Sweet Potato Pie with Gingersnap Crust

The holidays are over....sigh. But luckily I still have a little leftover pie in the fridge. I wish it wouldn't go away. I keep taking only one bite periodically throughout the day, hoping it'll last a little longer. I'm usually on dessert duty for Thanksgiving and Christmas and the last couple of years I've changed up my pumpkin pie recipe a bit. It's not THAT original...I use the old trusted recipe off the One Pie can - but with a few substitutions that I think make all the difference: sweet potatoes instead of the canned stuff and gingersnap cookie crust instead of the standard.

Pie
1 3/4 cups roasted sweet potato (about 2 big ones)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmet
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 12oz can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/8 cup molasses
2 eggs, beaten

Gingersnap Crust
1 1/4 cup ground gingersnap cookies
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
4 tbsp butter, melted


1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Pulse the crust ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Pour into a pie dish and press down so that crust is firm, covers the bottom and the sides of the dish. Bake for 15 minutes and let cool.

3. In a mixer or large bowl, whisk sweet potato, eggs, butter, molasses, and milk. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add to sweet potato mixture and whisk until combined.

4. Once crust has cooled, pour in the pie mixture and bake for about 50 minutes or until the pie is set.

Gingersnap Cookies

Gingernsaps are one of my favorite cookies. I tend to only bake them around the holidays when I need them for Sweet Potato Pie crust...and there are always a lot of leftovers. These freeze really well too!

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses

1. Preheat to 350. 

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a bowl; stir well to mix. 

3. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together on medium speed the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until very light, fluffy and whitened. Add the egg and continue beating until smooth. 

4. Lower speed and beat in half the dry ingredients, then the molasses Stop the mixer and scrape down bowl and beater. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients. 

5. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment. Scoop out 1-inch diameter pieces of dough. Roll into balls between the palms of your the hands. Place the balls of dough on the prepared pans leaving about 3 inches all around each, to allow for spreading. 

6. Bake the cookies for about 15 mins for chewy cookies and 20 mins for crispy ones.

Cherry Citrus Scones

Paddy and I spent a couple of weeks in Ireland in the beginning of September. It was a great vacation and so good to spend time with the family...most of which was spent in the kitchen at Paddy's house (built in 1650!!), keeping warm by the cooker (which still burns turf), drinking tea, and eating scones. Paddy's mom made a fresh batch of scones about every other day and the smell of them in the oven would wake me up in the morning. Is there a better way to start the day?? Needless to say, when I came home, I was missing her scones dearly and decided to bake a batch to keep on hand. Ina Garten's is one of the better scone recipes I've tried - they're extra light and fluffy (sometimes scones can be dense, dry, and hard). I've changed a few things and this is my version, which by the way, is half of her recipe. This makes about 8 to 10 2-inch round scones. These freeze really well and if you keep to the directions of only rolling them out to about 1/2-3/4 inches, you can pop them in the toaster to defrost and warm up!

2 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 

2 tbsp sugar, plus additional for sprinkling

1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp grated grapefruit zest (could sub orange or lemon but grapefruit is my favorite!)
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cold heavy cream (or milk if you don't have cream)
1 cup dried cherries (you could sub cranberries or any other dried berry)
1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp water or milk, for egg wash

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 2 cups of flour, 2 tbsp of sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. 

 

3. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. Combine the dried cranberries and 2 tbsp of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

4. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Use a cookie cutter or a juice glass to make 2-3 inch rounds in the dough. Place the scones on a cookie sheet.

5. Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar (don't skip these last steps!), and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel Pepitas

It's fall and I'm all things pumpkin. No, I don't do pumpkin lattes buuuuut, pretty much anything else. I saw this on Food52 the other day and had to make it. My mom thinks it's better than pumpkin pie. I don't know if I could forgo pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving but this is pretty damn yummy. I ate about half of it this weekend all by myself. Pregnancy strikes again...

Cake:
 

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder  

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp ground cinnamon  

1 tsp freshly nutmeg 

1/4 tsp ground cloves  

1 cup plus 2 tbsp pumpkin purée 

1 cup vegetable or canola oil  

1 1/3 cup sugar 

3/4 tsp salt  

3 large eggs,yolks and whites separated

 

Frosting and caramelized pepitas (pumpkin seeds0: 

9 tbsp butter, divided, at room temperature 

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (1 block of Philly)

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 

Pinch of cinnamon  

1 tbsp sugar 

1/2 cup salted pumpkin seeds (raw or toasted)  

 

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and butter that, too.

 

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into a bowl and set aside.

 

3. Use the whisk attachment of a stand mixer to combine the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and salt.

 

4. With mixer on medium speed, add the egg yolks one at a time, waiting for one yolk to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture, turning off the machine as soon as the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

 

5. Whisk the three egg whites until they are frothy and white. Fold them into the batter using a rubber spatula until they were no longer visible (but be careful not to over mix). Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake on the center rack in the oven. Begin checking the cake after 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in its pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes, or until the cake is pulling away from the pan, before inverting it onto a wire rack.

 

6. To make the frosting, beat together 8 tbsp of the butter and the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the powdered and beat until the frosting is smooth with no dry traces of sugar. Add a pinch of cinnamon, and beat the frosting until incorporated.

