A Noisy, Sunny Day

The morning started with birds.  A whole tree full of squawking, talking avian visitors.  Maybe on their way south, or taking off early for their Thanksgiving destination.  They chirped and screamed, "I'm Alive!", their noise echoing off buildings making it sound like they were everywhere.  I went out on an errand and the air was filled with the sound of these birds all settled in one tree.  When I came back, they had migrated to a tree on the next street over.  I guess they were in no hurry to get anywhere, enjoying the warm November day as much as all the people out on the sidewalks.

My kitchen was lit by the sun, a distinct November light shining through leafless trees.  I had a bag full of shining cranberries -- deep, glowing red, crisp and bouncy ready to roll off the table onto the floor.  As you know, I love fresh cranberries for their tart, intense flavor and for their sweeter applications.  There are so many recipes to incorporate cranberries, but somewhere along the way I got it in my head that I wanted to make and can some cranberry sauce and this weekend it was time to make this happen.

Even as I rinsed the cranberries, I was debating which recipe I should use.  I was tempted to make a savory cranberry chutney, but I decided for my first cranberry saucing experience I should go for a variation on something classic.  I'm not sure how serving cranberry sauce in the shape of the can became a classic, it  has never been in my family, but when Ray first celebrated Thanksgiving with us he insisted on including this in our feast (and still does).  Being a mildly obsessed make-it-myself-er when it comes to food, I had to try to make something better and I couldn't resist canning it, too.  I will bring some to my mom's house for Thanksgiving, give some to friends and family for their celebrations and keep a few jars in our pantry.

This sauce will never hold the shape of the jar, but I like this homemade version of cranberry sauce. Its not too sweet since I added the zest and juice of a couple of oranges and a couple of tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger but it will be a bright addition to any plate (on Thanksgiving or any other day).  If you are not going to can this, then you can add whatever other flavor and texture you want (other fruits, nuts) or decrease or increase the sugar as you like.  Since I was determined to make a big batch and preserve it in jars I kept closely to the original recipe that I have included here.  Its spoonable, spreadable, tart, but not very, a bit of a noisy, sunny fall day sealed up in a jar.


Cranberry Orange Sauce
Adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. This recipe makes enough to fill about 10 8-ounce jars.  If you want to make less, especially if you are not canning it, you can easily cut the recipe in half.  If you want to have plenty to can and share, stick with these amounts.  
4 cups of water
Zest and Juice of two oranges (about 3/4 cup juice)
3 cups sugar
10 cups cranberries                                                                                                                                    2 tablespoons of fresh ginger, peeled and minced


In a large saucepan combine water, orange juice and sugar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Add cranberries and return to a boil.  Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, the berries will burst with gentle popping sounds.  Continue to gently boil for 20-25 minutes until sauce thickens and runs off a spoon in sheets.  


Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars and lids.  Ladle hot sauce into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space.  Remove air bubbles and adjust head space if necessary by adding sauce.  Wipe rim and center lid on jar.  Screw band down until finger-tip tight.  Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes.  Remove canner lid, wait five minutes the remove jars, cool and store for up to one year.

I Did Not Delay

When I saw this recipe, I thought:  I must make this as soon as possible.   How could I ignore a whole grain cake featuring pumpkin and the accompanying spices?  How could I postpone cream cheese frosting studded with tiny spicy pieces of crystallized ginger?  I couldn't.  I had no reason to make this, no occasion and no need to have a whole cake sitting on the counter calling to me to have another delicious piece.  So, I did not delay:  I made it last week and brought it to work where my co-workers quickly devoured before it could make a noise as it sat innocently on the counter.

Now, I know what you are thinking:  "Another recipe with squash?  Thanksgiving is coming right up and we have no time to even think about this."  Its okay, I understand.  I just didn't want to let this slip by, something so simple, satisfying and easily crowd pleasing.  When it comes to Thanksgiving, I wouldn't dream of forgoing pie for dessert (although I have made many squash recipes already this fall, I haven't had pumpkin pie and I am really looking forward to it).  I there's a canned pumpkin shortage, and maybe you were saving that can or the squash from the farm for something else.  I know its almost too late:  after Thanksgiving minds turn to another holiday fast approaching and I start to think of other sweet flavors -- chocolate, mint, ginger in all kinds of sweets.

