Proud Italian Cook

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

October 28, 2010 by Marie 33 Comments

I made this on the spur of the moment the other day after gazing upon a day old half of baguette that was sitting on my counter totally intended for breadcrumbs. The winds were 60mph here in the Chicago area so this was the perfect dessert for a cool crisp day!

I’ve been stocking up on canned pumpkin because I’m always hearing there’s a shortage of it so I had plenty of that along with all the other ingredients.

This was so quick to put together, the longest part was waiting for my raisins to soak up the bourbon, but oh it was so worth the wait!

Of course the bourbon is optional if you want to omit it just double the amount of hot water.

Add all your ingredients into one bowl, whisk it up and pour the mixture into individual ramekins, perfectly portioned for one.

The aroma is amazing, the warm spiced custard along with the bourbon soaked raisins will put a happy smile on your face! Feel free to put a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top if you wish.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Adapted from Martha

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for ramekins
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup bourbon
1/3 cup hot water
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt
One 12-ounce day-old loaf brioche, challah or rustic baguette cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter six 10-ounce ramekins or custard cups, and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon brown sugar, set aside on a baking sheet. Place raisins in a small bowl, and cover with bourbon, if using, and the hot water; let soak until plump, about 20 minutes. Drain; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, spices, and salt. Toss in the bread cubes, and stir gently to evenly coat; let stand a few minutes. Fold in the raisins. Divide among ramekins, pressing down slightly to make level.

3. Bake until custard is set in the center and top is golden, about 40 minutes. If bread browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Remove from oven; let cool slightly. To serve, un-mold onto plates; dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

33 Comments Filed Under: Desserts, Fall Tagged: fall dessert, pumpkin bread pudding, pumpkin dessert

Homemade Ricotta Cavatelli Made Easy!

October 20, 2010 by Marie 40 Comments

A few weeks ago my girlfriend let me borrow her cavatelli pasta maker it was the first time I ever used a machine, all I can say is wow, what a great invention! She has a brand that no longer exists but if you check on Amazon there are many well made brands that our very reasonably priced, just remember to get one that has the wooden rollers.

If you’re crazy about cavatelli, those shell-like ridged noodles that capture and hold the flavor of a sauce so well, then have no fear you can have these made, cooked and on your table in no time at all.

I was amazed at just how easy the process was, you simply feed a strip of pasta dough into the machine and turn the handle, the machine does the rest. The rollers send the dough past a drum set with two tiny blades which cut the dough into small pieces and presses them against the drum’s ridged lining. As quick as you can turn the handle is as fast as they come popping out, you’ll have trays of them done before you know it!

If you want to freeze some, leave them individually on the tray as shown above placing the whole tray in the freezer, when completely frozen you can then bag them up, mine took about a half hour to 40 minutes to freeze.

The ricotta dough is my favorite they turn out so light tasting, you won’t get that heavy doughy feeling at all I promise. They also cook up really fast, just place them into salted boiling water and when they rise to the top, which only takes a few seconds, they’re pretty much done and you can start scooping them out.

Whatever sauce you choose you can be sure that those deep ridges will catch it all!

A simple sauce made of olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and some of the pasta water was the perfect combination for the fresh cavatelli with shrimp and broccoli.

Tossing them into a light marinara sauce is my personal favorite, even my 14 month old granddaughter loved them, I cut them into thirds for her and she gobbled them up.

Here’s the food processor method for making the dough

Serves 4

4 cups of flour

1 egg

1 lb. ricotta cheese

1 t. salt

1/4 cup milk

Using the metal blade process the flour, egg, ricotta and salt together, pour the milk through the tube and process again until dough ball forms. That’s it!

At this point if you get the machine you’ll have instructions as to how thick the dough should be when you roll it out and cut it into strips.

If you want to make the cavatelli by hand without the machine (why would you?) you can still enjoy this recipe.

You might consider putting this on your Christmas list, I highly recommend it!

Buon Appetito!

40 Comments Filed Under: Fresh Pasta, Pasta Tagged: cavatelli pasta maker, homemade cavatelli, Homemade pasta

Butternut Squash Tart with Caramelized Onions and Kale

October 15, 2010 by Marie 24 Comments

Butternut squash has become a favorite in our house, it’s so versatile and can be used in so many different dishes. I usually buy one every week, cut it into chunks, roast it and tuck it away in my fridge to use up during the week.

It’s so readily available this time of year and with prices like this how can I refuse!

I’m always looking for new ways to use it so while researching the Internet I kept seeing Smitten Kitchen’s galette version, those caramelized onions she used were calling my name so I decided to make a tart but changing it up a bit using puff pastry instead and adding kale for color and added flavor. I’ve already made this twice we loved it that much!

There’s something about the sweetness of the caramelized onions paired with the sweet and buttery squash, it’s such a perfect match, add to that fontina and parmesan cheese and a touch of sauteed kale, this dish screams fall!

I promise you you won’t be disapointed, you can even substitute spinach if you want or omit it all together. The puff pastry was a dream to work with, so easy to put together once all the components were ready.

Butternut Squash Tart

Prepare Squash, you can do this ahead of time

Peel squash cut into chunks toss in a bit of olive oil salt and pepper then and roast in a 375F- 400F oven til tender and golden.

One sheet of puff pastry, defrosted
Unfold the pastry sheet onto a Silpat or parchment paper and place on a baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, score a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pastry sheet. Prick the center of the pastry sheet thoroughly with a fork.

Caramelized Onions

For this I sliced three onions into half moons and then sauteed them in a dab of butter and olive oil, added a pinch of sugar and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme slowly cooking them for almost 40 minutes until a rich golden brown color appears. Don’t hurry this process even though you might want to, it really makes a difference!

For the kale I just took a about 6 leaves and cut them chiffonade style, saute in olive oil until wilted.

When all those components are finished sprinkle parmesan on the base of the puff pastry sheet, then add your caramelized onions all around then touches of kale here and there, maybe a cup or so of cubed fontina spread about, more parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil on top and along the border of the puff pastry, place in a 400F oven for 25- 30 minutes or until nicely browned on the bottom.

Each year during the fall local Girl Scouts create nature themed scarecrows near my home, very creative don’t you think?