"Rice" pudding

Part deux of my Platinum Chef entry, I decided to go with a dessert. I used a recipe from Epicurious as my base. I had planned to make this with butternut as well but ran out of time and energy so I just used canned pumpkin instead. I also skipped carmelizing (no blowtorch :( ) I subbed barley for the rice - tricky tricky!!

From the site:

Caramelizing the top of this pudding adds an extra depth of flavor, but it's equally delicious without doing it.
A blowtorch works best here; the broiler didn't give us the uniform browning we wanted.

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Servings: Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Ingredients

1 (1 1/2- to 2-lb) piece pumpkin or butternut squash, halved and seeded (omitted)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (omitted)

2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2/3 cup long-grain white rice (changed to PEARL BARLEY)

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 cups whole milk

8 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (2 oz) (omitted)

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw (optional) (omitted)

Added: 1 vanilla bean

1 can pumpkin (1 1/3 cups used)

Special equipment: a blowtorch (optional)

Preparation

Bake pumpkin: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
Arrange each piece of pumpkin, cut side up, on a sheet of foil. Top each with 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Wrap separately in foil and bake, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan until flesh is tender, about 1 hour.
Open foil and cool pumpkin slightly, then scoop flesh into a food processor and purée until smooth. (This was all skipped and canned pumpkin was used instead)

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Cook rice (barley) while pumpkin bakes: Heat rice, salt, 4 cups milk, and remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until very hot. Transfer to a large metal bowl set over a large saucepan of simmering water (or to a double boiler) and cook over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and most of milk is absorbed, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (Add more simmering water to saucepan if necessary.) Remove pan from heat and keep rice warm, covered.

Make pudding: Lightly whisk yolks in a large bowl, then whisk in vanilla, ginger, 1 1/3 cups pumpkin purée (reserve remainder for another use), and remaining cup milk. Gradually stir in warm rice, then pour mixture into a buttered 2-quart flameproof shallow baking dish (not glass). Set baking dish in a roasting pan and bake pudding in a hot water bath, uncovered, in oven until set, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

If caramelizing pudding, sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar, then move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth over sugar until sugar is melted and caramelized. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooks' notes:• Pumpkin can be baked and puréed 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered. • Pudding can be baked (but not caramelized) 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before caramelizing or serving.

That was all from the website linked. I added the vanilla bean (seeds and pods) to the milk and barley as it was cooking (remove the pods before cooking of course!) I still used vanilla in the custard because I really wanted vanilla to be a star in this. The barley worked great as a substitute for the rice - healthied it up a bit (though really all the whole milk and sugar... not much that can be done!). I dont think ryan would have known except I told him about the challenge and ingredients prior.

It turned out great - lucky since there is a TON leftover!

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

This recipe is a tradition in our family - it MUST be served at Thanksgiving because its just so darn good. I made this recipe to give laves of bread to some friends, and I actually added a 1/3 to it since the recipe normally makes 3 loaves and I needed 4. It freezes well too! I dont have any cut-into photos since the loaves were all gifts, though.

Beat: 3 c sugar, 1 c canola oil, 4 eggs(1 at a time) and 2 1/2 c canned pumpkin.

Mix in: 3 1/2 c flour (I always use whole wheat), 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp allspice.

Add dry above alternately w/ 2/3 c water

OPTIONAL: Add 2 c raisins and 1 c nuts. Or a total of 3 cups of other add-ins like blueberries, cranberries, or chocolate chips. I will often make a plain loaf and a loaf with cranberries and a loaf with nuts, just put one cup of add-ins per loaf.

Bake 1 hour at 350 in 3 greased AND floured loaf pans - toothpick test works for doneness

Creamy Pumpkin Pie

I am not a big pumpkin pie person but this recipe is so yummy! The filling is from William Sonoma and I stuck with the tried and true Joy of Cooking Rich Buttery Crust recipe.

Crust - Deluxe Butter Flaky Dough/Baked Flaky Pastry Crust, (this is cut in half from the original for only one non-covered pie) and adapted:

Page 862/866 the Joy of Cooking

I made this in the food processor - makes crust-making a breeze!

1.25 cups flour

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter.

Run food processor so mixture resemples crumbs pea sized or smaller.

Drizzle 1/6 cup ice water over mixture and run processor briefly so evenly moistened. If the dough wont hold together add another 1-2 tablespoons of ice water. If it is too wet, add more flour. Press dough into a disk (should not be sticky) and wrap in plastic. Refridgerate for 30 min, minimum.

