Kiss Fall Goodbye

This fall, my husband and I took a trip up to upstate nyc during the fall for some hiking and relaxation. We stopped off at a local farm stand and bought some delicious local produce, including a small sugar pumpkin. We used it as decor but my intent was to make something tasty with it at some point. But there it sat. And sat. And sat some more. Until I decided that my cut off was December and I had to use it before then.

I followed this recipe from Dorie Greenspan. I have to say, it completely blew my expectations and tasted amazing. Now I wish I had a few more pumpkins hiding somewhere so I could make it weekly! You could have this as a side dish (serves 4) or a main course (serves 2). We had ours with the rest of our Thanksgiving dinner, which paired perfectly. It also would be good with a nice simple green salad on the side.

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

1 pumpkin, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

4 ounces stale bread, sliced thin, then cut into 1/2-inch chunks (**I used GF bread)

4 ounces cheese, (She recommends Gruyere, Swiss, Blue, or Cheddar; I used a combo of monteray jack and gouda which was excellent) cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2-4 cloves garlic (to taste), peeled, germ removed and coarsely chopped

About 1/3 cup heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. I used a Dutch oven to bake the pumpkin in. Just add a little vegetable oil to the bottom of it so it doesn't stick too much. Try to use a nice looking one because then you can bring it all right to the table. You could also use a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

2. Using your pumpkin carving skills, cut a cap off the top of the pumpkin. (You know, just like how you carve a jack-o-lantern.) Clear away any seeds and strings from the cap and hold it aside while you scoop out the seeds and filaments inside the pumpkin. I saved the seeds and roasted them. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper and put it on the sheet or in the Dutch oven.

3. In a separate bowl, toss the bread, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg together then add it to the pumpkin. The filling should come to near the top of the pumpkin (you can add more or less filling as needed.) Add the cream right to the pumpkin; it should come about 1/4 or 1/3 of the way up--no more than that. You don't want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want to get a feeling that they're moistened.

4. Put the cap back in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours. Take the cap off the pumpkin the last 30 minutes so it gets nice and brown on top. The flesh should be tender and you should hear the insides bubbling away.

5. I brought the crock pot right to the table, used a sharp knife to cut the pumpkin into wedges. I think next time I will add a little precooked bacon and some sage. The garlic gets nice and mellow and wonderful.

Guest Post: A Brisket, a Tasket

Guest chef Dusty here with a recipe for mouthwatering brisket that will make you cry.

Braised Brisket With 36 Cloves of Garlic
from Epicurious

Ingredients:

About 36 fat unpeeled garlic cloves (1 2/3 to 2 cups) or an equivalent amount of smaller cloves, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
A first-or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality low-sodium purchased
3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 2 teaspoons dried leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 325.

Peel all that garlic. You can boil it for 30 seconds and that makes it easier.

Heat the olive oil in a large roasting pan, then add the brisket and brown on both sides. Don't overdo it though, because you don't want it to develop a crust. Transfer the brisket to a platter and set aside.

Pour out all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat left in the pan. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat until the little suckers are tinged gold. Then add the vinegar and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the stick, thyme, and rosemary, and reduce heat to a simmer.

Salt and pepper the brisket on both sides, then put it in the pan, fat side up. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.

Place the brisket in the oven, cover with a lid or foil, and cook until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. Baste that meat every half hour, and if the liquid is boiling, lower the oven to 300.

This isn't necessary, but if you can leave the house for like, 20 minutes, then come back, you will realize how amazing your place smells with this dish in the oven.

Once the brisket is done, take it out and let it rest. It's very tired from becoming delicious. While it's resting, scrape the fat off the top (without waking it, if possible).

To make the gravy, pour the braising mixture through a strainer. Save the garlic, toss the herbs. Skim as much fat off the liquid as possible, then puree 1 cup of it along with half of the cooked garlic (you can toss in all the garlic if you want it really smooth). Pour the pureed mixture into a skillet, add the rest of the braising liquid and garlic, along with some freshly chopped rosemary and lemon zest. The recipe says to add more minced garlic but I was like, really? More garlic? So that's up to you. Boil this down over high heat.

Slice the brisket then rewarm it.

Place it on a platter, pour gravy all over it, then eat it while moaning in ecstacy.

Guest Post: Dusty's Crusty Must-Eat Tilapia Salad

Did you know that in terms of sustainability, Tilapia is one of the best fish you can eat? That's because it's an herbivore. Most of the overfishing that goes on these days revolves around tasty predator fish like Tuna. While Tilapia may not be the most flavorful fish in the world, it does absorb whatever you cook it in, making it a versatile and potentially yummy little fish. In this case we mix it up with some cornmeal for a little crunch then let it take its last swim in a big beautiful salad.

Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia Salad
from Cooking Light

Ingredients 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon onion flakes, crushed
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
7 teaspoons canola oil, divided
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425º.

Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet lined with foil; lightly coat tortilla strips with cooking spray. Sprinkle strips with 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 425º for 10 minutes or until crisp, and set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, onion flakes, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt; dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Combine romaine and next 4 ingredients (through cilantro) in a large bowl. Combine juice, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 4 teaspoons oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over lettuce mixture; toss gently to coat. Place 1 1/2 cups salad mixture on each of 4 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese. Place 1 fish fillet on each salad; top with 5 tortilla strips. Eat while feeling good about yourself for saving the ocean food chain, even though you're still destroying the Earth with your continuous consumption of its finite resources. Bon Apetite, from the guilty eco chef!

A little Carribean in Astoria

My husband picked out this meal from some food mags I had clipped awhile back. They went together great and will definitely be making them again soon!

Jerk Chicken with Coconut Plantains and Carrot Slaw
From Cooking Light

Jerk Chicken:
1/3 cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 habanero pepper, quartered
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

To prepare chicken, combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 30 times or until finely chopped. Spoon onion mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until done.

Plantains:
2 soft black plantains (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

To prepare plantains, peel plantains, and cut into 1-inch pieces. Cook plantains in boiling water 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Combine plantains, coconut milk, butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl; mash to desired consistency. Place 1/3 cup plantain mixture on each of 6 plates, and top each serving with 1 chicken breast half.

Pie Did It!!!!

I have to admit something: I have never made a pie. I will say it again: I have never made a pie. I really have no excuse except pure fear. And once I went gluten free, I ruled out any future pie-making days. But I am happy to report that my pie baking days have just begun (to the glee of my husband's stomach)!

Today I conquered my first pie — and it was gluten free at that! "Gluten free pie," you say, "don't you mean fruit sandwiched between two cardboard layers?" Let me tell you, this pie was delicious. And the crust was so good you could eat the ends without the fruit to dress it up and it tasted like any great pie crust with gluten. Even my pie-expert father-in-law agreed. I had several farmer's market peaches and a pint of blueberries that was perfect for this project. I think peaches and blueberries are the perfect match for each other, especially in the summertime.

I will admit the dough was a little tricky to get into the pie tin. I am not sure if that is because I am a pie novice or it was the GF crust. It rolled out well, but I had some trouble transferring it and had to start rolling it out all over again. It then came together enough for me to be able to seal up some of the cracks with a little water on my fingers. This would also be delicious as a lattice top pie, perhaps I will try that one next.

Gluten Free Peach Blueberry Pie

Crust: (This makes a bottom and full top crust).

Make this mix in a separate bowl or large container — you will have a little left over (and enough to use on the bench/table/parchment)
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
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2 cup plus 4 Tbsp rice flour mix

2 tsp xanthan gum

a pinch of salt

2 tbsp sugar

1 stick butter, cut into small cubes and frozen for about 20 mins
1/2 cup shortening (I use vegetable shortening from Whole Foods or Crisco)

1/2 cup cold seltzer

4 tsp cider vinegar

In food processor, add flour mix, xanthum, salt, sugar. Pulse to combine. Add butter and shortening and pulse until butter turns into course meal. Combine seltzer and vinegar in container, slowly pulse this in until dough comes together.

