Fresh Pumpkin Pie

This fall we joined a CSA (community supported agriculture), a local farm that delivers a bushel box of organically grown produce every other week to a drop-off location nearby. With the last batch of vegetables we also received a so-called "dessert pumpkin." It's a small pumpkin, very cute, about 5 1/2 inches in diameter and weighing approximately three pounds. It has served as a great centerpiece on our kitchen counter, but now it's time to turn it into pumpkin pie.

I have to admit that pumpkin pie has never been my favorite dessert, and I usually pass it up for apple pie on Thanksgiving Day. Also, I've never made pumpkin pie before, not even with the canned variety. So at first I was a little leery. But the good thing about getting produce from a farm and not knowing what's in the box is that you learn to cook with foods you would never think of buying in the supermarket. I honestly have to say that making pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin has taken me to new heights in baking. I really like the taste of the pie, too. I guess you could say I had a pumpkin pie conversion experience…

Before being able to use the pumpkin flesh, I had to cook it. I settled on baking it because it is a very simple method.

Baking a Pumpkin

Ingredients:

1 pumpkin, approximately 3 pounds (makes about 2 cups of pumpkin purée)

olive oil (pure olive oil is more stable at higher temperatures, so use that!)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Wash the pumpkin and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and keep them for roasting later. Brush a cookie sheet or roasting pan with oil and place pumpkin halves on it, cut side down. Cover with foil and bake at 350˚F for about 60-90 minutes or until very soft. Scrape the flesh out of the rind and purée in a food processor or food mill.

The next step involves making the actual pumpkin pie:

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

3 large eggs

2 cups fresh pumpkin purée

1 cup whole milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Prepare your favorite crust (home-made or store-bought) and line a pie pan with it. Set aside. Combine sugar and spices, add the eggs and beat until mixture is creamy and light-colored. Add pumpkin purée, then milk, and mix until everything is blended well. Pour this filling into your favorite crust recipe and bake for about 35-45 minutes, until the center of the filling is set, but still quivery when nudged. Let pie cool on a rack. It can be served cold, at room temperature or slightly warm. Serve with whipped cream.

Note: The baking instructions are given for conventional oven baking. I used a convection oven, but it still took my pie 35-45 minutes at 375˚F.

Buttermilk Scones

I've been going to an ongoing Bible study at a nearby church for many years, actually since my older daughter was about 1 1/2 years old. I started going for a number of reasons:

1. I felt the need for talking with other adults at least once a week after having been a stay-at-home mom for a while.

2. I thought Bible study would enrich my life and help me get to know God better.

3. The group of people I joined had lifted me up and prayed for me when pregnant with my first daughter.

The other day, I volunteered to bring a little something to nibble on for fellowship time and picked a recipe for scones that I found in my present church's cookbook. So here it is. Adapted from the cookbook, "Real Lutherans Cooking":

Buttermilk Scones

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup butter

1 cup buttermilk

2 tsp. orange zest

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

1 cup dried blueberries (or other dried fruit), optional

white sugar to sprinkle on top

Preparation:

Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter onto a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle white sugar on top before baking. Bake at 400˚F for about 15 minutes. This is a great recipe served with lemon curd, jam and/or clotted cream (or just plain whipped cream in lieu of clotted cream!).

Variation:

Instead of making the scones with walnuts and dried blueberries, try dried cherries, or craisins and white chocolate chips. It's so good!

Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream with Blueberry Sauce

Dessert tonight was simple and delicious: store-bought vanilla bean ice-cream covered with warm, homemade blueberry sauce.

To make the sauce, combine in a saucepan:

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 Tbsp. water

3 Tbsp. honey

Heat everything on medium heat until the berries are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove and purée in a blender. Serve over ice-cream. Store left-overs for up to a week in the refrigerator.

By the way: this sauce is also good over pancakes and waffles for breakfast!

Milk Rice Morning

With the girls off to school and the kitchen already clean before 8 o' clock in the morning, I have a little time to enjoy a cup of coffee. The boys (our dogs), also known as "the buddies," are lying next to me: little Lenny wedged into the chair with me and big Louie on the floor. It's funny that they always want to be where I am. Somehow, maybe because I spend most of the time with them and do most of the training, I've emerged as their "superhero," and whatever I do, they're right by my side.

In any case, after last night's dinner we had some rice left over, and this winter I have started making milk rice for the kids for breakfast to use up some of the rice we often have left over from Chinese take-out. The girls used to love a bowl of warm oatmeal on cold winter mornings, but for some reason not any more, at least not this winter. I realize serving milk rice for breakfast is like serving them a bowl of pudding, and it is not nearly as nutritious as a bowl of oatmeal, but it doesn't happen very often and makes them smile. How can I resist?

Here's how I made milk rice for 2 servings this morning using left-over rice:

Milk Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup raisins

1 beaten egg

2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Preparation:

Heat rice and milk together in a small saucepan until the mixture comes to a boil. Cook for a few minutes until the rice absorbs the milk. Add raisins. In a bowl, beat the egg and add the vanilla and sugar. Now add some of the hot milk to the beaten egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture into the pot and stir. (I find that this prevents curdling.) Cook over low heat until the mixture turns into a custard. Cool slightly and serve.

By the way: if using left-over brown rice, the nutritional value of this meal can be greatly enhanced. Brown rice may absorb less milk, though, so adjust measurements.

Perfect Brownie Memories

Just returning from a happy place: the memories in my head, left there a while ago by the most delicious, moist, almost fudgy chocolate brownie my niece made for Christmas. It was densely studded with chocolate chips and every bite had a delightfully smooth texture and was a chocolate flavor explosion–very satisfying for the serious chocolate afficionado. Served with a scoop of fine vanilla bean or mint chocolate chip ice-cream, it made you feel as if you'd gone to heaven and come back. Happy memories. Yum. 

This makes me wonder, actually, if the recipe is a big secret or if she'll part with it…? I will most certainly have to check on that!