Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins

Pumpkin is my new best friend. I made cheesecake bars, I made whoopie pies, I made pancakes, and still I couldn't get enough. I was on the hunt for a new and different pumpkin recipe to try when I came across these muffins.



It was love at first sight.

You can't tell from the photo, but there's a nugget of cream cheese inside each one of these moist, perfectly spiced little guys. I'd love to try this again with my mini muffin pan to make even cuter, smaller muffin babies. This is one of those baked goods that causes involuntary smiling as a side effect of its deliciousness. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins
Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Bakespace
Printable Recipe
Makes 24 muffins

For the muffins:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup and 1 tsp. flour
4 tbsp. butter, cubed
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

1. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until smooth. Form into a log on plastic wrap or foil, making sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, 1-2 hours.

2. To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.

3. To make the streusel topping, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

4. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners or spray generously with nonstick baking spray. Fill each muffin well halfway with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into 24 equal slices. Place a slice in each muffin well. Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups, on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Sauteed Broccolini with Garlic

Broccoli is one of my favorite veggies, and I love its delicate baby sibling broccolini just as much, if not more.



This recipe is my new go-to veggie side dish. I've made it a few times in the last couple of weeks with a wide variety of main courses. I've been making an effort lately to choose recipes honoring the recently departed Gourmet magazine. This one proves that their recipes aren't all complicated or time-consuming like you might think. It's simple, with only a few ingredients, and really brings out the flavor of the fresh produce. It's especially appealing if you're a garlic fan like me.



Sauteed Broccolini with Garlic
Adapted from Gourmet
Printable Recipe
Serves 2

1/2 lb broccolini (1 bunch), ends trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper

1. Cook broccolini in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until stems are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes, plunge quickly into ice water to stop the cooking, then drain in a colander.

2. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté garlic, stirring, until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add broccolini, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Daring Bakers: Macarons

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.



Macarons are little French almond-y, meringue-y sandwich cookies, not to be confused with coconut-y American macaroons. They've become rather trendy lately, and I've been curious to make them for a while. From what I can tell, they're one of the holy grails of the baking world: simple on paper, but ridiculously complex in practice, with lots of little puzzle pieces that all have to fall into place correctly in order for it to work.

Like almost every other Daring Baker who tried this challenge, I failed the first time. I was a bit overambitious and took too many shortcuts, but the odds were stacked against this recipe anyways. The failure was so epically embarrassing that I didn't even snap pictures.

For my second attempt, I tried a different recipe. I've long admired Helen's (of Tartelette fame) perfect-looking macarons, they're one of her specialties, and many other Daring Bakers reported successes with her method. I felt confident at each step as I went along, and everything seemed to be going perfectly. I even did a happy dance when I saw the tell-tale "feet" appear (see photo above). In theory, when those ruffly edges appear, you know it's worked.



Not so much. Macarons are notorious for sticking to your silpat or parchment paper, and that's what my little buggers did. I'm pretty sure that I got overly excited about the feet and pulled them out of the oven too soon. They could have used at least a few more minutes, and they were completely ruined. Cracked, gooey, and just falling apart no matter how delicately I handled them. I even tried to put them back into the oven after they'd cooled in a desperate last-ditch effort to firm them up a bit, but that didn't work either.

The next day, I had one more egg white aged and ready to play with (I made small, 1-egg white batches knowing that I'd probably be messing up), so I tried again with Helen's method, determined to patiently leave them in the oven as long as necessary. Unfortunately, even with an extra 5+ minutes in the oven, I got the same results. Beautiful-looking, great feet, but the same sticky, crackly, and crumbly as soon as I tried to touch them.

Overall, I'd still call this a relative success. I feel like I've almost mastered the technique, and I got the feet twice, which I hear is the hardest part. This isn't necessarily the kind of baking I enjoy most, I don't tend to gravitate towards making dainty little bites of elegant-looking things, but I'm still really grateful that I had the opportunity to try making these.

