Savory Kale and Pumpkin Scones

September 27, 2012 by 16 Comments
The next time you have a pot of homemade soup simmering on the stove take the extra time and whip up a batch of these savory scones, don’t they just scream fall?
They’re  crunchy, cheesy, and filled with all things good, like pumpkin, kale and of course… a little bit of butter!
Make sure you buy a sweet pumpkin that’s for cooking and baking, or better yet, just use a butternut squash, it’s a lot easier to peel and cut, it tastes good, and you’ll still be getting that pretty orange color.
You can even make them ahead of time, stick them in the freezer and warm up as needed.
I used a wonderful aged cheddar in mine and added kale that is still growing strong in my garden.
These yummy scones came from, ” The Book of Kale” by Sharon Hanna, and the recipe has been reprinted here.
I followed her recipe exactly but also added in about 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese, why not?
Perfect with a steamy hot bowl of soup!

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16 Comments Filed Under: Breads, Greens Tagged: , , ,

Pumpkin, Savory and Sweet

October 12, 2011 by 22 Comments

I knew I was going to like this recipe the minute I saw the picture in Ottolenghi’s book, Plenty. His “Crusted Pumpkin Wedges with Sour Cream” just caught my eye! It’s all about the coating that gets pressed into the pumpkin and then when baked, turns crispy and crunchy!

I had the perfect size pumpkin just waiting for this recipe, it weighed about 1 1/2 lbs. I just cut it in half, scooped out the seeds and sliced it into wedges.

I have to say this would be perfect with really any squash, I normally don’t cook with fresh pumpkin that often so I was surprised it tasted just like any other squash, so next time I think I’ll do this with acorn squash instead because I think the crusted rings would look beautiful on a platter. As far as the taste goes it’s absolutely delicious!
Each wedge gets brushed front and back with olive oil then a mixture of grated parmesan, breadcrumbs, fresh parsley and thyme, lemon zest, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. The mixture gets pressed on both sides of the pumpkin and then baked in the oven. I did mine at 400F until deep golden. You can actually see the recipe as you look inside the book on Amazon here. A perfect side dish for the holidays!

If you’re a regular reader of my blog you know I love ricotta, I don’t think a week goes by where I don’t have some sitting in my fridge, as I write this another pound is in there calling my name, so when I saw Martha’s,” Pumpkin Ricotta Crostata” in her book, “Pies and Tarts”, I knew I’d be making it.
She of course did hers a lot more fancy in a tart pan with pasta frolla dough with a pretty lattice pattern on top with pine nuts. I wasn’t that energetic so I used Trader Joe’s pie dough and made a free form tart and garnished it with pumpkin seeds because I’m still not buying pine nuts.

This is made with canned pumpkin, ricotta and mascarpone cheese flavored through out with vanilla and the spices in a pumpkin pie. Martha uses just nutmeg but I like all the warm flavors you get in pumpkin pie spice.

The perfect quick dessert with a dollop of whipped cream and a nice cup of coffee!
Happy Fall!
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22 Comments Filed Under: Desserts, Fall, Seasonal, Vegetables Tagged: , , ,

PUMPKIN MINI CAKES FILLED WITH CINNAMON MAPLE MASCAPONE!!

October 23, 2007 by 13 Comments

The change of weather put me in a baking mood, so I looked in my pantry and found some canned pumpkin, I knew right then and there that cupcakes were on the horizon! A while back I bought a Tall cupcake pan from Wilton, and I only used it once, WHY?? Because they are sinfully big!! I mean it’s like 2 1/2, cupcakes in one! So I don’t call them cupcakes, they are mini cakes, and they are meant to split with someone otherwise you will feel real guilty!!!

In an effort to try to make them a little more healthy (ha ha!) I altered the recipe a little. Actually, I think they taste even better!!

Keep in mind, you can put these in smaller pans and not use the substitutions I used.


INGREDIENTS

*4 eggs

*2 cups of sugar ( I used Splenda)

*3/4 cup canola oil

* 1 can (15oz) pumpkin

* 2 cups of flour ( I used whole wheat pastry flour)

* 2 t. baking soda

* 1 t.salt

* 1 t. baking powder

* 2 Tbl. pumpkin pie spice

* 1 Tbl. cinnamon

Take the wet ingredient’s and combine in a mixing bowl, and beat till just mixed. Combine dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture and beat till all incorporated. Fill sprayed muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 18-22 minutes. My tall pans took about 30 min. Cool on rack.

FILLING

This could be a regular cream cheese frosting, with butter and confectioners sugar, but in my effort to make them healthier I just took a container of Mascapone cold out of the frig in a bowl, put some Splenda in it, to sweeten it up, a couple of shots of real maple syrup, and cinnamon, all to taste. However sweet you want it!!

Finally, take a small knife and cut a small circle deep on the top… stuff the cream filling inside and all over the top, and put the little cut out back on top, and sprinkle with cinnamon!

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13 Comments Filed Under: Cakes Tagged: , , ,