Pumpkin Party 2012

The fourth annual Pumpkin Party brought nice additions to the pumpkin recipe repetoire. Pumpkin party recipes must meet certain criteria, which limits to a degree the types of dishes I will offer. If you compare the menu each year, distinct patterns will be quite obvious. Nevertheless, I spend a lot of time looking for creative ways to update my basic pumpkin party theme. The recipes below were all winners, not just because they can be made in advance, require little attention to serve, and are meat-free, but also because they were delicious and a little bit different.

I guess the sign of a great party was that I didn't have time to take photos of the food. Except for the cake of course, which was not just the coup de grace for the pumpkin party, but was also my 35th birthday celebration cake.

Hors d'Ouvres
I made a dip for chips and crudites by cooking 1/2 cup of red lentils and pureeing with a cup of canned pumpkin along with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, freshly ground cumin and coriander. Mix to taste! This can be made ahead and frozen, though I needed to strain it after thawing because it released a lot of water, so that's a bit of an annoying step, but it will bring it back to a nice creamy texture.

Mixmaster Will used this recipe for a "fall leaf fizz" as inspiration for our pumpkin-pear punch. You will want - as always - to mix to taste, but his version was approximately this. It looked stunning in my mom's antique pressed-glass punch bowl, and for better or worse, many friends commented, "I can't even taste the alcohol!"
2 cups vodka
3 bottles sparkling wine
4 cups pear cider (available at Trader Joes)
1 jar (10 oz) pumpkin butter (from Trader Joes)

Dinner

Black Eyed Pea and Pumpkin Salad
Serves 20
This recipe was my flavor template, but I wanted a more fall, earthy palette than the bright flavors this recipe uses with lime and basil.
DressingI made my own walnut-flavored oil (because it seemed like a worthy experiment and given the expense of actual oil from walnuts). I used black walnuts because I had them leftover and they have a strong walnut flavor, but a bitterness that I don't enjoy in baked goods but thought might be tempered by this process. I toasted 5 tablespoons of chopped black walnuts, then added in 6 tablespoons olive oil and heated over medium, then transfer to jar to steep overnight. Strain before using and mix with 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.
Salad
one sugar-pie pumpkin
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 cups cooked or canned black-eyed peas
1 1/2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 pound baby spinach or mixed greens
Roast pumpkin by cutting in half, seeding, and baking cut-side down on an oiled baking sheet at 450 for 40 minutes. Cut into dice and toss with remaining ingredients when cool.

Butternut Squash Bread Pudding
Serves 20
This could be understood as an odd concept if you think of bread pudding with raisins and rum sauce. It certainly doesn't seem like something for a cocktail party. And the reviews of the original recipe or terribly mixed, so I was probably unwise to test this out as the main course for 16 friends. But it received huge compliments, enough so that I decided to serve it to my parents, in-laws, and grandmothers the next day as leftovers and they all raved.

1 pound day-old french bread, cut in 1" cubes
1/2 cup cream; 1/2 cup skim milk
5 eggs
freshly ground nutmeg and black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 pound kale (I used "baby kale" from Costco)
3/4 cups shallot
2 small cloves garlic
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash cubes (available refridgerated at Costco, or Trader Joes - cutting your own is dangerous because the squash rind is very tough, and will take forever!)
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
olive oil
Mix cream, milk, eggs, seasonings, mustard, and wine. Soak bread cubes in this mixture about 30 minutes.
Toss squash cubes with just enough oil to coat, and roast at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
Saute shallot in olive oil until tender. Add kale and stir over medium until wilted. Allow to cool slightly.
Layer 1/2 soaked bread cubes in 9x13 buttered baking dish, top with 1/2 squash, 1/2 kale, and 1/2 cheese, then repeat layers, ending with cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes covered, then 20 minutes uncovered. Broil at end for two minutes to make a bubbling cheese crust if desired.
Can be refrigerated covered overnight before baking if desired.



For this version (in November, 2012) I used a 1/2 recipe based on above,
with acorn instead of butternut squash, walnuts instead of hazelnuts,
and spinach instead of kale. Both are yum!

Kabocha Squash and Shitake Rigatoni
This is a dense, rich dish which could easily stand alone as a main course. I made a number of substitions from this version which had mixed-reviews. I made my sauce the day before. I cooked the pasta the morning of my party and tossed with the sauce, then refrigerated until I was ready to serve and reheated on the stove. It made so much that we were eating it for days and it held up very well.
1 pound rigatoni
5 ounces dehyrated shitake mushrooms, reconstituted in boiling water
2 pounds kabocha squash, roasted at 400 degrees until tender
8 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
4 cups stock
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Puree squash with goat cheese and stock to desired consistency. You may want less squash or less broth. Add seasonings.
Saute mushrooms in butter until tender. Toss with sauce and cooked pasta. Sprinkle with hazelnuts to serve.

Dessert

To make this adorable pumpkin cake, I used this pumpkin spice bundt cake recipe. You will need two cakes to build the pumpkin. I do not recommend doubling the recipe, because it was too full for my stand mixer, so make the recipe twice. I also like my cake spicy, so I added an additional teaspoon of freshly grated ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg to each batch.

Place one cooled cake flat-side up on a platter. Stack the other cake flat-side down on top. I used cream-cheese frosting died orange. My favorite recipe is from Joy of Cooking; 8 ounces of cream cheese, 5 ounces softened butter, 4 cups of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

To decorate, I saved the pumpkin stem from the sugar pie pumpkin I used in the salad - wrap in plastic and store in the fridge if you aren't going to use it for the cake right away. It fit perfectly in the bundt cake hole, and I just frosted over to the base of the stem. I also used piped green frosting and some licorice ropes and gumdrops for leaves and vines. Obviously, this makes a ton. I only used half the cake for my party, but instead of cutting slices through the whole pumpkin, I cut slices just through one layer of cake, and we only ate the top half. The next day, I flipped the bottom layer right-side up and had an entire uncut bundt cake which I refrosted and served to family. Gross, or clever? You decide. But it was most definitely delicious. This cake stays moist and fresh for days.

Washington's Bounty Hors D'Oeuvres Buffet

I developed this menu for an event where I agreed to cater all the refreshments, but where I was also a guests, but not the hostess. This complicated set of criteria meant that 1) it all had to be ready in advance, so it could be transported to the venue 2) it all had to be finger-food so as to avoid the need to rent or wash flatware 3) it had to be substantial enough that guests coming from 6:30-8:30 would feel they had their evening meal. I didn't want anything that needed last-minute garnishes or dipping sauces or elaborate serving methods. I also wanted to showcase local Washington products (indicated with an asterisk), since the guest of honor was from the East Coast.

Smoked Salmon* and Shrimp "Sushi" Stacks
Portobello Mushroom* Tartletts
Tortellini and Tomato Towers
Squash Salad Skewer with Jonagold Apple* and Beecher's Flagship * Cheese

Cranberry* Turtle Bars

Dilettante* Chocolates

Washington* Wines and Sparkling Water

I was expecting 20-25 people, and planned 60 pieces of each of the above.

Portobello Puffs (Mushroom Tartlets)
3 sheets puff pastry (from 2 17-oz packages)
1 pound portobello mushrooms, finely chopped (or your other favorite mushrooms, I used "baby bellos" from Costco)
1 large shallot, finely diced (minimum 1/2 cup)
3-4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine
2 teaspoons dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh
salt and pepper

Melt butter in large skillet. Add mushrooms, shallot, and basil (if dried) and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Pour wine into edge of pan, stirring quickly to ensure all of filling is coated before wine evaporates. Stir in basil (if fresh). Remove skillet from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

Filling can be refrigerated after this step for three days.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut puff pastry into 1 1/2 inch squares. Arrange on baking sheet, or press lightly into mini-muffin cups. Bake 8 minutes. It will not be done. Remove from oven and top each pastry square or cup with 1 teaspoon mushroom mixture. This step can be completed in the morning and then the final baking completed just before serving. When ready to serve, finish baking at 400 degrees an additional 6-7 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Cheese Tortellini and Grape Tomato Towers
These store and travel especially well.
1 1/2 pounds bite-sized tortellini (preferably cheese, in case you have vegetarian guests)
1 pound grape tomatos
1 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Even if you don't usually add oil to your pasta water, it is important to put in about 2 teaspoons for this, so that the pieces don't stick together, or your appetizers will be a mess.

Shake together oil and vinegar in a jar.

Drain cooked tortellinis, and toss with oil/vinegar. Allow to cool enough to handle. Then use regular toothpicks to skewer one grape tomato and one tortellini so that the tomato rests in the hole of the pasta.

Smoked Salmon and Shrimp "Sushi" Stacks

I doubled this recipe for sushi rice and made it twice. Line a jelly roll pan (12" x 18" x 1") with saran wrap and press rice firmly and evenly into pan. Use a sheet of saran and a stiff spatula to tightly pack the rice into the mold. Allow to cool.

Remove rice sheet from pan using saran wrap as handles. Place on a flat surface such as a cutting board. Cut rice in to 1 1/2 inch squares.

Using a tiny spoon (or a pastry bag) dollop about 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) of wasabi mayonnaise on center of each rice cake square. Top with a flake of smoked salmon or a shrimp.

Using kitchen shears, cut nori into thin strips, about 1" long by 3/16" wide. Garnish each piece of seafood with a strip of nori.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve. Can be made two days in advance. The nori will soften but it will hold it's shape and it's flavor.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve. Can be made two days in advance. The nori will soften but it will hold it's shape and it's flavor.