My flavor combo was inspired by peach melba. The first time around, I ground up dehydrated peaches and scraped a vanilla bean into the batter, and was going to fill the cookies with raspberry jam. For my second attempt, I skipped the add-ins and just used a tiny drop of orange gel food coloring, and used raspberry jam as the filling. I still love the idea in theory, and if I ever make these again, I'll try again with the same flavors.

*For the original recipe, check out what our gracious hostess, Ami S. had to say here. Thanks, Ami, for daring us to tackle our fears and give these tricky little guys a try!

*And for a more tried-and-true method (and to see what perfect macarons should look like), check out all of the beauties over at Tartelette.

Orecchiette with Roasted Peppers and Vegetarian Crumbles

When school started this year, I decided to try my hand at menu planning. It felt important for me to keep cooking and baking on the priority list, and planning ahead was the only way to make that happen with my schedule. On October 1st, I sat down with my all of my cookbooks and my online foodie to-do list and put together 10 meals that I wanted to make throughout the month.



10 meals might not seem like a lot for a whole month, but when I get busy, I shut down and revert to my old take-out habits, so I needed to set a do-able pace. Each weekend, we picked 2-3 meals from the list to make that week and took care of all the grocery shopping at once. The planning was a success, and I'm excited to do it again in November.

The first main course I picked was Orecchiette (my favorite pasta shape!) with Peppers and Sausage from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast. We had some Quorn (a soy-free vegetarian meat substitute made from mushroom protein) crumbles in the freezer, so I tried them out in this dish. I'm pretty new to vegetarian meat substitutes, but I enjoyed this. It had no flavor (could be a pro or a con, depending on your tastes), so I added my favorite condiment, garlic salt, liberally to the finished product, which balanced the dish out well. I'll try this next time with chicken sausage for a bit more flavor.

p.s. Please give a warm welcome to my brand new Recipe Index! You can find a permanent link to its home over there ------> on the right sidebar, and it will be continually updated as I publish new recipes. Feedback on how to make it more user-friendly is always welcome!

Orecchiette with Roasted Peppers and Vegetarian Crumbles
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast
Printable Recipe

2 medium red bell peppers, four flat sides sliced off core, ribs and seeds discarded
2 medium yellow bell peppers, four flat sides sliced off core, ribs and seeds discarded
Coarse salt or garlic salt and fresh ground pepper
1 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
2 tsp olive oil
12 oz. Quorn crumbles (or for the meat-eaters, 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings)
1 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more to taste

1. Heat the broiler. Place the peppers, skin side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; broil 4 inches from the heat until charred, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, steam 2-3 minutes. Rub off the pepper skins and discard, reserving any juices in the bowl. Thinly slice the peppers crosswise into 1/4 inch strips, return to bowl and set aside.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place frozen crumbles (or sausage) into pan and cook, breaking up large pieces with a spoon, until heated through (or sausage is browned), 7-10 minutes. Add the roasted peppers, cook until heated through.

4. Transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Add pasta, butter, reserved pasta water, and parmesan. Season with salt or garlic salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I have mixed feelings (no pun intended) about pre-made box mix shortcuts. While I'd like to say that "from scratch is always better," the truth is, some of my favorite things that I've ever made have been based on box mixes (like chocolate ice cream cupcakes and lemon sunshine cookies). I'm adding these pancakes to the list.



I got this recipe from one of my favorite twitter friends, Rachael, on a Sunday morning after I shared my pancake-flipping phobia with the world.

So here's what I discovered about pumpkin and pancakes. I was conservative with the pumpkin, so the color and flavor just barely came through in the end result, and the dish could've used more. But these were far and away the moistest, best-textured pancake I've ever had. Even if you're not a pumpkin fan, adding just a dollop to your pancake batter will make all the difference in the world. I will definitely be making these again.

