Categories
Breads Breakfast/Brunch Pumpkin Uncategorized

Pumpkin Hazelnut Muffins

    Pumpkin Hazelnut Muffins
    Pumpkin Hazelnut Muffins

    Day 8 of 31 days of pumpkin brings us to the pumpkin muffin: a true classic. This was the perfect recipe for me today because this week, it is my responsibility to bring the daily afternoon snack to my son’s kindergarten class. I can’t wait to drop these off tomorrow. Since they’re not iced and there aren’t any chocolate chips in them (although, chocolate chips would probably be great in these), I don’t feel too guilty when it comes to the children’s health meter. I hope they can’t tell!

    The recipe worked just as I’d hoped. They are fluffy and moist and not overly sweet.

      Categories
      Breakfast/Brunch Drinks Pumpkin Uncategorized

      Pumpkin Spiced Latte

        Pumpkin Spice Latte
        Pumpkin Spice Latte

        Day 7 of 31 days of pumpkin brings us into the drinks category. I have a confession. Before today, I had never had a latte. But people go nuts over the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, so I knew that I would be including a pumpkin latte recipe in my 31 days of pumpkin extravaganza. I’m so glad I did. This drink was dreamy and I plan to make it again and again and again.

        There are other Pumpkin Spice lattes out there on the internet, like the one from TheKitchn, but my version jacks up the pumpkin content and is generous with the sugar too. Also, technically, one might not be able to call the drink I’ve made a latte, because in place of espresso, I’ve used a generous shot of strongly brewed, French pressed coffee. The flavor is so perfectly to my liking that I hesitate to monkey with it at all.

        Pumpkin Spiced Latte
         
        Prep time
        Cook time
        Total time
         
        Inspired by the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, I make it at home.
        Author:
        Recipe type: Drink
        Serves: 2
        Ingredients
        • 2 cups whole milk
        • 5 Tbsp canned pure pumpkin
        • 5 Tbsp granulated sugar
        • ½ tsp cinnamon
        • ⅛ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
        • ⅛ tsp ground cloves
        • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
        • 1 shot of strong coffee
        • ½ cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
        Instructions
        1. Start boiling water to make the French press coffee. Meanwhile, gently heat the milk in a small saucepan. Be careful not to scald the milk or bring it to a boil. Whisk in pumpkin and mix thoroughly. Stir in sugar and blend until dissolved. Add spices and blend. Add vanilla and stir. Keep milk on the heat as long as it is not starting to boil or scald.
        2. Make the coffee in the French press, stronger than usual.
        3. Use a hand-held egg beater (or an immersion blender if you have one) to froth up the warm milk mixture.
        4. Use a whisk, or an egg beater, or a hand held mixer to whip the cream.
        5. Pour about ¼ cup of coffee into a tall mug. Pour the milk mixture on top until the cup is nearly full. Add a large dollop of whipped cream and grate a little bit of nutmeg on top. This recipe makes two tall cups.

          Categories
          Breakfast/Brunch Uncategorized

          Pumpkin Pancakes

            Pumpkin Pancakes
            Pumpkin Pancakes

            Day 6 of 31 days of pumpkin brings us to the perfect Halloween-morning breakfast: pumpkin pancakes. These are true pancakes from scratch, complete with whipped egg whites folded into the batter at the end for extra smooth, fluffy pancakes. This past summer, I used the same method when creating strawberry-coulis infused pancakes. What will we infuse into our pancakes this winter, I wonder?

            The spices in this recipe include cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. I’m loving my microplane grater this month. I use it everyday to grate the nutmeg in each of these recipes. Other spices you could swap in are ginger, mace, and allspice. Just keep the quantities low. A little of these goes a long way.

            I purchased the Halloween pancakes molds at Williams-Sonoma this week. I used to have an older set, but I gave it to a friend last year. I also have the Christmas set as well as a “Things that Go” set that my son adores. I have to say, Williams-Sonoma must have made significant design improvements recently because these new molds are easier to use than any of the other sets I have. In the past, I’ve cursed these molds because despite all my best efforts, the batter inevitably stuck to the mold and the whole thing fell apart when I tried to get it out.
            Strategies for getting a perfectly shaped pancake include:

            1) Spray the molds generously with non-stick spray
            2) Heat both the pan and the mold thoroughly before adding batter
            3) Don’t overfill the mold
            4) Pick up the molds gingerly when ready to flip

            These new molds are great. They really don’t stick to the batter at all the way they used to. Now, the mold lifts right off without bringing any of the pancake with it. It looks like William-Sonoma re-engineered the nonstick surface. Also, the shapes are slightly different. There aren’t as many nooks and crannies as the older ones, so that may also help with easy removal. I’m just happy not to be spewing curse words in the kitchen anymore while preparing this special breakfast for my angelic children waiting patiently nearby.

