer's market and organic cotton tote bag are optional.


Peach Cobbler (from Cook's Illustrated)

For the filling:

• 2 1/2 c. ripe, firm peaches, peeled
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 t. cornstarch
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
  

For the biscuit topping:

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 3 T. plus 1 t. sugar
• 3/4 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
• 5 T. cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/3 c. plain yogurt (I used sour cream instead)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Half the peeled peaches, scoop the pits and red flesh from the centers and cut each half into four slices. Toss the peaches and 1/4 c. sugar in a large bowl and allow to sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 30 minutes, drain the peaches in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve 1/4 c. of the juice, whisking it with the cornstarch, lemon juice and salt. Toss mixture with peach slices, then pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Bake for about 10 minutes.

While the peaches are baking, whisk together the flour, 3 T. sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender, blend in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yogurt (or sour cream) and mix until just combined. (Overmixing will lead to tough biscuits.)

Remove peaches from oven. Roughly shape six biscuits and place them over the peaches, leaving at least a half-inch between biscuits (to keep the biscuits from being gluey). Sprinkle biscuits with the remaining sugar. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool slightly; serve warm.


The food: Peach cobbler
The verdict: The N.C. Department of Agriculture says you must make it