A Remade Pumpkin Loaf Really Stands Out

Pumpkin Loaf or Bread is delicious. By its very nature it will be moist and tender. With a good amount of canned pumpkin or other squash puree, moistness is almost (but not quite) guaranteed. Still, sometimes I just can't help myself and I feel the need to tinker. 

Pumpkin Nut Loaf, straight from the oven

Last week I finally got around to baking and pureeing the huge Jarrahdale squash I had bought in late September. The beautiful blue-green color of the large squash had begun to turn to light orange, ripening itself over the months. This is by far the longest I have allowed a squash like this to set before doing something with it. Since we went away over the holidays and then things got upped a bit last minute to leaving a week earlier than planned, there were many things left un-done. The squash was really large. I never weighed it, but once baked and pureed, I got 14 cups of beautiful, bright golden puree. Since I still had a few packages of squash puree from last year, I figured it was time to use some of it.

Pumpkin Nut Loaf, sliced

The museum had a closing reception for an art exhibit yesterday, and I was asked to make something to serve at the reception. "Pumpkin" bread was my thought. I had a perfectly good recipe for Pumpkin bread already (find that recipe here), but like I said, sometimes I just feel the need to tinker with a recipe and see what happens. I sat to look at the recipe I had used previously, which used 1 cup of pumpkin or squash puree. When I puree my squash, I divide it up in 2-cup batches in freezer zip-top bags. If I was going to thaw 2 cups of squash, then I needed to use 2 cups. With that in mind, I opted to double the recipe. One loaf for the reception and one loaf for us. 

As an aside, while at the art reception yesterday (a mixed bag of art styles by artists from all over the state), I met a most talented man named Jim Green. He makes bronze sculptures, and the one that was exhibited at the museum was called Marsh Song. It was of a lone cattail, with a Marsh Wren perched on the head of the cattail. The piece was about 2 feet tall. It had such a serenity to it, and yet I could just "feel" that moment of startling flight as the bird would take off. It was one of the most lovely things I have seen. We talked for a long time. I highly recommend checking out his website: http://www.jimgreenart.com to see some of his excellent work.

Back to the Recipe

The next thing I noticed is that white sugar was used in the old recipe, so I went for brown sugar. The spice amounts were also increased, and then I added in sour cream to the recipe. The brown sugar and the sour cream are going to make for a moist loaf anyway. I lowered the overall fat content by using half oil and half applesauce. I also added in a tiny mount of black strap molasses. In addition to the nuts, I used up a half cup of some "Heath" Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits that were left over from a previous recipe, plus 1 teaspoon of cream cheese flavoring with 1/2 teaspoon butterscotch flavoring. It would be just as good to use a teaspoon or two of vanilla.

The recipe is very easily mixed together using just a spatula. Here is the recipe with its makeover:

Pumpkin Nut Loaf

Pumpkin Nut Loaf, served

Makes two 8 x 4-inch loaves

DRY INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves

WET INGREDIENTS:
2⅔ cups brown sugar
½ cup oil (I used olive oil)
½ cup applesauce
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin or squash puree
2 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup ground nuts (I used walnuts)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cups Toffee Bits (Maple Flav'r Bites, or raisins, or dates)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. If desired, as added precaution, line the pans with parchment.

In one bowl whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the brown sugar with the oil and applesauce. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking to incorporate one before adding the next. Whisk in the pumpkin puree with the molasses and vanilla. Once completely combined, stir in the nuts, sour cream and any other addition desired. Once well combined, divide the batter between the two loaf pans. It will fill the pans pretty high. Bake the loaves for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out almost clean. A few crumbs are fine. Allow the pans to rest for about 5 minutes, then remove the loaves to a wire rack to cool.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Versatile Squash in a Cake

I have stopped using canned pumpkin for my pumpkin pies since some years ago. One of the first times I was so happy with the substitution of actual squash for the canned stuff was when I found a Jarradale squash here locally. It was the prettiest squash, all slate green-blue colored, but when I baked it and cut it open, it was also the brightest yellow-orange color inside that I had ever seen to date. The following year, I found a Jamboree squash; this one looked the same on the outside, but unfortunately it was all moldy on the inside. A complete waste of the hour of baking. Oh well, I guess that can happen.

Jarradale Squash

The other thing about the Jarradale squash that I loved so much was the density of the meat. It was a small squash, by comparison to most pumpkins. The meat was so dense though, that it doubled the weight of a pumpkin that was twice its size. When I baked and scooped the meat out, I put it into the food processor in batches and got the smoothest, most beautiful puree I could ever have wished. It also made the most delicious "pumpkin pies" that Thanksgiving. When I could not duplicate that with the Jamboree squash the next year, it really was too bad, and since it was rather last minute, I had to go back to cans for that year's pies. 

This past year, I couldn't find a Jarradale or Jamboree squash at all, so I did some online research on squash and which ones were best for making pie puree. I found a very interesting comparison one woman did, trying out 9 different squash, and making 9 separate pumpkin pies. Her results? Good old butternut squash was, for her, the tastiest, with best pie color. Okay, I can always find butternut squash. I bought one large squash, baked, pureed and came up with enough for 4 pies. I was amazed. Butternut, also, is very dense and smooth. I knew this empirically, but had never paid much attention with an eye to a pie.