Roll dough out and put in pie pan. Heat oven to 400 and place rack in lower third of oven. push foil shiney side down and sprayed into crust and fill with rice, beans or pie weights. Bake 20 minutes. Remove frmo oven and remove weights, and foil. Prick bottom of crust and bake 5-10 minutes more until golden brown.

Brush inside of crust with a combination of 1 large yolk and a pinch of salt, beaten. Replace in oven until glaze sets and then fill immediately.

For the filling:

16 oz. fresh or canned pumpkin puree

3 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground mace (omitted, didnt have any)

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

(sorry - no pretty slice pics - didnt have time at dinner and we were all too full after dinner when I took these photos for anyone to take one for the team and eat more! :) )

To make the filling, in a large heatproof bowl (I used a double boiler), whisk together the pumpkin and eggs. In another bowl, combine the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, allspice, cloves and sugar and stir to blend. Whisk into the pumpkin mixture, then whisk in the half-and-half and evaporated milk. Gently stir in the cream. Set the bowl over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan and cook the filling, stirring constantly, until very warm (not hot) to the touch, 4 to 6 minutes.Transfer the filling to the pie shell and bake until the filling is just set in the center, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with homemade whipped cream - YUM!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

I saw this recipe by Cara's Cravings floating around the cooking board that I frequent and the first opportunity I had I made them (for our local get together for the troops!). I doubled the recipe for a crowd and made it in a 9x13 pan so they were still nice and thick. When I started making them I realized I was short eggs if I needed to double it so I just made them short and kept my fingers crossed. They came out very well and I made them again for a Halloween party, this time with the correct number of eggs. Ryan and I prefered them with less eggs as they were a fudgier consistency so that is the recipe I am writing here (see the link above for the original). They are fabulous!

Batter

1.5 cups butter, melted

2 cup sugar

2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter

12 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2/3 cup sugar

4 tbsp flour

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 9x13" square metal baking pan. Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon. In separate bowl, beat together cheesecake batter ingredients. Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan, and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife back and forth through the pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving.

Autumnal Breakfast for Dinner

Who doesnt love breakfast for dinner? Not us, we love it every so often. And who doesnt love apples and pumpkin stuff? I sure do! Last weekend I tried to make pumpkin pancakes and it was a huge disaster. I should have taken pics to illustrate their terribleness. Burned on the outside... raw on teh inside... yummm. ;)

ANYHOW. This week I saw a recipe for pumpkin pancakes on Confections of a Foodie Bride and the accompanying pics looked great - not burned and not raw :)

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 cup sugar

1 1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I used various spices - cinn, allspice, ginger, nutmeg - instead)

1 eggs

1 cup buttermilk* (I added extra milk since the batter seemed kind of thick for pancakes)

1/8 cup melted butter (I used Canola instead)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (i used 1/2 a can)

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sift together dry ingredients in medium bowl. Beat the eggs, buttermilk together and stream in melted butter while whisking. Whisk in the canned pumpkin - taste for pumpkin-ness and adjust pumpkin pie spice/pumpkin as desired.
Whisk the dry and the wet ingredients - batter will be lumpy but do not over-mix. Ladle 1/3 cup of batter onto the skillet and cook until the bubbles pop and the top of the pancake loses the “wet look” (about 2-3 minutes). Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more.
Top the stack of pancakes with a pat of butter and serve with syrup and a garnish of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.
Yields 6-8 pancakes, depending on size. (mine made about 12 smallish ones)
*I was out of buttermilk (go figure) so I “made” some: 1 cup milk, minus 1 Tbsp. And then I added 1 Tbsp white vinegar (can use lemon juice) and let sit on the cabinet for a few minutes while I was measuring the dry ingredients and melting butter. Whisk together and voila! Buttermilk! ***I did the same but with lemon***

The pancakes were PERFECT. Fluffy, soft, pumkiny and not at all burned/raw. Well actually... one got away and burned but that was just user-error!

Apple Cheddar Scramble

This one was of my own creation. At first I thought I would do an omelet but then I remembered that 1) I cant make omelets 2) even if I could our pans kinda suck right now and 2) I dont really like omlelets anyhow and much prefer scrambles so why on earth was I making my life too complicated!