4 dry cups of rice (such as California short grain, like Niko Niko), prepared for sushi.
1/2 pound hot smoked salmon
1/2 cup salad shrimp
wasabi mayonnaise (mix 1/3 cup mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon wasabi paste or to taste, plus 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or to taste)
6" strip of nori (dried seaweed)
1 tablespoon toasted white or black (preferable) sesame seeds

 

I was able to stack my platter with two layers of these, separated by a foil doilie.

Squash Skewers
2 pounds butternut squash cubes
2 large sweet, crisp eating apples (such as fuji) cut in cubes approximately the same size as the squash.
8 ounces firm cheese such as Parmiganio-Reggiano, Smoked Gouda. I used Beechers flagship which is like a white cheddar.

Toss the squash and apples together in just a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 425 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Cut cheese into slices just thick enough to not break apart. You can make it more decorative by putting a fancy edge on the slices with a pastry wheel or a butter slicer. Depending on the flavor of the cheese, how strong, or salty it is, you may want slightly larger or smaller slices.

Using a toothpick, spear a cube of squash, a slice of cheese, and a cube of apple.

I made cranberry bars because cranberries are a big agricultural product of Washington state, but many bar cookies are both easy to make, sturdy, and make a large number.

With pecans and bourbon, this recipe brought together some of the best of the northwest with some traditionally Southern specialties to honor the southerners at the event.
Cranberry Bars
Makes 48
For Crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Blend dry ingredients in food processor. Add butter and pulse until pea-sized lumps form. Line 12 x 18 x 1" pan with foil. Grease sides of foil (not bottom.) Press dough firmly and evenly into pan. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, until lightly golden.

For topping
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh (or frozen) whole cranberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup pecans pieces, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

Soak dried cranberries in bourbon, pressing down and mixing periodically. Meanwhile, melt butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until caramel registers 245°F on thermometer, about 8 minutes. Carefully stir in whole cranberries, then boil until caramel returns to 245°F. Remove from heat and stir dried berries, soaking liquid, and pecans, stirring until well coated. Working quickly, spread caramel topping over base, using a fork to distribute nuts and berries evenly. Cool completely.

Cut bars into 3" squares, then in half to make triangles.

More Famous Bloggers than I

I just read this great article in the Seattle Times that referred me to the http://17andbaking.com/ blog. I have only poked through a few entries so far, but I'm looking forward to spending more time on it. I sort of wish that was me. I mean, I was known as the "family baker" when I was 17. I was the one who was SO excited to move into a house my junior year in college so I could start baking again, and asked for a mixer for my birthday and called my grandmother to read me my favorite recipes over the phone. Too bad there was no such thing as a blog when I was in college. But I'm especially interested to try her "favorite Swiss buttercream" which she attributes to Martha Stewart. I haven't had much luck with Martha's recipes, and I've had even worse luck with buttercreams. But she has managed to take some exquisite photos of piping she did with it, so it obviously works well... I will be putting it through a rigorous taste test though, and will let you know how it goes. Meanwhile, after years of complaining, discussing, and testing, a former professional cake and wedding baker friend of mine shared with me her simple and results-perfect buttercream which I will be posting about in a frosting-exclusive post sometime soon.


But since this post is about other blogs, here's another food blog that I like: http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/, which I came across in a search for Torta Milanese. On vacation in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we stopped for an afternoon snack at a bakery cafe. We were exhausted from a morning of art galleries, but not especially hungry for lunch and it was far too early for dinner, so we ordered cappucinos and gazed at the bakery case. This elaborate torte caught our eye, so we ordered a slice and it was like nothing we'd ever tried. It was a rich, flakey pastry crust with layer upon layer upon layer of flavorful exotic layer: tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, roasted red pepper, basil and herbs, parmesan, eggplant, mushrooms, and I can't even remember what else. I wanted to find a similar recipe and an exhaustive search left me virtually empty-handed except for the wisdom and insight of food blogga Susan. Her recipe for pizza chena which I found first on my favorite website npr.org is basically what I was looking for. She is a freelancer for NPR, which led me to her blog.


In any case, what both these blogs illustrate very clearly is the importance of good photos, which I do not have. I do not plan to invest in any camera which will provide the type of images that these really popular blogs produce, but I hope you will still be able to get good ideas and helpful tips from what I have.


Here's today's offering:

This is last night's dinner, the driving factor of which was I wanted to try roasting butternut squash and apples together. I have an idea for an appetizer for an upcoming party and this was a preliminary step in my planning. It was delicious (cube pieces the same size, toss with olive oil and pepper, then roast at 425 for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Season with salt afterwards. There was also a tomato in there.) but hardly dinner. So I chose my other simple dishes based on what else was most colorful in the fridge. With the oven already on, I just added the corn in their husks to the oven (takes 15-20 minutes) and asparagus (also tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper) for about 12 minutes. A little barley cooked in broth with diced onion and bacon bits gave a toothsome counterpart to the tender and flavorful vegetables.

One other blog I enjoy is the NPR Kitchen Window.