I guess by now, you may be wondering what all this reflection on squash varieties is all about. I was getting something out of the freezer the other day and noticed a couple of zip-top baggies of pureed squash tucked in back. This made me think I should make something with it, which led to thinking about what pumpkin recipes I might have. I decided to try Mom Rawstern's recipe for Pumpkin Bars.

Pumpkin Cake

For starters, I changed all her spices, though I kept the basic recipe amounts. I substituted ¾ cup of the sugar with coconut sugar, and ⅓ of the butter called for with coconut oil. I have no idea where her recipe came from, or if she made it up. It was scribbled on a little sheet of paper and stapled into her one cookbook, with absolutely no instructions. This was not uncommon. Most of her recipes assumed one knew how to make a thing, because most of the time there were no instructions, or only a minimalistic "bake at 350." Imagine my surprise then, when I baked this "bar" recipe in a 9 x 13-inch pan and it baked up high as a regular cake! It also took terribly long to bake, far longer than most cakes in that size pan, at 50 minutes. It seemed it would never test done, as I timed it another 5 minutes, then another 5 minutes, and so on. There is nothing at all wrong with the flavor. I am very pleased with my spice additions. It just came out as a cake, rather than bars. This is the recipe:

Pumpkin Cake

Pumpkin Cake

One 13 x 9-inch cake

1 stick unsalted butter
¼ cup coconut oil (or use all butter)
2 cups sugar (or substitute part coconut sugar)
4 eggs
2 cups squash/pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons Bourbon, or 2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried orange zest
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 on Convection). Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter & coconut oil with the sugar(s), until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined before adding the next. Beat in the squash puree. Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients, and then add in three batches to the creamed mixture, beating gently just until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While the cake was baking, I wanted to try out something new for a frosting. First, I wanted to incorporate sour cream into the mix, but had never done this before. I wanted a little tang in the flavor. Another thing I wanted to try was making glazed nuts (walnuts or pecans) and then placing them in a food processor to pulverize, then add these to the frosting. I started with the nuts.

Burnt Sugar Glazed Nuts

Burnt Sugar Glazed Pecans

⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 cup walnuts or pecans 
(I used walnuts this time; photo shows pecans from last week's wine tasting)
 
Cut a large sheet of waxed paper and place onto a counter top. Place the sugar and nuts into a medium sized, preferable non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the sugar melts and caramelizes to deep amber and completely coats the nuts. Once the nuts reach that point, stir for a few seconds more, then remove from the hot burner and continue stirring for 1 minute. Turn the nuts out onto the waxed paper and with 2 forks, separate the nuts. Allow them to cool completely.

***These glazed nuts are wonderful to eat on their own. They are great in salads. You could sprinkle them with cinnamon or other spices, as desired. Do not attempt to add any liquid to the hot nuts or it could be explosive. The sugar has reached extreme temperatures to melt. For my purposes, once cooled, I poured all the caramelized nuts into the food processor with 1 cup of confectioners' sugar and processed until very fine. This way, they would also be wonderful sprinkled over ice cream.

Caramel Walnut Frosting

Caramel Walnut Frosting

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
4 cups confectioners' sugar
The whole recipe for pulverized glazed nuts
1 teaspoon bourbon, or vanilla
½ teaspoon salt (preferably medium ground sea salt)

In a heavy duty stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese for 6 - 8 minutes, until very pale and fluffy. NOTE: This will not work properly unless the ingredients are room temperature. Add the sour cream and beat to combine. Add the 4 cups confectioners' sugar and starting on lowest speed for one minute, combining the dry into the creamed mixture. Increase speed to medium high and beat for another 6 to 8 minutes. Pour in the nut mixture, salt and flavoring and beat to just combine. Spread this over the cake once the cake has completely cooled.
The cake and the frosting were delicious. Neither turned out exactly as I had anticipated, but the flavors are excellent in both, and the icing goes excellently with the cake. I would like to try this again, using pecans in the frosting (I had none yesterday when I started this). I might also try using less sugar in the cake. It seemed a little too much, though the flavor is wonderful.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

What to do with Summer's Bounty?

Summer Bounty

This time of year, we are all inundated with vegetables. It is a wondrous thing, especially after going through a long winter, and believe me, up in south Dakota, winter is plenty long. I am not complaining, but suddenly there is a glut of all the vegetables, and we all scramble for things to make. Whether it is too  many tomatoes, too many ears of corn, too many zucchini, or any other vegetable, I always look for some new way to use them.

I bought some ears of corn at the Farmers' Market here; a very small affair compared to some cities, but very nice and most welcome. Of course, I no more than bought the corn and then two people gave me a bunch more. 

Fresh RAW Corn Salad

Fresh RAW Corn Salad

Serves 4 - 6 as a side dish
Serves 2 - 3 as a main course on a RAW diet

3 ears fresh corn (about 3 cups corn kernels)
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, or more as desired
1 - 2 Roma tomatoes
1 chopped shallot
½ cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon cumin seed, ground coarsely
1 teaspoon salt

Cut kernels from the corn cobs and place into a bowl. Chop the bell pepper, jalapeno pepper (remove seeds and membranes if less heat is desired), and tomato(es) and add to the corn. Add in the cilantro, lime juice, salt and cumin and toss to combine.


