Pumpkin Butter

Wolfgang Puck's Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (blended until smooth in blender or food processor)
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbs. ground cloves
• 1 Tbs. ground nutmeg
• 1 Tbs. ground allspice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small, heavy pot.

Cook over very low flame for approximately 1 hour stirring constantly.

Serve with your favorite breads, pancakes or use to make a pumpkin roll filling.

Makes approximately 3-4 cups.

Pumpkin Bread

From Martha Stewart's Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs. Apple Pie Spice (mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• (Raisins, Cranberries and/or Nuts can be added)

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Mix butter and sugar until smooth, add eggs, pumpkin puree and oil. Gradually add the dry ingredients until all are thoroughly incorporated into the wet ingredients. Do not over mix.

Pour into loaf pan (or muffin pan) and bake at 350 degrees until done (approximately 45-50 minutes). Bread should spring back at touch.

Margo's Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is the only crust recipe when I've eaten the crust before the cheesecake. Its that good.

Serves 10 to 12.

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1/4 lb. gingersnaps (about 20 cookies)
• 1/3 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter

Filling

• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 lb. cream cheese at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Topping

• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. granulated sugar

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9 inch springform pan.

In a food processor combine the gingersnaps and pecans. Process until crumbly. Add the brown sugar and butter, pulse for a few seconds to blend. Pat the mixture into the bottom and evenly up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and spices. In a large bowl using a mixer beat the cream cheese on medium until smooth and creamy scraping down the sides as needed. Add the brown sugar mixture beating until smooth. Add the eggs one at a t ime beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree, beating until smooth. Pour the batter into the chilled crust and smoothe the top.

Bake the cheese cake until set, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

To make the topping save 10 pecan halves and chop the rest. In a small fry pan over medium heat melt the butter. Add all of the pecans, sprinkle with granulated sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and the nuts are toasted and caramel coated. Allow the nut mixture to cool completely and store in an airtight container until you are ready to serve the cheesecake. Arrange the pecan halves around the perimeter of the cake and sprinkle the chopped pecans over the cheesecake.

Pan-Seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger, and Lime

Ingredients

• 2 big handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, sliced
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Pinch sugar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated.

Place a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Pour 1/2 of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the fish. Serve the seared tuna with the sliced avocado and the remaining cilantro sauce drizzled over the whole plate.

First Day of Fall!

Oh my favorite time of year... it's finally doesn't feel like a 150 degree oven outside, the grass will eventually stop growing, and I can almost wear my leggings and silly ugg boots.

Class perfectly fit the holiday - roasted chicken, made pumpkin cheesecake with ginger snap crusts, and pumpkin bread. Recipes will follow as soon as Margo emails them!

I have to study for a test on fruits, etc. for garde manger so will post a fall-inspiring picture until later :)

4-Year Anniversary

Ryan and I celebrated our 4 year anniverseyr yesterday. It started out beautifully... woke up to pancakes, sausage and blueberry muffins made. He also grabbed 3 roses and a really sweet card.

We spent the afternoon running errands (story of our lives) and setting up a 10 gal fish tank I got to replace 3 gal one. Apparently 1 gal=1 fish and I'm not trying to have only 3 fish in a tank.

So the tank is working on filtering the water through before we add the fish.

Then Ryan cooked dinner all by himself - we had salad, flank steak with blue cheese, cheddar broccoli rice and grilled corn. Everything was delicious. He even bought my 2nd fave type of wine (Annabella) ---> $15

We watched some episodes of Spartacus (LOVE THAT SHOW) when I noticed Ryan disappeared for ~15 mins. Went to check on him and he is puking up a storm! Wtf. So this boy never ever gets sick and definitely never vomits. I immediately assume its food poisoning since he had had 2 beers to drink. Try my best to take care of him, call his mama, he refuses to go to hospital. After wrestling him up from passing out on bathroom floor I get him in bed.

As I'm getting ready for bed - I get that *oh shit* wave of nausea.

Then I start.

And don't stop till 6:30am.

Thankfully Sarah Upton sacrificed her last few hours of sleep before her 12 hour shift at 911 call center to come over and bring a thermometer, diet coke, and support.

How these odd occurrences of bad luck hit my life at the oddest time I'll never know.

We think it was the salad greens that made us sick - it was a 50/50 bag of baby lettuce and SPINACH. Evil green.

Back to laying in bed with Ryan and drinking Gatorade.

Berry Compote

(made this in garde manger class today and it was a HUGE hit)

Yield: 1 Pt

Ingredients:

• 1 pt. Berries, fresh or frozen
• 4 oz. Granulated sugar
• 2 Oranges
• 3 fl. oz Honey
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 3 Tbsp. Brandy
• Ice cream - as needed for garnish
• Poundcake - as needed for garnish
• Whipped cream - optional

Directions:

Select an assortment of fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and cherries).

Place the fruits and sguar in a nonreactive saucepan. Finely grate the zest from one orange and set aside. Add the juice from the 2 oranges to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat; cook until the fruits are soft but still intact.

Strain the mixture, saving both the fruits and the liquid. Return the liquid to the saucepan. Add the finely grated zest from one orange and tehh oney, cinnamon and brandy.

Bring to a boil and reduce until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Remove the cinnamon stick. Gently stir the reserved fruits into the sauce, cover and chill. Serve with ice cream or poundcake and whipped cream (optional).