 

7. To make the pepitas, caramelize 1 tbsp of sugar in a small saucepan on medium heat until it is a rich reddish-brown color. Avoid over-stirring, which can turn the mixture dry and crumbly. Once the sugar is dark and fragrant, add the last tbsp of butter and stir quickly until it has melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the pumpkin seeds and stir until they're evenly coated in sauce. Transfer the seeds to a plate lined with parchment paper so that they cool and harden.

 

8. When the cake is completely cool, frost just the top and sprinkle with the seeds. You'll have extra frosting and I'm suuuuure you'll find something to do with it (like eat the rest with a spoon until you're sick).  

Autumn Risotto with Carmelized Apples and Fennel

Tis the season! I pulled this from the pile because it was delicious.This comes from Food52 and is bright, citrus-y, and full of flavor. Perfect for a cold fall or winter evening.

Caramelized Apples and Fennel
1 large honeycrisp apple (or really any kind), peeled and chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup white wine

1. Get the apples/fennel started before starting the risotto. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter with oil and add the apples and fennel. Add salt and stir. Cook over medium heat for about 20 mins. Keep an eye on them after about 10 mins so they don't get too brown. When tender and the juices have evaporated, deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any bits. When wine is almost evaporated, turn heat off and set aside.

Risotto
4 pieces of prosciutto (optional) 
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3 cups apple cider
3 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/4 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter

1. Add the broth and cider to a saucepan and bring to a low simmer.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the prosciutto. Cook until just crispy. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.

3. Add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes to toast it with the onions. Add the wine and cook until liquid is just absorbed.

4. Add a ladle of the broth/cider to the rice and cook until just absorbed. Repeat this process, stirring frequently until all of the broth is used and the rice is just tender.

5. When adding the last ladle of liquid, add the caramelized apples/fennel, orange zest, parmesan, and butter. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Add the prosciutto and serve with goat cheese, walnuts and parsley on top.

Billionaire Bars

These things are a dream come true, especially for a pregnant lady craving anything and everything that includes sugar. Chocolate + caramel + cookie = heaven. I saw a photo of these in Food & Wine and was sold immediately. Made them that day. The only saving grace about these suckers is that they're so rich, you really can only have one, a small one. I cut these up and froze them, they  can be eaten straight from the freezer in less than 5 minutes (thank you very much) and will keep much longer.

Shortbread:
1 stick cold, cubed unsalted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Caramel:
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt.
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp water

Chocolate Ganache:
9 oz 70% dark chocolate, chopped or as chips
3/4 heavy cream
1 cup roughly chopped pecans

1. For the shortbread: Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8" square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2" to hang over the edges. In a food processor, combine all of the shortbread ingredients and pulse until a dough forms. Press the dough into the baking pan and bake for 25 mins, until firm and edges are golden. Let cool completely.

2. For the caramel: In a small saucepan, melt the butter, cream and salt over moderate heat. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water and cook over moderate heat until a golden caramel forms, only swirling pan to mix - DO NOT STIR, you will get crystals. Carefully drizzle the cream into the caramel and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until temp reaches 230 on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour over the cooled shortbread and let cool for about 45 minutes.

3. For the ganache: Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer and immediately pour over the chocolate. Let stand until chocolate starts to melt and then stir until smooth. Pour the ganache over the caramel and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate until chilled.

Apple & Honey Cake

It's apple season! Buh-bye strawberries, hello Macs...
My good friends Sara and Kiran are leaving town and heading back to DC (excuse me while I sob a little) and we're off to their house in JP for one last dinner together. Their house is all packed up so we're bringing the goods. I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and thought it was beautiful. Topped with some homemade cinnamon ice cream, it's the perfect fall dessert.

Topping
4 tiny-to-small apples, halved, peeled and cored
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Batter
1 stick plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, separated
2 good pinches of salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze
1/4 cup honey
A good pinch of sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9-inch springform with butter.

2. Prepare apples: Place peeled, halved and cored apples cut-side-down on a cutting board. Use a knife to create parallel thin slices, but only cut halfway through each apple so that the apples stay intact. If you cut through, no biggie - you can reassemble the halves on the cake in a few minutes. In a bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and 2 tbsp granulated sugar.

3. Prepare cake base: Beat butter and 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar together in a bowl until fluffy. Add honey and beat until combined. Add vanilla and egg yolks, beating until just combined. Sprinkle salt and baking powder over cake batter, and mix for just 5 seconds, until they disappear. Add flour, half at a time, mixing only until just combined.

4. In a separate bowl with cleaned beaters, beat egg whites until stiff. Stir 1/4 of them into the cake batter, to lighten it a little. Fold in the rest in three additions. Only fold the last addition of egg whites until it has mostly disappeared (a couple faint streaks of egg white are fine).

5. Spread cake batter in prepared cake pan, smoothing the top. Arrange apple halves facedown over the cake batter.No need to press the apples into the batter.

6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let rest on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then cut around the cake to make sure it’s not sticking to the pan at all, and unhinge the sides. Let cake cool completely. Before serving, warm 1/4 cup honey and a good pinch of sea salt until it liquefies to the point where it makes a thin glaze — this will take less than 30 seconds. Brush honey-salt mixture over cooled cake.