Some of my best childhood memories involve my Poppy's pancakes. I think of him whenever I eat them, and know that he'd be really proud that I finally learned to flip them myself.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes
From Rachael
Printable Recipe

Bisquick or other pancake mix, plus milk, eggs, etc. (per box instructions) to make the batter; or your favorite pancake recipe from scratch
Extra milk
Canned pumpkin (not pie filling), 1/2 to 1 cup to taste
2 Tbsp. sugar
Chocolate chips, roughly 1/3 cup

1. Make bisquick pancake batter according to package directions. Stir in pumpkin. Add extra milk in small increments until the batter returns to its original consistency. Stir in sugar.

2. Prepare pancakes according to package directions. After adding batter to pan, immediately drop chocolate chips onto the pancakes. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Coconut Shrimp

Last week, I expressed my enthusiasm for Jaden from Steamy Kitchen and her new cookbook. Since then, I've actually gotten my hands on a copy of the book, and I obviously couldn't tear it open and start cooking from it fast enough.



I agonized for about 2 minutes over which recipe to try first, until Jaden kindly made the decision for me! Each recipe has an approachable and often giggle-out-loud funny little intro blurb. As I was reading through these blurbs at an absurdly late hour the night I got the book, I read that if Jaden had to pick one recipe to start with, this Coconut Shrimp would be it. Problem solved!

I don't make shrimp too often, but I think now I just might have to start. Loved this. I served it with another dish from the book, a sauteed snow pea and bok choy recipe that I'll share with you soon. For more on just how special this book is, take a look at this heartfelt writeup by Jaden's friends Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple.

Coconut Shrimp
Adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook
Printable Recipe
Serves 2 as a main course

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted really dry
2 tablespoons butter
4 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths (Amy's note: I sliced them very thinly)
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons cognac (or brandy or rum)
Generous pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar (omit if you are using sweetened coconut)

1. In a wok or frying pan over medium heat, add the coconut and toast until golden brown. This should take 3-4 minutes. Take care not to burn the coconut! Once the coconut is toasted, immediately remove to a plate to cool.

2. Wipe the wok or pan dry and set over high heat. When a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates upon contact, add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp to the wok, keeping them in a single layer. Fry for 1 minute, flip and fry an additional minute until almost cooked through. Remove from the wok, keeping as much oil in the wok as possible.

3. Turn the heat to medium, add the butter, and once it starts bubbling, add the green onion and garlic. Fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the cognac and add the salt and sugar. Stir and return the shrimp to the wok. Let the whole thing bubble and thicken just a bit- the sauce should lightly coat the shrimp. Remove from the heat, sprinkle in the toasted coconut and toss well.

Root Beer Bundt Cake with Root Beer Fudge Frosting

I've had my eye on this Root Beer Bundt Cake recipe ever since I got my little hands on Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. I had the perfect opportunity to make it recently when I offered to bake a birthday dessert for a friend, and he had no preference for anything in particular, so I had free rein to choose.



My bundt pan and I have been back on speaking terms for a while now, and I'm pleased to say that this was another nonstick success, thanks to my baking spray with flour. Unfortunately, though, this wasn't my favorite cake. While it was really moist, the root beer taste didn't come through too strongly (I used A&W, not sure if a different brand would have other results). I would have loved the frosting, but it felt a bit too salty for me, and that might have been the deal breaker. This was the first time I've seen salt in a frosting recipe, and I won't add it again.

If you have a root beer fan in your life, this could be worth making. It's certainly an original idea, and the cake was easy and fun to make. Everyone I served it to claimed to really love it, so my perceptions could be off, or maybe they were just being polite (ha!).



Important tips! Make sure the root beer/butter/cocoa powder mixture is almost completely cool before you stir the eggs in. You don't want to wind up with a scrambled egg cake! Serve the cake with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate root beer float flavor.

Root Beer Bundt Cake with Root Beer Fudge Frosting
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Printable Recipe

For the Root Beer Bundt Cake:
2 cups root beer (do not use diet)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

For the Root Beer Fudge Frosting:
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt (Amy's note: I didn't care for this, would omit it next time)
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

To Serve:
Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the cocoa mixture into the flour mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minute, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.

5. Put all the frosting ingredients into a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth. Use a spatula to spread the frosting over the crown of the bundt in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving, with the ice cream on the side.

Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken & Bok Choy with Crispy Noodle Cake

A source of sadness in my life is the lack of quality (and quantity, to be honest) Chinese food where I live. I'm actively plotting our next move to a city with a Chinatown (hello and hi). Until that happens, I've been making an effort to incorporate some of those flavors into meals at home.



This chicken dish was the best stir-fry I've ever made, not that I've made many. The flavor was strong but not overpowering, and just the right amount of spicy (thanks to my most favorite condiment ever, chili garlic sauce). It's served with a crispy noodle pancake that's a novel alternative to rice.



The recipe is from the Cooks Illustrated website, which is well worth the membership fee in my opinion. CI is part of the same company as my favorite America's Test Kitchen, whose cookbooks (with recipes that have been rigorously, scientifically tested to find the absolute best result) have never steered me wrong in the kitchen.

Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy with Crispy Noodle Cake
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated
Printable Recipe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, tenderloins removed and halved lengthwise, breasts cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Asian chile garlic sauce
12 ounces Chinese egg noodles (fresh), about the thickness of spaghetti
1 teaspoon table salt
4 scallions, white and light green parts sliced thin, dark green parts sliced thin on the bias for garnish
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large head bok choy (about 1 pound), stalks and greens separated, stalks cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and greens cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1. Bring 3 quarts water to boil over high heat in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine chicken, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon sherry in small bowl; set aside. Combine hoisin, chili sauce, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons each soy sauce and sherry in another small bowl; set aside.

2. Add noodles and salt to boiling water; cook until just tender (do not overcook), 2 to 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly, then toss with white and light green parts of scallions.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Spread noodles evenly across bottom of skillet; press with a spatula to flatten and cook until crisp and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Slide noodle cake onto large plate. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; swirl to coat. Invert noodle cake onto a second plate and slide it, browned-side up, back into skillet. Cook until golden brown on second side, about 4 minutes. Slide noodle cake onto a cutting board; set aside.

4. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Pour off excess liquid from chicken and add chicken to the skillet; stir-fry until just cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a small clean bowl.

5. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add bok choy stalks and stir-fry 1 minute. Clear center of pan, add ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds, then stir ginger into stalks; continue to stir-fry until stalks are tender-crisp, about 20 seconds longer. Stir in bok choy greens, chicken, and hoisin mixture; cook until greens are wilted and ingredients are coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat.

6. Cut noodle cake into 8 wedges. Place 2 wedges on each of 4 plates; spoon portion of stir-fry and sauce over noodle cake, sprinkle with scallion greens, and serve immediately.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

When I was searching for a way to use up my leftover pumpkin, I felt pretty overwhelmed with all of my options. I wanted to try something more novel than bread or muffins, and chose to steer clear of chocolate since I had just gotten a full dose of pumpkin/chocolate deliciousness. Enter the whoopie pie.



A whoopie pie is a cake-like sandwich cookie with a creamy filling (in this case, cream cheese frosting). I had never had one before, so I don't have much to compare it to, but these were most definitely worthy of the name whoopie! They were also incredibly easy to make, and made me extra happy because I got to use Baked, my new favorite cookbook, again.

I've never really embraced the warm, pumpkin-y, cinnamon-y flavors of Fall (they make me feel bitter that summer's over), but I'm coming around in a major way. Fall just might be my new favorite.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Printable Recipe
Makes 18 Whoopie pies

For the Pumpkin Whoopie Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Filling:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

3. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)

5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, place a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

Daring Cooks: Pho Ga

It's hard for me to pick my favorite food blog. But if I could only pick 2, Jaden's Steamy Kitchen would be one of them (for the record, this is the other. Obviously.) Lots of things about Jaden inspire me: her talent in the kitchen, the flavors she uses, her ridiculous photography skills, and especially her wit, sharp writing voice, and ubiquitous presence in the food blogging world**. So you can imagine my delight when I read that Jaden is the guest host for this month's Daring Cooks challenge, Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup).



We're huge fans of Vietnamese food, and Andy especially adores Pho Ga (chicken pho). We frequent our local Vietnamese restaurant/Asian grocery store at least weekly for a fix of comfort food.



The Daring Cooks were given the option of preparing a short or long version of the soup. In order to make this a real challenge for myself, I made the long version, which requires making stock from scratch. I have a huge aversion to cooking with animal parts, and avoid them as much as possible. But this was supposed to challenge, so from scratch we made! I still asked Andy (sick with the flu) to hack up the chicken, but I did the rest, and I can say with a lot of satisfaction that this was another delicious Daring success. As an added bonus, the timing was perfect. Nothing's better than chicken noodle soup for a sick husband!



If you've been reading along here for a while, or know me in person, you know that my most despised food is cilantro, which also happens to be a key ingredient in this dish. So, in the spirit of the challenge, I forged ahead and used it (in the broth, I skipped it as a topping). Although it's still haunting me, I'll admit I couldn't detect it in the final product.

Pure Evil:


You can find Jaden's recipe for Pho Ga here. And if you're into making Asian food at home, buy her cookbook! All the cool kids are doing it.

**I'm not trying to sound like a fangirl. I just think Jaden's great, okay?

The fine-print blog-checking lines: The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes (or) Farewell Gourmet, I Never Knew You

As you've probably heard by now, Condé Nast announced last week that it was shutting down Gourmet magazine, along with several of its other publications. Like many other food lovers, the news hit me hard. But I'm not in mourning for a dear old friend; rather, I'm disappointed about a lost opportunity for the future.



You see, unlike most other people who were devastated by this news, I didn't have a subscription to the magazine. I had just begun to immerse myself in its world, devouring editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl's books, buying the Gourmet Cookbook and Gourmet Today, and making recipes from Gourmet via Epicurious. I was dipping my toes in to see if I was ready to leap, and I was. I had a grand plan to request a subscription for my birthday, which is coming up soon-ish (YAY!).



I had been treating the act of subscribing to the magazine as a big step towards being a "legitimate" cook, not just one who names her blog "Playing House" because everything's a game or experiment. I was taking this transition very seriously and very slowly, savoring it as I progressed. When I first heard the news, I felt like one of my main motivators had been yanked out from under me. It's hard to be too upset, though, thinking about the decades of magazine archives that remain, the amazing resource that is Epicurious, and the 2 cookbooks I'm proud to own. These recipes should keep me busy for at least a lifetime of learning how to cook.



To celebrate the cultural institution that was Gourmet, Julie at A Mingling of Tastes has organized a blogging event to round up some favorite recipes from the magazine. Special thanks to my blogging friend Maggie for posting about it (and I owe her an extra big thanks for turning me on to Ruth Reichl's books too). Julie asked anyone who wants to participate to make their favorite recipe from Gourmet and share it with her. In a few days, she'll post a round up of everyone's beloved recipes, so be sure to check back there on October 19th or 20th.



Since I didn't have a favorite (yet), I chose something that I had been wanting to try: Slow-Roasted Tomatoes. We were recently gifted with a big bag of fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes by our friends Cathy and Rodney (they're the folks who introduced us to Oliver at the Humane Society), so the timing was quite serendipitous.



These tomatoes are drizzled with an olive oil-garlic mixture before roasting. Forget scented candles, reed diffusers, and incense. If you want your house to smell heavenly, just pop some of these in the oven and enjoy the aroma throughout the day as they cook down. I tossed ours with some fresh pasta, but they're so versatile, I'll be making them often throughout the winter. I've read that slow-roasting brings out the best in even crummy store-bought winter tomatoes.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
From Gourmet Magazine, August 2009
Printable Recipe
Makes 4-6 servings

4 pounds tomatoes, cherry or grape tomatoes halved lengthwise, larger tomatoes cut in quarters or eighths
6 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1.Preheat oven to 200°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

2. Put tomatoes, cut side up, in 2 large 4-sided sheet pans. Combine garlic and oil and spoon over tomatoes. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper.