            Fold in the stiff egg whites
            Fold in the stiff egg whites

            Pumpkin Pancakes
            Serves 2 people (makes 6 shapes)

            2/3 cup all-purpose flour
            1.5 Tbsp sugar
            1 tsp baking powder
            1/4 tsp cinnamon
            1/4 tsp cloves
            1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
            1/2 tsp salt
            2/3 cup whole milk
            1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
            2 large eggs, separated
            2 Tbsp butter, melted
            1/2 tsp vanilla extract

            Method

            1. Preheat griddle on medium heat. (Don’t add any fat to the griddle yet. Just let it sit there heating up).

            2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin and egg yolks. Melt the butter in a small ramekin in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Mix the vanilla in with the eggs to help cool it down a little. You may have to wait a minute or two. You don’t want to cook the eggs. Add the butter/vanilla mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.

            3. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix thoroughly. The batter will be thick. You’re going to add the egg whites next. Using an electric handheld mixer, or a crank one like that pictured here, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not too dry. Fold them into the batter gently.

            4. Using a ladle (to control the amount of batter you use each time), pour batter into the mold, moving your hand around as you do so to spread the batter around all the little areas. Only fill the mold up about halfway. It will rise during cooking. Once the edges become firm, you are ready to gently lift the mold out of the pan. Check for places where the batter could be sticking to the mold and gently push it away with a butter knife. Once you’ve removed the mold, you can flip the pancake like normal. Let cook for another 2 minutes or so.

            5. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.

            Fill the mold about halfway
            Fill the mold about halfway
            Pumpkin Pancakes
            Pumpkin Pancakes
              Categories
              Breads Breakfast/Brunch Pumpkin Uncategorized

              Spiced Pumpkin Drop Biscuits

                Pumpkin Biscuits
                Pumpkin Biscuits

                It’s day 5 of 31 days of pumpkin, and I’m excited to share this recipe for pumpkin biscuits with you. I grew up on the Eastern Shore of MD where sweet potato biscuits were popular, so this seemed like a natural next step. I was tempted to let the pumpkin stand on its own in this recipe, but in the end, I couldn’t resist adding just a hint of the traditional spices we’ve all come to expect with pumpkin flavor. I showed restraint though in both quantity and array, so that there is just a hint of the pumpkin pie rather than the full effect.

                In this version, I dropped the biscuits in spoonfuls onto a “greased” (nonstick cooking sprayed) sheet, rather than rolling out the dough and cutting the circles. I just don’t have the patience for such things, although I readily admit that rolled biscuits are much more beautiful. Maybe next time.

                Drop biscuits
                Drop biscuits

                Spiced Pumpkin Drop Biscuits
                Makes 12 large biscuits

                Ingredients

                2 cups all purpose flour
                2 tsp salt
                3 tsp baking powder
                1 tsp baking soda
                1/4 tsp cinnamon
                1/8 tsp allspice
                pinch nutmeg
                5 Tbsp cold butter
                1 cup canned pumpkin
                1/2 – 3/4 cup plain yogurt

                Method

                1. Preheat oven to 450˚F. Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into tablespoon slices and then cut the butter into the flour mixture. Blend thoroughly.

                2. With a spoon, stir the pumpkin purée into the dry ingredients. Add enough yogurt so that a ball of dough forms. Do so by adding a couple of tablespoons at a time. Knead the ball of dough 8-10 times until everything is thoroughly mixed together.

                3. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Drop large spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet. There should be about a dozen spoonfuls altogether. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops are just turning golden brown.

                Pumpkin Biscuits
                Pumpkin Biscuits
                  Categories
                  Breakfast/Brunch Dessert Pumpkin Uncategorized

                  Pumpkin-Apple Spiced Bundt Cake

                    Pumpkin Apple Spiced Bundt Cake
                    Pumpkin Apple Spiced Bundt Cake

                    Day 4 of 31 days of pumpkin and we arrive at a Bundt cake. I’m psyched because I actually bought this bundt cake pan today at Mollie Stones in Sausalito. It’s nonstick, so I really wasn’t worried when it came time to invert the cake onto a plate. And then I had so much fun sifting the powdered sugar on top. Can you tell I’ve been waiting a long time to make a Bundt cake?

