Cranberry Chutney and Baked Brie

The invisible wind violently shakes the windows in their frames, and the trees, with each scrape of their bending bows, threaten to peel off the roof. I scurry about my little home, preheating the oven to bake the brie, zesting an orange and toasting walnuts to make a meal of savory goodness. It is a good night to stay in.
On nights like tonight, when the world seems inky black and foreboding, I imagine that all of the little mice of the world are hiding in their warm little dens, and owls are snuggled together in their tree stumps, and people are at home in front of their fires, sipping good wine, and eating brie with chutney.

Cranberry Chutney
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• zest of 1/2 of a large naval orange
• juice of 1 large naval orange
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp fennel
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• pinch of celery seeds
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. In a small sauce pan melt the butter then saute the onion until transparent.
2. Add all other ingredients to the sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries burst and a jam-like sauce begins to form.
3. Serve warm with a small wheel (6 ounces) of brie that has been baked for 15 minutes in a 300f oven.

I enjoyed this with a reasonably priced and super yummy bottle of 337 cabernet sauvignon, which is a nice everyday wine, and toasted walnuts.

Om nom nom!

Rum Balls

When I was I child I spent my allowance on one of two things - bananas or rum balls. My brother and I would trudge 2 1/2 miles down to the bakery and spend far too much time, much to the annoyance of the bakery staff, with our hands on the glass of the display cases, trying to decide what we wanted. I, invariably, settled on rum balls. They taste so warm and chocolatey. We would slowly meander home, only to arrive there empty handed with chocolate covered hands and faces.

This recipe is a very common one, although I have modified it by reducing the amount of nuts and increasing the cookie crumbs, thereby making it slightly more affordable to make. Surprisingly, the modification does not at all affect flavour or texture. So, make a double batch, keep a dozen, and give a dozen to someone special for Christmas. :)

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Finely chopped hazelnuts or pecans
• 1 3/4 Cups Crushed Nilla wafers or arrowroot cookies
• 1/2 Cup powdered sugar (aka: icing sugar)
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp Light corn syrup
• 1/4 Cup Dark rum
• 4 Ounces Dark chocolate
• 1 Tsp butter

Method

1. Combine first four ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.


2. Place the corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high for ~15 seconds to warm and make easier to incorporate into the dry ingredients.


3. Stir the warm corn syrup into the dry ingredients.


4. Add the rum to the mixture; stir well. The mixture should be thoroughly moist so that it will stick together in balls, but not so wet that it won't hold the shape of a ball. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add another teaspoon of rum; stir.


5. Refrigerate mixture for ~1 hour.


6. Form into balls appoximately 1 1/4 inches in diameter.


7. Place the dark chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl; heat on high for 15 seconds; stir. Repeat until the chocolate and butter are melted.


8. Dip each rum ball into the melted chocolate to coat. Place the rum balls on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Garnish each with a bit of chopped nuts.


9. Allow the chocolate coating to set for at least 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy! :D

Squash Orange Cake

If there could be a luscious cake that could be called almost healthful, this is would be the front-running candidate. It is packed full of vitamin dense grated squash and orange rind, and made with whole wheat flour. Don't let that put you off, though, as this cake is truly a delicious treat.

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. softened butter
• 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• finely grated rind and juice of 1 1/2 oranges
• 2 c. whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/3 c. coarsely grated raw butternut squash
• 1 c. raisins

Icing

• 1-8 ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. finely grated orange rind
• 2 tsp. orange juice
• orange zest to top cake

Cake Batter Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.


2. In a medium size bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the grated orange rind and juice. Beat well.


3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to the butter mixture and stir until moistened.


4. Add the squash and raisins to the batter. Mix well.


5. Grease a 7-inch springform pan; line the bottom with greased parchment paper. Spoon the batter into the pan; smooth the top of the batter. Place on center rack in the preheated oven; bake for 1 hour. After 1 hour, test the cake to see if it is done by inserting a clean toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.


6. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan to let fully cool on a rack.

Icing Method

1. Place cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange rind, and orange juice in a small bowl. Beat well until light and fluffy.