Split dough in half (actually have one a little big larger than the other, that will be your bottom crust), place each on a lightly floured piece of waxed or parchment paper. Cover with another piece and stick in freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Filling:
4-5 ripe farmer's market peaches, peeled by blanching, and cut into slices
smidgen nutmeg
smidgen cinnamon
1 pint blueberries, any stems removed
1 tbsp lemon
1/4 cup Minute Tapioca
3/4 cup sugar

Combine above ingredients in large bowl, mixing gently to combine (try not to break apart peaches). Let stand at least 15 minutes.

I used a 10" glass Pyrex pie pan (supposedly glass helps crusts to brown better than others). For the next several steps, I turned to Cooks Illustrated notes on pie making for some advice. I rolled out the bottom of the pie crust to a round circle about 3 inches larger than the circumferences of my pie dish. I rolled it right out on some floured parchment, but you could do it right on a floured counter as well. You may have to sprinkle on some flour to the dough if it starts to stick to the rolling pin. Using a bench scraper, loosen the bottom of the dough from the paper, carefully roll part of the dough onto the rolling pin to transfer it over to the pie tin. Gently mold the dough into the tin so it sits flush against the bottom and edges. Snip off the major excess of the dough. Spoon the filling--juices and all--right into the pie tin. Now roll out your top crust, add to the top and flute the edges. Cut 4 vents to let out the steam. I used a egg wash and dusted the top with sugar so it would brown up nicely.

I refrigerated the pie (uncovered) for 30 minutes, which was a tip I read on a gluten free blog. This helps to prevent shrinkage of the dough.

Preheat oven to 500. Place the pie on a cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Turn heat down to 425. Set timer for 20-25 minutes or until crust is a nice light golden brown (make sure to check on it). Rotate cookie sheet to other side so pie cooks evenly. Turn heat down to 375. Cook for another 20-25 minutes. My edges were browning a bit too fast so I covered the edges with foil to prevent burnage. Once pie is nicely browned and juices are bubbling, remove from oven and place on cooling rack for at least 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Ex-cilantro!

Cilantro Lime Dressing
from Eating Well Magazine

I wanted something a little different to put on my black bean quinoa recipe for a light dinner this hot summer night. I pulled a few ingredients out of the fridge to see what I had to work with and this recipe fit the bill. It punched up the taste of the salad perfectly and would also be great as a marinade or sauce on chicken or steak.

1 cup packed cilantro
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of minced garlic

Puree cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, salt, pepper and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Egg Mcmuffin sans bun

These have been on my list of recipes-to-try for awhile, especially since I went gluten free. Father's Day was the perfect occasion to try them out and they were a hit! The recipe can be altered with various ingredients--use whatever you have leftover from the week's groceries. The little babies can also be put in the fridge and heated for a quick breakfast throughout the week. They are delish!

Egg Mcmuffins
served 4 people

8-10 eggs
1/3 cup of cheese, shredded (feta, cheddar, gouda, anything would be good here! Switch it up!)
3 chopped scallions
few tablespoons of chopped panchetta
1/2 red pepper
1 small zuchini, chopped into small pieces
salt and pepper
pam cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2.In small skillet, brown panchetta for a few minutes. Add zuchini and pepper to get some water out as well. Let cool off in the fridge until room temp.
3. Using a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add in the shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Add in the cooked veggies and mix until mostly combined.
4. Spray 2 muffin tins (6 muffins each) with Pam. Using a measure cup or ladle, fill the muffin cups with egg mixture until about 3/4 full (they will rise). You could also use muffin liners here.
5. Carefully put tins into oven. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. They should be lightly brown on top when ready.
6. Run a knife around the edges before trying to release from the tin. Serve warm.