                      Categories
                      Breads Breakfast/Brunch Uncategorized

                      Zucchini Bread

                        Zucchini Bread
                        Zucchini Bread

                        I’ve been making this Zucchini Bread recipe my whole life. Although, it has been awhile . Zucchini was on sale for $0.49/lb the other day, so I knew that I was going to revisit this old favorite. I’ll never forget making this recipe in France in 1987. I was a 16 year-old student staying with a French family for the summer and I was eager to share my American culinary culture with them. I made Maryland Fried Chicken one day and another day, I made this zucchini bread. Their impression of it? Trop sucré. (Too sweet). I was baffled at the time, but my adult taste agrees and I’ve cut 1/2 cup of sugar from the original recipe. My French hosts also couldn’t understand why I wanted to spend time cooking for them, when I had an opportunity to experience French gastronomy for six weeks. Well, then as now, I guess I just couldn’t help it.

                        My Childhood Recipe Notebook
                        My Childhood Recipe Notebook

                        Zucchini Bread
                        Makes 2 medium loaves

                        Ingredients

                        3 eggs
                        1.5 cups sugar (in 1987 it was 2 cups)
                        1 cup vegetable oil
                        2 cups grated zucchini
                        1 Tbsp vanilla extract
                        3 cups flour
                        1 tsp salt
                        1 tsp baking soda
                        1/4 tsp baking powder
                        1 Tbsp cinnamon
                        dash of freshly ground nutmeg

                        Method

                        1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, zucchini, oil and vanilla. Mix lightly but well (with a spoon).

                        2. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.

                        3. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture (in batches) until blended. Don’t over mix.

                        4. Bake for 1 hour.

                        Zucchini Bread
                        Zucchini Bread
                          Categories
                          Breakfast/Brunch Sauces Uncategorized

                          Strawberry Coulis Infused Pancakes

                            Strawberry Coulis Infused Pancakes
                            Strawberry Coulis Infused Pancakes (Dairy Free)

                            These might look like buckwheat pancakes, but the color comes from the strawberry coulis that is in the batter, not from buckwheat flour.

                            With strawberries still in season and on sale here in California, I couldn’t resist trying something new and a little decadent with them. I’ve been thinking about putting the strawberry goodness right into the pancake rather than just spreading jam or syrup on top. The result? A bright, light pancake with lots of flavor. The strawberry coulis replaces the milk which makes for an interesting twist. Also, instead of baking powder, this version uses the acid from the orange juice mixed with baking soda to get the fluffy rise needed for a good pancake. Also, in this rendition, the eggs are separated. The whites get whipped up into a wet froth and folded into the batter at the end. This helps make the batter smooth and shapely as it goes into the pan and gives a light, bubbly texture to the finished pancake.

                            Batter with the egg whites folded in
                            Batter with the egg whites folded in

                            Strawberry-Coulis Infused Pancakes
                            Serves 2

                            Strawberry Coulis

                            7 large strawberries (CA large), sliced in half
                            Juice of one small orange
                            1 tsp orange zest (optional) – gives pancake a little bite
                            2 Tbsp confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

                            Purée all ingredients in a blender and push through a sieve (to remove the strawberry seeds). This makes almost one cup of coulis – enough to put coulis in the pancakes and pour some on top. Set aside 1/2 cup for the recipe and chill the rest.

                            Pancakes

                            1/2 cup strawberry coulis (see above)
                            2 eggs, separated
                            1/2 cup all-purpose flour
                            1 tsp salt
                            1 1/2 tsp baking soda

                            Method

                            1. Start heating your pan under medium heat. Having the pan fully and evenly heated helps make even the first pancake come out just right. Beat the egg yolks with the strawberry coulis and set aside. Mix all of the dry ingredients.

                            2. Beat the egg whites rapidly with a whisk until the are stiff, but not so stiff that they would stay in the bowl if you inverted it. It takes about 2 minutes of serious whisking.

                            3. Stir together the dry ingredients and the coulis/egg mixture until completely combined, but not overly mixed. Fold in the egg whites. Again, don’t over mix. You just want to get the egg whites incorporated.

                            4. Drop a dollop of butter into the pan and allow it to melt, but not brown. Drop one ladle full of batter into the pan. Allow to cook until edges appear less shiny and bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Transfer to a warm plate. If not eating immediately, keep in an oven heated to 250˚F. Garnish with fresh strawberries and serve with additional strawberry coulis.

                            CA strawberries are in season
                            CA strawberries are in season

                              Categories
                              Breads Breakfast/Brunch Uncategorized

                              Fuzzy Navel Tea Bread

                                Fuzzy Navel Tea Bread
                                Fuzzy Navel Tea Bread

                                A few over-ripe bananas recently prompted me to think about making banana bread, but I also had a couple of over-ripe peaches and I thought, “I love my banana-peach-oj smoothie. Why not make a banana-peach-orange tea bread?” and Fuzzy Navel Tea Bread was born. To give it a real orange punch, I included orange zest from an entire (albeit small) orange. This bread works as well during the summer as it would as a Christmas gift. The orange zestiness of it is reminding me of Christmas. You could healthy it up a bit by reducing the sugar and substituting a portion of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, but I was really going for a sweet, delicate quick bread best enjoyed with afternoon tea (or at breakfast or brunch, of course).

