Everthing's Coming Up Pumpkin

Pumpkin Isn't Just For Pie Anymore!

It's that time of the year for sweaters and jeans, scarves and boots, brisk clear days, hot chocolate and bright colored leaves. Shorter days combined with cool air herald the advent of fall when we snuggle around an open fire, roast oysters and cheer for our favorite football teams.

Our farmer's markets now feature gourds and pumpkins in all shapes and sizes.

For years we carved them at Halloween, and baked them into pies at Thanksgiving, but suddenly I've been seeing pumpkin everywhere and in every form imaginable. There's Pumpkin Spice Latte, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin risotto, pumpkin salad-I'm beginning to think pumpkin is the new bacon. Just for fun I checked out the MenuTrends database and found, "This year is on track to be one of the most active years for seasonal pumpkin menuing." It could top the 2011 record, when more than 60 pumpkin-related dishes appeared on the menus of America's top 250 chain restaurants.

Here are a few recipes to add to your arsenal just to get you started.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Maple Whipped Cream with Maple Pecans
1? cups Sugar
1 Vanilla bean
2 Egg yolks (room temperature)
3 Eggs (room temperature)
2 cups Cream or whole milk
1Ω 15oz. cans Pumpkin purÈe
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
Ω tsp Salt
1Ω tsp Cinnamon
? tsp Cloves
? tsp Nutmeg
1 large loaf Challah bread,
cut into 1-inch cubes

There is absolute genius in combining the taste of pumpkin pie with baked French toast into something you can easily eat for dessert or serve as a decadent brunch side dish.
I like to use Challah bread in this recipe because it is an egg-enriched rustic bread with just the right texture.
Adjust oven racks to middle and lower middle positions and heat oven to 325∞. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Bake, tossing occasionally, until just dry, about 15 minutes, switching trays from top to bottom racks halfway through. Cool bread cubes about 15 minutes.
Keeping the oven at 325∞. Butter the bottom and sides of a large baking dish, 9 x 13 x 2 inch. (I decided to use two smaller round pie dishes and it worked out just fine.)
Whisk sugar, yolks and eggs to combine. Set aside.
Use a saucepan to heat cream or milk until small bubbles form at the edges of the pan. This should take about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the egg mixture.
Take out another mixing bowl, and whisk the pumpkin puree with the vanilla, salt, and spices, then add the egg and milk mixture. Split vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds into the mixture. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Press the bread into the baking dish and pour the pumpkin custard over the top, pressing bread down gently to soak up the custard.
Bake 40 minutes until golden brown and puffed up nicely. Serve with maple whipped cream and maple spiced nuts.

Maple Spiced Pecans
Caution: these are addictive. Perfect for salads, cheese plates, or simply snacking.
3 cups Pecan halves
3 Tbsp Maple syrup
3 Tbsp Corn syrup
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
3 Tbsp Sugar

Preheat oven to 350∞. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients together and spread the coated nuts out on the parchment. Bake about 12 minutes, until nicely browned. Stir about halfway through. Once cooled, you may store these in a covered container for up to 1 week.
Dollop the whipped cream on top just before serving and sprinkle with pecans.


Maple Whipped Cream
2 cups Cream
º cup Maple syrup

Whip cream on low speed of an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add maple syrup and whip on medium until soft peaks form. In case you over whip it, and it looks curdled, just add a little more cream and whip it until it forms soft peaks.

Pumpkin Roll Cake
with Toffee Cream Filling
º cup Powdered sugar (to sprinkle on top
and on the towel)
æ cup All-purpose flour
Ω tsp Ground cinnamon
Ω tsp Ground cloves
1 tsp Baking soda
º tsp Salt
3 large Eggs (room temperature)
? cup Granulated sugar
? cup Brown sugar, packed
? cup Canned pumpkin, packed
1 cup Walnuts, chopped
Ω tsp Vanilla

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package Cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup Powdered sugar, sifted
6 Tbsp Butter, softened
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
Ω cup English toffee pieces

This pumpkin roll cake keeps in the freezer very well if you want to make it in advance for an event or unexpected guests. It's such a popular dessert I often make four at a time from a 29-ounce can of pumpkin.
The type of towel you use can make or break this cake. I discovered never to use terry towels because they may stick to the cake. The ones made from old flour sacks or other cotton towels work the best.
Preheat the oven to 375∞
Grease a 15 x 10 inch jelly-roll pan and line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper.
Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar. Sprinkle enough so it will not stick while rolling up the cake.
Take out a small mixing bowl and combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Beat eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off the paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with the narrow end. Cool on a wire rack.
For the filling: beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and pure vanilla extract in a small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Sprinkle with Ω cup English toffee pieces. Reroll cake without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for about an hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies
1 stick Butter
6-ounces Bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp Baking powder
? tsp Cayenne pepper
Ω tsp Salt
1æ cups Sugar
4 large Eggs
1 Tbsp Pure vanilla extract
1º cups Pumpkin puree
º cup Vegetable oil
1 tsp Ground cinnamon
º tsp Ground nutmeg
Ω cup Walnuts, chopped

Can anyone possibly have too many recipes for brownies? I don't think so. Just wait 'til you bite into this creamy decadence.
Preheat oven to 350∞. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. Cut a length of parchment that will cover the bottom and two sides and line the pan with it.
Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until very smooth.
With a wooden spoon, stir together flour, baking powder, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Put sugar, eggs and vanilla in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
Pour half the batter, about 2 cups, into a separate bowl and stir chocolate mixture into it. Add enough batter to the chocolate to make it pourable. You may need a few tablespoons more.  It is important to have the right consistency in order for it to swirl together nicely.
In another bowl, stir together the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir this mixture into the remaining (non-chocolate) batter.
Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.
Gently swirl the two batters with a small spatula to create a marbled effect. Be sure to get your knife all the way to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and cut into squares.

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