Personally, I love my Fresh RAW Corn Salad best, but I have come up with a couple of other recipes recently to try and use up some of the extra corn. One was Confetti Corn and Bacon; anything with bacon tastes good! Another was just a couple of days ago; Southwest Corn and Beans. 

Confetti Corn and Bacon

Confetti Corn and Bacon

Serves 6 to 8

6 ounces bacon, sliced across into ¼-inch strips
1 onion, chopped
6 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 - 2 jalapenos, seeds and membranes removed, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons nonpareil capers
½ cup heavy whipping cream

Fry the bacon on a large skillet until just crisp. Remove the bacon to paper toweling to drain and set aside. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in the skillet. Add in the onion and saute gently for about 10 minutes or until just golden. Add in the corn and peppers and saute another 8 minutes, then add in the garlic to cook for another two or so minutes, until corn is tender. Add in the salt, sage, capers and whipping cream and heat through. Return the bacon to the pan, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish.

Southwest Corn and Beans

Southwest Corn and Beans

Makes about 8 - 10 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 ears fresh corn, sliced from the cobs, about 6 - 7 cups
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems, OR
1 teaspoon dried whole thyme, rubbed between palms
1 teaspoon cumin, or more, to taste
2 - 2½ teaspoons salt
few grinds of the pepper mill
½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 can kidney beans, well rinsed
½ cup chopped cilantro, or to taste

Heat a very large skillet and add in the olive oil. Put the onion, bell pepper and celery into the pan and saute on medium heat for about 8 minutes, until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the corn, along with the thyme, cumin, salt, pepper and sun-dried tomatoes and continue to cook, tossing often for another 10 minutes. Add the lime juice with the beans and cilantro and toss until heated through, another 2 minutes. Serve with some cilantro leaves scattered over top for garnish.

My Sister-in-Law is growing herbs this year that are not always in her repertoire, such as rosemary, sage and chives. She usually has various flavors of mint, and does this year as well. Since I was moving into a new house this Spring, I missed out on getting anything planted, so I am doubly grateful for her bounty. I do miss my herbs. I walked to her place today and picked some sage, rosemary and mint. I wanted to use sage in my Yellow Squash and Apple Casserole that I was dreaming up. I got back and made the casserole with some of the yellow squash a friend brought over. I was mainly trying to think of a way to make these yellow squash or zucchini more exciting to eat. I find them rather bland. Great for making zucchini breads, but less so when trying to get them down otherwise.

Everyone may not agree with me on this, and that is wonderful. This would be one sad world if everyone liked only the same things. But, for any of you out there who find a lot of zucchini and/or yellow squash on hand, with little desire to eat them, you have just GOT to try this casserole.  I have been thinking on this recipe for days. I knew I wanted to put Granny Smith apples in it, but aside from that, I hadn't pinpointed the rest of what would make this casserole stand out. Today I did that.

Yellow Squash and Apple Casserole

Yellow Squash and Apple Casserole

 
Makes one 9 x 13-inch casserole

4 slices thick-slice bacon
1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, thin sliced and rough-chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups yellow squash and/or zucchini, cut in thin slices
4 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced thinly
1 cup bread crumbs
2½ cups shredded cheddar, 1 cup set aside
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage (less than 2 teaspoons if dried)
1½ teaspoons salt
pepper, to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup water

Slice the bacon across the length into ¼-inch pieces. Fry the bacon till crisp, drain and reserve 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan. Add in the butter and the onions and toss to coat. Saute the onions till golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and allow the mixture to cook for another 2 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While the bacon and the onions are cooking, slice the squash or zucchini and place into a large bowl. Add in the apples, bread crumbs, 1½ cups of the cheddar, sage, salt and pepper. Add the bacon and onion/garlic mixture to the bowl when they are done, tossing well to coat. Add in the eggs, whisked with the half-cup of water and mix well. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, or spray with cooking spray. Pour the squash mixture into the prepared pan, patting in evenly. Sprinkle with the reserved cheddar. Cover with foil and bake the casserole for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 25 minutes more, or until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden.

Of course, you may say that anything with bacon, egg and cheese in it is going to be good. And you'd be right. I added in some other flavors too, such as fresh sage, bread crumbs, caramelized onion and garlic. I was testing as I went along to see if there was enough flavor. It seemed good. I found it needed to be covered for part of the baking time in order to get the vegetables and apple done through. But even while baking it smelled just heavenly. I couldn't wait to taste it. It was certainly worth the wait. My husband has absolutely no interest in zucchini or yellow squash, but I knew he would like it this way. I shoved a spoon in his mouth as soon as he got home this afternoon, and he admitted that it really was good. That is my real test of a recipe!

Okay, I grant you that this is not going to fly if you are on any kind of diet at all. It is not egg-free, dairy-free, gluten free. It won't work for vegetarians and less still for vegans. But it is so tasty. Oh yes.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.