I was just thinking, that, maybe, you would come back to this little cake sometime this winter.  Maybe you'll find that one of the squash you have saved from the fall harvest has a soft spot and needs to be used soon.  Maybe you'll want something rich and comforting, yet humble and easy to bake on a cold winter's day.  You could always wait until next fall, but I wouldn't recommend it.  When you do get around to making this recipe, you will not be disappointed.  And if you happen to bring it in to work you're co-workers will be quite pleased, too.

Pumpkin Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book.  It is a fabulous resource for making almost any baked good you could want using whole grains.  They have lots of tips and ideas for making whole grains work really well in everything from breads to scones to cakes and more.  I made this as a sheet cake because it was simple and easy to transport.  I am sure that it would be a stunning two layer cake or be great as cup cakes.  It would be good, too, with out cream cheese, but I am a sucker for cream cheese frosting.

Cake
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup whole barley flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
15 ounces pumpkin, butternut or buttercup squash puree (one can)
 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour the pan or pans of your choice.  Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl.  Beat the brown sugar, butter and oil together until thick, creamy and well combined.  Beat in the eggs one at a time scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in.  Stir in the pumpkin and then the dry ingredients.  Mix until evenly moistened.  Transfer the batter to prepared pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched. Remove from the oven and let cool before frosting.

Frosting
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces (one package) of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger
2 to 4 tablespoons milk, if needed, to make the frosting spreadable
Combine the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a medium bowl and beat them together until they are light and fluffy.  Add the sugar gradually beating well. Stir in the ginger, then add the milk a little at a time until the frosting is spreadable. 

My Favorite Cornbread

This week I went to the last outdoor farmer's market of the season.  My hands were frozen as I chose which squash, sweet potatoes and greens I would buy.  The farmers looked even colder, bundled in jackets, hats and hoods.  The sun shone weakly as we chatted about how we were looking forward to Thanksgiving.  In the background, workers were putting up the annual giant Christmas tree in Monument Square.  I hurried on to the rest of my day's activities with bags stuffed with more of the season's goodness.  I usually try to stock up a bit on vegetables and fruits that will keep for a couple months in the pantry and the fridge so I can continue to eat good local produce into the cold months.

I've been enjoying many meals featuring these delicious jewels of fall:  butternut squash gratin, roasted root vegetables, squash risotto with goat cheese and caramelized onions, apple tart, a beet salad, and potato and sweet potato cakes.  I love having so many good vegetables to choose from right in the kitchen.  The other night, to accompany a squash gratin and beet salad, I made my favorite corn bread.

Corn bread is so simple, and I suspect that with its many possible variations, everyone has their own favorite recipe.  Mine is based off of this recipe from the New York Times, but I've made it my own.  If I have fresh corn available, I use it.  Sometimes I use frozen corn kernels.  Depending on what it is going with I might put in some crumbled cheese, I rarely add the thyme that the original recipe calls for because I don't often have any that is fresh.  I'm partial to using more whole grains and substituting honey for sugar, so that is what I do.  As long as you follow the basic outline for the corn bread you can make a variation that suits you.

My Favorite Corn Bread
I don't have a cast iron skillet that is the right size for this recipe so I use a stainless steel one that fits.  You could also use a nine-inch round or square pan and melt the butter in the oven as it preheats.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk or sour cream (or add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 1/4 cups of milk.  Stir and let sit for a few minutes until it curdles)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup butter
Optional additions: 3/4 cup grated or crumbled cheddar cheese and or 1 cup of corn kernels
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Measure out 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, sour cream or sour milk into a 2-cup measuring cup.  Add vegetable oil, egg and honey and mix until thoroughly combined.  Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until just combined.  Add the cheese or corn if using.
Melt butter in a 9-inch cast iron (or other) skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook it until it begins to color into a golden brown.  Remove from heat and pour the batter into the pan on top of the butter.  Bake in the pan in the oven until golden brown and a fork or toothpick come out clean, about 30-35 minutes.  Let cool for at least 5 minutes and enjoy!