2. Ice the top of the fully cooled cake. Garnish the center with orange rind.

Enjoy! :D

Pumpkin Bread

A few years ago, a missionary friend talked me into volunteering to cook at a summer bible camp. I had visions of baking wonderful foods for the children who would, because of my culinary prowess, love and admire me. When I arrived with my truck load of organic vegetables, organic whole-grain flours of all sorts, and whole-grain pastas, I was shiny-faced and excited to prepare uber-healthful foods so the children would be healthy and thriving. Then, I cooked. This is what I learnt:

1. Children hate foods that are healthful.
2. Children have evil powers of persuasion (it looks a lot like mournful sadness).
3. Children, especially female children, would rather starve themselves to death (yes, actual death) than eat anything that even vaguely looks like it might have nutritional value.
4. Children do not like whole-wheat bread, no matter how carefully and lovingly it has been prepared.

By the end of the first week I was putting sugar in the spaghetti sauce. BUT! I did figure out a way to get them to eat healthful bread. Enter, pumpkin bread.*cues the angels* You, and even the very small controlling people who live with you, will love this bread. It is exquisitely moist, has a lovely thin crust, and the subtlest hint of pumpkin flavour.

• 2 tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 4 tbsp. butter, cut into small bits
• 1-1/2 c. very hot water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-1/4 c. pureed pumpkin (bake and puree fresh pumpkin if possible, otherwise canned is ok, too)
• 4 tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 2 c. whole-wheat flour
• 4-5 c. bread flour
• 1 egg, beaten (for washing the loaves)
• 2 tbsp. sunflower seeds

Mix together the yeast and 1/2 cup warm water; cover; set aside for approximately 10 minutes, until it is foamy. Place the hot water and butter in a large bowl; stir until the butter has melted. Add 1 cup of bread flour to the water/butter mixture; stir for 3-4 minutes. Add the salt, egg, pumpkin, brown sugar, yeast mixture, and whole-wheat flour. Stir for 2 minutes. Add bread flour, 1 cup at a time, until it forms a soft dough, which will be sticky, but not so soft that you can't pick it up. Turn out on lightly floured surface; knead, adding flour as needed, until the dough forms a soft ball that is smooth, soft, and elastic. Place the dough in a bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray; cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about 40 minutes, until double in size. Turn the raised dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead lightly to partially de-gas; divide the dough into two equal parts and shape each into a loaf. If you choose to use a loaf pan, a greased 9 x 5 x 3" pan works well, otherwise, use a greased cookie sheet. Let the loaves rise for another 30 minutes, or until double in size. Right before placing the loaves in the oven, brush them with the second beaten egg and sprinkle with the sunflower seeds. Slash each loaf on the diagonal. Place the loaves on the center rack of an oven that has been preheated to 400f. Mist the loaves with water then quickly close the oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350f and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, until the loaves are brown and sound hollow when tapped.

Nom nom nom!! Enjoy! :D

5:00

Purist Pumpkin Pie

Some things are so perfect, they shouldn't be messed with. Pumpkin pie is one of those things. Classic pumpkin pie trumps any of the 'improved' versions you might be tempted to try, and if you are a purist, you not only stick to a recipe that has been around for decades, you go to a field, pick a pumpkin, bake it, then puree it to make your pie. Making your own pastry is a given (using a store-bought crust would be sacrilegious and bring down upon you, and all of your descendants to the 7th generation, horribly bad karma). Do it old-school - the end product is worth it and you will impress the hell out of everyone, most of whom have never had a made-from-scratch pie. So send everyone away, put some good music on (this is a good place to start), assemble your pie, then sit cross-legged on the floor in front of the oven, watching your pie turn golden, feeling like a modern Julia Child, inhaling the warm aroma of tradition that seeps from your oven.

Filling

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 4 c. baked pumpkin, squished to drain of excess moisture, then pureed (canned plain pumpkin may be used if you are not going for the Julia Child experience :)
• 2 3/4 c. evaporated milk (I use evaporated milk because it is low-fat - use heavy cream instead if you like.)
• 4 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 425f. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Place in preheated oven; bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 375f. Bake for an additional 45 - 60 minutes, until toothpick (or sharp, thin knife) inserted in middle comes out clean.

Pastry Crust

• 2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2/3 c. shortening
• 7 tbsp. ice water

Place flour in a medium bowl; add salt; stir. Using a pastry cutter, cut the shortening into the flour until it forms a coarse, crumbly mixture. Using a fork, gently stir in the cold water. Mix only until the dough forms a ball. Use your hands to squish it together a bit if needed, but do not knead! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface; line a large pie plate (2 inches deep). Trim the excess from the edges of the pan if there is dough hanging over the edges. Use the excess to make pastry leaves for garnish.

5:00