Pumpkin Mousse

For Pumpkin Mousse:

2 cups roasted pumpkin
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 envelope Knox gelatin
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sour cream

Pulse pumpkin flesh in blender with maple syrup, cinnamon and ginger.

Sprinkle gelatin over 1 tablespoon whipping cream and let sit 5 minutes.

Beat whipping cream until peaks form.

Heat up gelatin mixture in pan of water over medium heat until dissolved. Pour into blender and pulse with pumpkin.

Add whipping cream to blender. Pulse until just combined.

Spoon pumpkin-whipped cream mixture into reserved pumpkin shell.

Refrigerate overnight. Serve in ice cream dishes alone or with crumbled gingersnap cookies on top.

Dulce de Leche Empanadas

I love dulce de leche. I love ice cream. I love apples. I figured they can only be more delicious when combined (sort of a holy triad, if you will). I felt what some might describe as inappropriate joy upon eating these gooey, creamy and sweet creations...*content sigh*.

Maybe these are better described as turnovers, but as I am using frozen empanada wrappers (not as homemade, I know, but it saves SO much time, I highly recommend them in a pinch) to create empanadas de dulce de leche con manzanas y una bola de helado: dulce de leche and apple empandas with good old fashioned vanilla ice cream.

To make 10 empanadas:
1 pack frozen Goya empanada shells
5 small to medium sized apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup dulce de leche
Vanilla ice cream

Defrost empanada shells in fridge until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice apples into 8ths and then once again horizontally. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon over apples and add lemon juice. Stir mixture.

Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add apples and stir until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Use a rolling pin to flatten empanada shells, one by one. Add about 1/2 of an apple to shell and a scoop of dulce de leche (a bit less than a tablespoon).

Fold dough over and pinch shut. Use a fork to create ridges along edge of dough. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon and brown sugar over the empanadas.

Bake empanadas for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown.





Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Autumn Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I woke up today with that feeling-you know, when you are tired and kind of achy, and just know that a not fun few days are coming? As swine flu is all the rage these days (so to speak) and all universities are deathly afraid of students spreading the illness I really cannot afford to get sick. In Massachusetts they are not even testing for it anymore, you get a fever, you get a week quarantine, no ifs, ands or buts. So I am fighting back with a vitamin and mineral-rich soup, lots of water and a Law and Order marathon (I cannot really be expected to study under duress, can I ?).

My butternut squash and apple soup recipe could be filed under Soup For Dummies (although one could argue that it's actually smarter to pick a time saving recipe such as this one!). After many instances of dicing onion, peeling apples and slicing my squash into even pieces like a good girl, one day I said &^*$ it and just threw in pre-cut squash, baby carrots, apple chunks and onion cut into quarters into a soup pot. Honestly, it really did not make a noticiable difference in the resulting flavor. So for those who don't have much time or patience, voila! here is the perfect recipe for you!

Ingredients:
3 cups butternut squash, cut into chunks (I bought mine at Trader Joe's)
2 apples, cored
1 cup carrots
1 onion, peel removed and onion cut into quarters
2 cups chicken stock
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter

Melt butter in a medium to large stew pot over medium high heat. Add butternut squash, carrots and onion to pot and let saute 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking/burning.

Add apples, white pepper, cinnamon and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook 45 minutes.

Remove from heat, puree soup in batches.

Serve with toasted bread (good for dipping in soup!)

Note: you can freeze soup and it reheats perfectly for another meal.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Garlic Lasagna

This is one of my favorite fall recipes. I got it from www.epicurious.com and tweaked it to make it a little bit healthier.

2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups skim milk
2 tablespoons dried rosemary, crumbled
2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/3 stick butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 box lasagna noodles
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)
1 cup lite whipping cream (if you prefer, you can add 1 can evaporated skim milk to sauce and substitute sauce for top layer of cream).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

If you are using a whole squash, I would recommend purchasing one that is about 3 to 3 1/2 pounds. To ease peeling, stab squash once or twice to create a steam vent, then microwave for about 5-7 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel squash and remove stringy pulp inside. Cut into small cubes. Toss with oil. Roast in pan about 20 minutes, flipping it midway through cooking time. Take out when turning golden brown and easily cut with knife. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.

When squash is roasting, simmer milk with dried rosemary over medium-low heat for 10 minutes (time starts when milk first starts to form bubbles, if starting to boil, turn heat down). Place strainer over medium bowl and strain milk.

Fill large pot with water. When boiling, add lasagne noodles and cook according to box directions, checking to make sure noodles do not stick to each other. Strain and set aside.

While pasta water is heating up, melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and turn down to medium-low to avoid browning. Cook about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in flours and stir continuously for 3 minutes. Pour strained milk into pan a little at a time, whisking into roux (flour/butter mixture). Cook additional 7-10 minutes over low heat, or until mixture thickens. Stir in squash and grind fresh black pepper to taste.