3. Roast in oven 6 to 8 hours (tomatoes will be greatly reduced in size but still moist). Cool.

Note: Roasted tomatoes keep in an airtight container, chilled, 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.

Corn Chive Fritters

I've been on the hunt for interesting ways to mix and match new dishes for weeknight meals. I like having a larger portion of something appetizer-ish along with a soup or salad instead of one main course. These corn fritters fit perfectly into that formula.



They're a substantial, flavorful accompaniment to soup, salad, or any other relatively light dinner component that's not quite a main dish. I served them with Sour Cream Salsa Dip (1 part light sour cream, 1 part light salsa, easiest dip ever), and a broccoli soup that I'll share with you soon. I added to the original recipe with some chives, which complemented the sweet corn perfectly. Next time I'll add even more.

p.s. Because a few of you have asked, my during-the-school-year bloggy posting schedule is Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays... and whenever the mood strikes in between!

Corn Chive Fritters
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast
Printable Recipe
Serves 4

3 ears corn, husks and silk removed
8 chives, thinly sliced
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sour Cream Salsa Dip (Optional; Stir together 1 cup light sour cream and 1 cup salsa)

1. Preheat oven to 200 F. To remove the kernels, cut off the tip of each cob; stand the cob in a wide shallow bowl. With a sharp knife, slice downward to remove the kernels.

2. To the bowl, add the milk, egg, sugar, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper; mix. Fold in the cornmeal, flour, and chives.

3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, drop the batter into the pan by heaping tablespoonfuls. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, place in the oven. Repeat. Keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve with Sour Cream Salsa Dip, if desired.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Now that school's back in session and I don't have oodles of free time like I did over the summer, I miss my precious baking time dearly. Although I've been exhausted every night as I adjust to my new routine, I find that baking is a cathartic way to unwind when I come home from a long day.



These Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars could not be more fall-ish. A few people I shared them with said that they taste like Halloween. They're rich and decadent, but still have an airy, fluffy quality to them. They're the perfect tool to help oneself cope with the fact that summer is truly over.



My grocery store didn't have chocolate wafer cookies, so I bought a pack of Oreos, and using a lifetime of experience, carefully separated them so I could use just the side with no filling for the crust. Then I used my kitchen scale to weigh out 4.5 oz. of halves. That, my friends, is love. But what in the world should I do with all of these?



Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from Everyday Baking
Printable Recipe

For the Crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies, (half a 9-ounce package)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:
2 packages bar cream cheese (8 ounces each), softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, blend cookies with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs); add butter, and pulse until moistened.

3. Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

4. Place softened cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; process until combined. Set aside.

5. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted. Add 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture; stir to combine. Set aside.

6. Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto pumpkin mixture; swirl with a butter knife. Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes.

7. Cool in pan. Cover; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). Using overhang, transfer cake to work surface. With a knife dipped in water, cut into 16 squares. Serve.

Cream of Tomato Soup

This was my first time making tomato soup from scratch. It's one of my ultimate comfort foods, and I loved that the process of making it was just as comforting as the eating.



Next time, I'll skip the cream, it masked the bright tomato flavor that I love so much. The original recipe said to puree all of the soup, but I left about a quarter of it out of the blender for some texture, which I think was a good decision.

If you're using a blender, be safe! Only fill the work jar 2/3 full, hold the lid in place with a folded kitchen towel, and pulse rapidly a couple of times before letting the machine run continuously. These steps prevent heat buildup that could lead to dangerous things. Says my cookbook.

Cream of Tomato Soup
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Printable Recipe

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained with 3 cups of juice reserved
1 onion, chopped fine
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt, pepper, & cayenne pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the drained tomatoes, onion, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and the tomatoes begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.

2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the broth and the reserved tomato juice, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Puree about 3/4 of the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.

3. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir into remaining soup, and stir in the cream. Bring to a brief simmer, then remove from heat. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste before serving.

Seeing Stars, 10.5.09

Welcome to Seeing Stars, my weekly feature where I share some of my favorite posts from around the blogosphere that I've "starred" in Google Reader!