Spiced with Tradition

Ice cream has an important place in my family.  When I was in elementary school my mom started the tradition of Ice Cream Night.  Every Thursday evening since then family and friends have gathered around her dining room table to share in a homemade vegetarian dinner followed by a bowl full of one of the many ice creams that fill the freezer and toppings like homemade whipped cream and chocolate sauce, and a variety of candies in little glass dishes.  My sisters and I spent many nights around the table warm with laughter and thousands of shared stories, lit with candles and shining faces.  On Thursday nights friends and and friends of friends would join us to share food, games, and eventually the small community that has grown around Ice Cream Night.

I write about Ice Cream Night as I've been thinking a lot about flavors and tastes, connections and changes, family and tradition.  Now that my sisters and I have grown up, some of us married, some pursuing vibrant careers, some doing both, the five of us are rarely all in the same room, let alone the same state.  But I think about where we began, what we shared and what still might connect us now.   We have sometimes brought Ice Cream Night with us to other places but the dining room table is still a place that we come back to, on a Thursday or a Sunday or any day that we can be there

The coming year is going to bring a lot of changes for everyone in my family.  Nearly all of us will move to a different state but we won't be living any closer to each other.  I've been thinking a lot about the past and our present and how to stay connected as we are scattered around.  As I continue on my own path I  also wonder what traditions I will create or carry on.  I don't yet have many traditions of my own, but I do return again and again to the kitchen, to create and taste flavors both familiar and new.  I love that this experience is shared through a recipe that can be made in your kitchen and mine.  We can both sit down to a bowl of ice cream and connect with something or someone who is far away in distance or time.

So, I'm sharing this recipe for Pumpkin Ice Cream with you.  Its just exactly what I hoped home made pumpkin ice cream would taste like -- the flavors of sweet autumn, pumpkin pie, cinnamon, a hint of thanksgiving and a gathering around a table sharing connections with each other.  I'll have a spoonful (or more likely a bowlful) and wherever you are you'll make it and taste the same flavors spiced with your own traditions.

Pumpkin Ice Cream
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma 

1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg


Mix the pumpkin puree and the vanilla until fully combined.  Refrigerate while you work on the other steps.  In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar until bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan.  Stir to dissolve the sugar.  While this is heating, combine the remaining cream and sugar, egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg.  Whisk until smooth, evenly blended and the sugar begins to dissolve.


When the cream and sugar are heated, remove from the stove.  Whisk 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth.  Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the heated cream and stir constantly over medium heat.  Keep this custard at a low simmer for about 4-6 minutes until the mixture begins to coat the spoon or spatula.  At this point, strain the custard through a sieve into a bowl.  Fill a larger bowl with ice water and place the custard bowl in it, stirring to help it cool.  Whisk the pumpkin mixture into it until totally combined and smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap on the surface (to prevent a skin from forming on the custard) for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.  


Freeze in an ice cream maker according to its instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, here is a way to make ice cream in your freezer. 

Savor Each Bite

Still sinking deeper into Autumn.  Leaves are piling up on the edges of the streets while naked trees scratch the gray skies with their sharp, empty branches.  I scuff my way through the piles for the deep satisfaction of their crunch, swirling lightness and that unmistakable smell of a pile of fallen leaves.  I breathe it in and hold the musty, earthy smell in my nose and lungs as long as I possibly can.

I do love this time of year, the time beyond all the vibrant and always astonishingly beautiful foliage.  I love the wind that comes up to shake the naked trees and swirl their dropped leaves into piles along the curb.  I love the clouds that hang gray and sometimes bleak, covering the sky with no sign of rain, snow or ever leaving.  Although I may tire of it in a few weeks or months I find myself eagerly welcoming these cloud-blanketed days for they give me permission to be cozy and productive in the kitchen.