Grease a 13 by 9 inch baking dish.

Pour about 1/3 sauce into baking dish, spreading it around to cover bottom of dish. Cover with 3 lasagna sheets. Spread 1/3 of sauce over sheets and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Repeat for one additional layer.

If using whipping cream, use mixer to beat cream in large bowl until it holds soft peaks and spread evenly over top pasta layer, covering it evenly. If not using cream, use remaining sauce to cover top of lasagna.

Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of lasagna. Cover with aluminum foil, tenting slightly to prevent it from sticking to lasagna. Bake for 30 minutes in middle rack of oven. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes, or until top is bubbling and turning brown. Remove from oven and let stand about 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
A medium sized pumpkin...a 2 pound pumpkin should make about 2 cups of roasted pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar (I like to use brown sugar for a richer flavor)
Cinnamon
Ginger
Molasses
Dash Salt
1 1/3 cups whole milk or evaporated skim milk
3 eggs
A pie shell (you can buy one or use a recipe on my site)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice pumpkin in half vertically (microwaving for a few minutes will make cutting easier...just make sure you stab it once or twice to avoid a pumpkin microwave bomb). Scoop out seeds and pulpy stuff, scraping with a spoon until you see solid pumpkin flesh. Lay pumpkin halves skin-side down on roasting pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger. Sprinkle some water on top of pumpkin and in pan. Roast for about an hour to 1 1/2 hours, test with knife to see if done. If knife slides in easily, it can be taken out of the oven.

Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

After letting pumpkin cool, peel skin from pumpkin and cut pumpkin into chunks. Blend the pumpkin chunks, adding a little milk if necessary. Add 2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Add milk, 2 teaspoons molasses and eggs and beat lightly until ingredients are incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Cook for about an hour or until knife comes out clean. Let cool on cookie rack, then cover and refrigerate until serving

Rose Levy Beranbaum's Designer Apple Pie

I made this for my boyfriend to share with his business school group. When I asked him how they liked it, he told me that he ate the whole pie himself.

Open-Faced Designer Apple Pie Recipe (slightly adapted) from: The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Ingredients:
1 recipe Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust for 9-inch lattice pie
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 1/2 lbs. apples; (about 6), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/8-inch (should equal 8 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Make the dough. Remove one piece of dough from refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes until it is soft enough to roll. On floured pastry cloth or between 2 sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll pastry 1/8 inch thick or less and large enough to cut 12-inch circle. Use expandable flan ring or cardboard template as guide and sharp knife to cut out circle. Transfer it to the pie plate. Trim the edge if necessary so that it extends 1/4 inch past edge of pie plate. Cover the pastry lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for minimum of 1 hour and maximum of 24 hours. Roll out the second piece of dough 1/8 inch thick and cut about twenty-six 2 1/2-inch leaves, using cutter or small sharp knife. Use small sharp knife to make veins. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees for at least 20 minutes before baking. Line the pastry with parchment, pleating it as necessary so it fits into the pan, and fill it with dried beans or peas. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the beans with parchment. With fork, prick the bottom and sides and bake 5-10 minutes more or until crust is pale golden. Check after 3 minutes and prick any bubbles that may have formed. Cool the crust on a rack 3 minutes, so it is no longer piping hot, then brush the bottom and sides with lightly beaten egg white.

In large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, and salt; toss to mix. Allow the apples to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours at room temperature.Transfer the apples and their juices to colander over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will release at least 1/2 cup of liquid. Over medium heat, boil down liquid with butter until syrupy and lightly caramelized. Swirl liquid but do not stir it. I like to add 1 additional tablespoon brown sugar and butter to increase the amount of syrup. Meanwhile, transfer the apples to a bowl and toss them with the cornstarch until all traces of it have disappeared. Pour 1/2 of the hot syrup over the apples, tossing gently. (If liquid hardens on contact with apples, allow them to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes or until moisture from apples dissolves it.) Arrange the apples, overlapping the slices in concentric circles in the pie shell, starting from the outside edge. Keep adding more apples, using the tip of a knife to help insert them in between the other slices, until you have used all the slices. Pour any remaining apple juices evenly over the apples. Brush the baked pie crust rim with egg. Brush the bottom of each leaf with egg and place the leaves on the border, tilting them and overlapping them slightly. Brush the top of the leaves with egg. Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before baking to chill the pastry . This will maintain flakiness.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. Place large piece of greased foil on top to catch any juices. Set the pie directly on foil-topped baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Cut a round of foil to fit over the apples and the edge of the crust and crimp it in 3 or 4 places to create dome. Cover pie with the foil and cut 3 steam vents in the foil, about 3 inches long. Continue baking for 45 to 50 minutes or until the juices bubble and apples feel tender but not mushy when pierced with a cake tester or small sharp knife. Remove the foil and pour the remaining syrup over apples. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until the top of apples is golden brown. Remove pie to a rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature