In an effort to take advantage of all the lovely squash in the stores right now, as well as to start liking Bon Appetit magazine again (they changed their fonts and photos last year, and I can’t stand it), I zeroed in on a recipe for Creamy Pumpkin and Cashew Curry.

One of the things I like about the layout over at Epicurious is that readers get to review the recipes.  So, after taking a look at those reviews, I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit our tastes.  Because of a well-stocked Asian market in my area, I was able to find curry leaves and use them for the very first time.  To my surprise, they taste like curry, even though they smell nothing like it!  Some of the Epicurious readers substituted curry powder for the leaves, so you may want to take that approach if you can’t find them in a store.  Additionally, I used kabocha squash, and I eliminated the coconut cream and stuck with coconut milk, instead.

Result?  We LOVED this curry.  It was flavorful, rich-tasting, with just the right amount of heat.  I served it over brown rice, and even the puppies loved getting a nugget or two of the squash!  Wendy at Pink Stripes is having a pumpkin week going on, and she also made this curry, so you may want to stop by.  Recipe after the jump.
continue reading "A Warm and Flavorful Pumpkin Curry"

Years ago, when I first moved to Maui, there was a small sandwich shop called “Picnics” on Baldwin Avenue in a town called Paia.  The shop still exists, but it has changed hands many, many times.  At one point, back in the eighties, they had hired a professional baker (or so the rumor mill said) who had dropped out of the rat race, and had moved to Maui to windsurf.  At that time, prior to a change in ownership and their subsequent decision to purchase baked good from Costco, all the pastries, breads, and muffins were made on the premises.  Everything was tasty, but there was one standout:  Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins.

Now folks, these muffins were so good that people who hated pumkin, cream cheese, and/or walnuts would devour them.  Once or twice a week, I’d run into Picnics (it had to be early or the muffins would be gone by 10:00 a.m.) and buy one, then I’d go sit outside the post office, under the palm trees, and slowly nibble around the edges of the muffin.  I would work around the perimeter until finally only the sweet cream cheese filling was left, whereupon I’d stuff that lucious blob into my mouth.  Ah, the memories.

When I saw that Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp had chosen Pumpkin Muffins, the wheels started turning.  I made a low fat cream cheese mixture that included a bit or orange oil.  Then I substituted organic white whole wheat flour for the AP flour, doubled the walnuts, and topped the muffins with pumpkin seeds and cinnamon sugar.  Because I had a dark muffin tin, I turned down the oven temperature to 375 F, and placed the tin on a baking sheet to help keep the bottom from burning.

So, were they as good as Picnics’ muffins?  Nope, but they were tasty and relatively healthy, as far as Dorie recipes go.  Sometimes I wonder if the memory of something is better than the original experience:  By now, those Picnics muffins have reached the status of legend in my own mind!  So, my search for perfect pumpkin cream cheese muffin continues.  Thanks, Kelly, for a great choice this week.  To see how others faired with their muffins this week, click on the blogger list over at TWD.

Having tried pumkin pie recipes on and off over the years, I was less than enthused by the results. All that changed in 2004, when my mother-in-law sent me the following wonderful recipe. Yum.

Orange-Spice Pumpkin Pie

Pie crust dough for shell
2 T finely chopped crystallized ginger (Note: this means finely chopped, or you’ll bit into little chunks if you don’t strain the mixture)
1-15 oz can pure pumpkin
1 t ground cinnamon
1 cups packed brown sugar
1 t grated orange peel
3 large eggs
¼ t ground nutmeg
1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
¼ t salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12”round. Transfer to 9” diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under and crimp decoratively. Pierce dough all over w/fork. Freeze 15 minutes. Line crust with foil, and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 12 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until crust begins to color, pressing with the back of a fork if the crust bubbles, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to rack.

Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.

Whisk pumpkin and brown sugar in medium bowl to blend. Add all remaining ingredients and whisk until blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie until filling is set in center, about 1 hour. Transfer pie to rack, cool 30 minutes. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead.) Cover and keep chilled.

Notes: I’ve also made this pie using half-and-half instead of whipping cream, and it still turned out wonderful, just a bit lighter, with a cleaner mouth feel.