We've been living in our apartment for over a year and I've recently become nostalgic for late fall evenings spent with a cooking project and NPR.  Even if I've been on my feet all day making food at work, it won't stop me from a few more hours of truly satisfying edible alchemy.  Almost daily, I find myself taking inventory of what's in the kitchen or what I might find at the farmer's market this week and dreaming up combinations of ingredients into a meal.  Its practically involuntary at this point, but each possibility brings a little jolt of excitement for what I will create, even if its just something simple.  I guess I'm a bit of a nerd, but I've reached the point in life where I am content to do the things I enjoy and not worry (too much) about the rest.  So, many Saturday or Sunday evenings I find myself holed up in the kitchen.

 Last weekend I finally got to making the butternut squash ravioli I had been thinking about for weeks.  Home made pasta is so worth the effort and, actually its not that much work, it just requires extra time and usually patience.  The first time I made this recipe was a few years ago when I was making dinner for my mom and step-father in my first grown up apartment.  At the time, I didn't have a pasta roller, so I pushed and pushed at it with a rolling pin to get it as thin as I could.  Now I have a pasta roller and not only does it make thinner sheets of pasta but it is also quite fun to watch the dough change from a stiff lump, not unlike play dough, to those long uniform sheets.  But of course you can do it either way, depending on what is available to you.

After baking the squash and mashing it with breadcrumbs, butter, and Parmesan I could have eaten that mixture and been immensely satisfied.  Instead I forged on, stuffing the squash into little half moon pillows, dropping them into boiling water and then, while they cooked, tossing garlic, sage, and toasted pecans into melted butter followed by the cooked ravioli.  Is your mouth watering yet?  Mine definitely was at this point and when the ravioli landed on a plate sprinkled with parmesan I savored each bite slowly.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Toasted Pecans and Sage
This recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  The combination of the hearty ravioli with the brown butter sauce is flavorful and satisfying.  It serves 4-6 people, and I was only serving two so I froze the ravioli we wouldn't eat and made a half batch of the brown butter.  Sometime this winter we'll enjoy the meal again.


For the Pasta:
3 cups flour
3 eggs
3 teaspoons of olive oil or water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pile the flour on a counter top work surface.  Shape it into a mound with a well in the center  Put the eggs, oil and salt into the well.  Break up the eggs with a fork and begin piling the flour in from the sides to create a smooth mass of dough that doesn't stick to your hands.  Knead the dough, picking up as much of the remaining flour as it will hold until it is smooth and moist but not sticky.  Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling it out. 

OR, Place the flour and salt in a food processor.  Turn on the motor and add oil, then the eggs.  Work until little particles are formed (it will look like coarse corn meal).  Take the dough out of the food processor, gather it all together and knead until smooth.  Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 to fifteeen minutes.


For the Filling
2 cups of cooked butternut squash*
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs

Mash the squash and beat it with the butter until smooth.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Mix in the cheese and breadcrumbs until it is evenly combined.  Resist the temptation to eat all of the filling then and there!

After it has rested, roll out the dough with a pasta machine until it is very thin (I rolled it out through the second to last setting on my pasta machine).  Dot the dough with mounded teaspoons of filling and then fold it over to cover it (as pictured above).  Cut the dough into half circles or squares and moisten them with water to tightly seal the edges.  It takes some time to fill all of the pasta so keep the remaining sheets under a damp dishcloth so they don't dry out.  Once you are done filling all of them, cover the ravioli with the damp dishcloth so that they stay moist until you cook them.