After lots of thought and ambivalence, I've decided that this is going to be my last Seeing Stars post, at least for now. The main reasons include: a strong desire to become more respectful of copyright issues, my new insanely busy school schedule, and a pinch of boredom after doing this every Monday for 7 months. As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!

Hugs,
Amy I.

p.s. I made an About Me page. See it here!

Photo of the Day: 28-Layer Rainbow Cake by Robyn at Serious Eats (this puts my Rainbow Cake to shame!)


Spotted: Jar Toppers by Bake with Heart by Luzel at iDIY


DIY Party Blowers by Kelly at Design Crush

Lemon Vinaigrette

I recently mentioned my head-over-heels love for the lemon vinaigrette at Liberty Market in Phoenix, and my desire to recreate it. I started my effort with this recipe from Bon Appetit. Not quite the same, but delicious nonetheless. It was even better after sitting in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days.



I'm going to keep trying for that Liberty Market amazingness (they kindly shared with me on twitter that I need to throw in some fresh thyme), but in the meantime, this is a worthy jumping-off point.

Lemon Vinaigrette
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Whisk all ingredients in bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Apple Tarte Tatin

This time of year is perfect for celebrating with apples and honey. To mark the occasion, I improvised with a play on that theme: a Tarte Tatin with Tangy Whipped Cream.



Tarte Tatin is a traditional French caramel-y apple-y tart. You make caramel with butter and sugar in a skillet, cook the apples in the caramel, then place a layer of pastry dough on top and bake the whole thing. The hardest part of this tart for me was flipping it out of the skillet onto my cake stand. It was a small miracle that it didn't wind up on the floor. This dessert tasted as good as it looks, and I would make it again in a heartbeat. Maybe with pears next time!

One tip that I wish someone would've told me before I made this: when you lay the dough on top of the cooked apples, wait about 30 seconds before you start trying to tuck in around the edges. The heat of the apples will soften the dough and make it infinitely easier to work with. And don't forget the whipped cream! The tarte was delicious on its own, but the "tang" of the whipped cream sent it over the top.

Tarte Tatin
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
Printable Recipe

Tart Dough:
1 1/3 c. All-purpose flour
1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Apples and Topping:
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted btter
3/4 c. granulated sugar
5 large Granny Smith apples (2 1/2 lbs.), peeled, cored, and quartered
1 recipe Tangy Whipped Cream (see below)

1. For the tart dough: Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. With the machine running, add the egg through the feed tube and continue to process until the dough just comes together around the processor blade, about 12 seconds.

2. Turn the dough and any crumbs onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 6-inch disk. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling the dough out, let it soften slightly on the counter, about 10 minutes.

3. Roll the dough out to a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured counter with a lightly floured rolling pin. Slide the dough onto a lightly floured (or lined with a Silpat) rimless or inverted baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until needed.

4. For the apples and topping: Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425F. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, stir in the sugar and cook until the foaming subsides and the mixture is light golden, about 3 minutes.

5. Remove the pan from the heat and, being careful not to burn your fingers, arrange the apples around the edge of the skillet, lifting them on their edge so that they stand up. Arrange the remaining apples in the middle of the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat and cook the apples, turning them over halfway through (Amy's note: tongs make this a cinch), until they are lightly golden and the caramel is darkly colored, about 6 minutes.

6. Off the heat, slide the chilled dough over the apples in the skilled (See my note above re: this part). Being careful not to burn your fingers (I used a spatula), fold the edge of the dough so that it fits snugly into the skillet. Bake the tart until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

7. Let the tart cool in the skillet until the caramel has thickened, about 25 minutes, then run a small knife around the edge. Place an inverted serving platter (or cutting board) over the top and gently flip the tart onto the platter, using mitts or towels if the skillet is still hot. Scrape out any apples that stick to the skillet and put them back into place on the tart. Serve warm or at room temperature with Tangy Whipped Cream.

Tangy Whipped Cream
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Whip all ingredients together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Increase mixer speed to high and continue to whip until the cream forms soft peaks, 1-3 minutes.