I sauteed 1 large apple (peeled, cored, sliced to 1/4 inch and then in 1/4s) with a little butter until soft and browning, on med high stirring occassionally. Added 5 eggs beat with milk and cook until almost done. Add cubes of good cheddar and let melt and serve. We all know (and if you dont, try it, so good) that apples and cheddar are an amazing combo and they were so good in eggs that I think this is a new favorite scramble for me!

His and Hers Chili

So Ryan is a big Chili fan and me... eh. I thought I would try my hand at it and was inspired to make a chili that *I* might like... in other words... not at all spicy, healthy, and with less of an obvious tomato-chili taste. My bargain was, I would make a very spicy traditional chili for Ryan a few nights later when i was going to dinner with friends.




I absolutely LOVED my chili... and Ryan says that his was great too! Ill have to take his word for it; it was way too spicy for me to handle!

There are plenty of leftovers, serving sizes frozen - what a good dinner they will be later when the cold weather hits!


Pumpkin Turkey Chili



inspired by Whole Foods recipe






Besides adding a sweet nuttiness, pumpkin's ready source of Vitamin A boosts the nutrition content of this offbeat chili recipe. Garnish each portion with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro.
Serves 6
2 tablespoons olive oil (eyeballed)
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (I used red since its what I had on hand)
2 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed and minced (omitted)


1 Honey crisp apple - peeled, cored, diced (my addition)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground white or dark meat turkey (used about 1.25 of white since its what they had)
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin
1 cup water (I used 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup apple cider)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
I also added: cinnamon (a decent amt), a pinch of nutmeg and a touch of ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


kernals from 1 eat of putter and sugar corn (my addition)
1 can (15 ounce) kidney beans, drained (I used the dark red variety)
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until tender (I added the apple at this point). Add turkey; cook until browned.
Add tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans (I added corn at this point), cover; stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Garnish with cheese and onion. SO good!




Kelly's Spicy Chili (inspired by Wm Sonoma Bride & Groom)





2T olive oil (or bacon fat)
2 medium onions, chopped (I just did 1)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3T chili powder
2T paprika
1T cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 pkg of ground beef
1 pkg of sausage (sweet or hot, Italian style)
2 cans of crushed tomatoes and their juices
1 can (14 oz) barbecued baked beans (Bush’s)
1 can (14 oz) red kidney beans
2 chipotle peppers, minced (from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce marked “hot”) – or more to taste ( we usually use 4-5) (i used about 1/2 the can -5+)
Kernals from 1 ear of corn (my addition)
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
Sour cream
Cheese
Chipotles
Chopped onion
Tortilla chips
Directions:
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until tender, about 8 minutes. Add spices, and cook for one minute. Add ground turkey and turkey sausage, combine well with spices, and cook until browned and crumbled (it doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through). Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer for one hour. Add more seasonings to taste, and enjoy!





I added extra of all the spices, and a little bit of cayenne, and a few chopped little hot peppers. Wanted to make SURE it was spicy!

Cara's Coconut Pumpkin Rice

I saw this on Cara's blog and thought it looked really good and different. I was really excited to cook with an actual pumpkin for the first time ever! It was great too! I think I put too much lime in though, it kinda overpowered the other flavors but Ryan really liked it as did I, next time I would use less lime though. I definitely need to get this cookbook - all pumpkin, year round! It IS a super-food after all :)

Creamy Shrimp and Rice, from DeeDee Stovel's Pumpkin

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup brown basmati rice

1 pound fresh pumpkin, seeds and fibers removed, cut into chunks

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" chunks

1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2" chunks *I only had red so I juse did 1.5 red peppers

1-2 jalapeno chiles or 1 hot red dried Chinese chile, seeded and minced

2 cups chicken broth1 can (14oz) coconut milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp saffron threads

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

Heat oil over medium eat in a pot. Cook shallots for 2 minutes, or until they begin to wilt. Add garlic, ginger, and cumin. Stir. Add the rice and continue cooking and stirring for several minutes.Place the pumpkin chunks i a covered microwave-safe dish with 1 tbsp water and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/2" chunks.*Meanwhile, add the peppers and chiles to the shallot mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding the broth, coconut milk, salt and saffron. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until rice is almost tender.Add the shrimp and lime juice and cook 5 minutes longer or until shrimp are thoroughly cooked. Top each serving with a sprinkle of cilantro.

*The original recipe did not state where to add the pumpkin; I added it during the rice cooking.