For the Brown Butter with Toasted Pecans and Sage
4 to 6 tablespoons of butter
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
freshly grated Parmesan

In a skillet which will also hold the finished pasta, melt the butter with the garlic, sage, 1 tablespoon parsley, and thyme and cook until the butter is lightly browned and has a nutty aroma.  Cook the ravioli in boiling salted water for 4 or 5 minutes, then drain.  Add the pecans to the butter with the remaining parsley, then add the ravioli to the sauce.  Cook, gently tossing in the butter, for 30 seconds then serve dusted with Parmesan. 
*Cut the squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut side down on a baking pan.  Bake until soft, about 30 or 40 minutes.  Scoop out the flesh and measure 2 cups.

A Display of Fruit

Last weekend, my friend Lora and her sister Tyler hosted a Naked Ladies Party.  Before your imagination runs away with you, let me explain.  About ten fabulous women converged on their house with bags filled with clothes they had plucked from their closets and drawers because they no longer wanted them.  As the saying goes, one woman's so-last-year is another woman's new outfit.  Well, some of the clothes were more like so-last-decade but you never know whether the shirt you discard will make someone else's day.  We went through the piles and tried things on, voted on who should get coveted items and everyone ended up with new additions to their wardrobe from what started as a pile of unwanted clothes.  Its a really fun way to reuse, recycle and have something new to wear. 

Before we began the frenzy of sorting through the piles of t-shirts, jackets, sweaters, skirts, pants and more, we fortified ourselves with roasted pumpkin seeds, cheeses accompanied by membrillo, fried green tomatoes with lemon ricotta cream on top, an apple cranberry galette, baked brie and lots of nutella.  I enjoyed every bite of it all, and came home with several new items of clothing and one cast off piece of the galette which had been my edible offering for the night.  In my kitchen, a galette is a pie wrapped in crust instead of in a pie dish.  I love making them, the crust is easier to make and much more forgiving than pie crust and, for the something so simple it looks both rustic and impressively beautiful.  I love the way the crust is folded around the fruit which makes for a fruit filled crust bite at the end and a display of fruit showing off in the center.  I made up a combination of apples and cranberries for a contrast of sweet and tart highlighting some of the fruits of the season.


Apple Cranberry Galette

For the Galette Dough:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into small chunks
1/3 cup of cold water

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Drop the chunks of butter in and cut in by hand, knife, pastry cutter or other method of choice until the texture is like coarse cornmeal with some larger chunks.  Sprinkle the cold water over the flour/butter and gently toss the mixture around the bowl to incorporate the water a little bit.  Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it slightly into a disk.  Refrigerate the dough while you make the filling.

For the Filling:

1 1/2 pounds of apples, peeled and cut into slices
1 1/2 cups fresh whole cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar 

Place apples and 1 cup of the cranberries in a bowl.  Pour in the maple syrup, add the spices and lemon juice and mix gently until all the apple slices are coated.  

Roll out the dough into an irregular circle (about 14 inches wide) 1/8 inch thick.  Place on the back of a sheet pan or cookie sheet without sides.  Leaving a 3-4 inch border of dough arrange the apples in a circle, each slice slightly over lapping with another.  Continue to fill in the circle with apples and build on top of them in a pattern that you like (the middle top layer will be visible when the galette is done) sprinkling in cranberries among the apple slices.  When all the apple slices have been arranged, toss the remaining cranberries in the left over juice from the bowl.  Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping and tucking as you go.  Arrange the cranberries on top of the apples in the center and pour in the juice from the bowl.  Brush the crust with the melted butter, pouring any extra onto the fruit.  Sprinkle the sugar on top of the buttered crust and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown.  Serve warm with whipped cream, or offer it at a pot luck clothes swap cooled and ready for sharing.

River Scarves

I've been doing a few sewing projects and having a lot of fun with this one.



I love binding things together with thread, making shapes, following the fabric and creating organic, meandering lines.  I used some old pieces of linen that I had to make these scarves whose color and shape made me think of meandering rivers.  I simple fold part of the fabric over and sew it onto itself.  I don't plan ahead or use pins but just follow the flow of the stitching down the fabric.  It adds a bit of new texture and shape to the fabric.  Perfect for a fall scarf.