                                Fuzzy Navel Tea Bread
                                One loaf

                                Ingredients

                                8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (+ butter for greasing pan)
                                2 cups All-Purpose Flour
                                1 tsp salt
                                1 1/2 tsp baking powder
                                1 cup sugar
                                2 eggs
                                2 very ripe bananas
                                2 very ripe peaches
                                zest of one orange
                                2 Tbsp fresh orange juice

                                Method

                                1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Use butter to grease one medium loaf bread pan and set aside.

                                2. Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Put peaches in a blender and pulse until well mashed. Transfer to a bowl and mash in the bananas using a potato masher or a fork. Add zest of one orange (I used a microplane zester/grater) and mix thoroughly with bananas and peaches. In a medium bowl, cream the butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and then beat in the fruit mixture and orange juice.

                                3. Gently stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Don’t over mix.

                                4. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Test with a toothpick, which should come clean when inserted.

                                Tools I used in this recipe can be found at Amazon.com:

                                Fuzzy Navel Tea Bread
                                Fuzzy Navel Tea Bread
                                  Categories
                                  Breakfast/Brunch Uncategorized Vegetarian

                                  Broccoli, Jack & Cheddar Quiche

                                    Broccoli Quiche
                                    Broccoli Quiche

                                    I wasn’t kidding when I said that I was adding broccoli to everything right now. I’m still working through this 5lb bag of broccoli wokly florets.

                                    I’ve been wanting to conquer quiche for awhile. Achieving just the creamy, cheesy consistency is not trivial. Today, I feel more successful than ever. I’ve made quiche before and blogged about it, but I must admit that this recipe tops the Salmon one for smooth, rich, creamy texture. Finally!

                                    The trick? Heavy cream, for one, and lots of it. Also, a mixture of Monterrey Jack cheese (which is supremely meltable) and cheddar. And finally, I believe putting the grated cheese in the bottom of the crust and then layering everything else on top of it, rather than mixing the cheese in with the eggs and cream, helped create this exemplary texture. See what you think.

                                    Broccoli Quiche with Monterry Jack and Cheddar
                                    Serves 4-6

                                    Ingredients

                                    1/2 cup of diced onion
                                    1 tsp olive oil
                                    1 generous cup of broccoli florets
                                    3 large eggs
                                    1 cup heavy cream
                                    1/2 cup whole milk
                                    pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
                                    salt and pepper to taste
                                    1/3 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
                                    1/3 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
                                    1 frozen, 9-inch deep-dish pie crust, thawed

                                    Method

                                    1. Pull the pie crust out of the freezer to let it thaw and preheat your oven to 400˚F.

                                    2. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan and sautée onions gently until starting to brown, about 8 minutes.

                                    3. Pick over the broccoli florets and trim to them to ensure that they are small enough and of uniform size. Bring a small amount of water to boil in a small saucepan and add the broccoli florets. Boil/steam for 2 minutes tops. Remove from heat, drain water and set aside.

                                    4. Beat together the eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Leave on counter during the rest of the preparation to allow it to come to room temperature.

                                    5. Prick the bottom of the pie crust to prevent air bubbles from forming. Bake crust for 11-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

                                    6. Change oven temperature to 375˚F. Spread cheeses evenly along the bottom of the pie crust. Distribute broccoli florets and cooked onions evenly over the cheese. Pour milk and egg mixture on top. Season with a bit more salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Allow to cool a bit before serving. I actually turned off my oven a few minutes early and allowed the quiche to sit in the cooling oven for awhile, which kept it warm and cooking without overdoing it.

                                    Looking for more broccoli recipes? Check out ComfyCook’s collection of Broccoli recipes from BSI participants around the blogosphere.

                                      Categories
                                      Breakfast/Brunch

                                      My Favorite Breakfast

                                        Cheerios with blueberries
                                        Cheerios with blueberries

                                        When blueberries are in season, I can’t resist dumping half a pint of them on top of my bowl of cheerios in the morning. The mixture of flavors and textures is perfection and it’s healthy too. It’s a pleasure that is truly seasonal. I can’t bring myself to buy blueberries that have been flown in from South America. That just seems wrong. So I relish them from during these few short months.

                                        Ingredients

                                        1 1/2 cups cheerios
                                        1/2 pint blueberries
                                        3/4 cup 2% milk

                                        Method

                                        Pour cheerios into bowl.
                                        Pour washed blueberries on top.
                                        Pour in milk.
                                        Enjoy.
                                        Repeat.

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