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Have You Ever Roasted Pumpkin Seeds?

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:30:50 -0800

Last week, I made toasted pumpkin seeds for the first time ever, following a two-step boil-and-bake method. They were so crispy and savory, I couldn't believe I'd never done it before, and was already dreaming of making them again. How about you?

Yummy Links: From Pumpkin Seeds to Carbonara

partysugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:15:35 -0700

Ten ways to spice up pumpkin seeds.- Chow
Kale and bacon make one delicious combination. - The Epi Log
Josh Ozersky questions the patriotism of the humble hamburger. - Vanity Fair
Fabio Viviani's latest gig? Pizza delivery man. - Grub Street NY
Cook's Illustrated's editor, Christopher Kimball, is ready to wage war on the blogosphere. - Eat Me Daily
The Bocuse d'Or USA is now searching for its next national team. - Eater
Jazz up classic pasta carbonara with peas and ricotta. - Serious Eats

Yummy Links: From a Vegetarian Thanksgiving to Top Chef

partysugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:45:23 -0800

Ten vegetarian dishes perfect for Thanksgiving. - Chow
Countdown to Thanksgiving with turkey expert Rick Rogers. - Epicurious
How to roast pumpkin seeds. - Cookthink
Cook's Illustrated's vodka pie crust gets put to the test. - The Kitchn
Making biscuits from scratch versus making biscuits from a box. - Serious Eats
Find out where your favorite Top Chefs like to eat. - Bravo

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Come Party With Me: Pumpkin Patch Picnic -Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:00:17 -0700

When planning a picnic always select an easy-to-eat, portable dessert. Cakes and pies are a show-stopping finish to a meal, but save those for the dinner party.

Pumpkin seed brittle is an appropriately sweet treat for a picnic at a pumpkin patch. The brittle can be made well in advance and it doesn't matter if it breaks while in transit.

This recipe is also fun to make at a pumpkin carving party: It uses up the pumpkin seeds and guests can take some home as a favor.

To check out the technique behind pumpkin seed brittle, read more.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (not toasted; 4 oz)
Special equipment: parchment paper; a candy thermometer

Directions

Put a 24- by 12-inch sheet of parchment on a work surface and anchor corners with pieces of tape.
Bring sugar, water, and sea salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Cook mixture, without stirring, washing down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, until syrup registers 238°F (soft-ball stage) on thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes (sugar syrup will be colorless).
Remove from heat and stir in seeds with a wooden spoon, then continue stirring until syrup crystallizes, 3 to 4 minutes.
Return pan to moderate heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts completely (sugar will continue to dry and become grainy before melting) and turns a deep caramel color, 4 to 5 minutes more (seeds will be toasted).
Carefully pour hot caramel mixture onto parchment and carefully cover with another sheet. Immediately roll out(between sheets of parchment) as thinly as possible with a rolling pin, pressing firmly.
Remove top sheet of parchment and immediately cut brittle into pieces with a heavy knife or pizza wheel. Cool brittle completely, then peel paper from bottom. Alternately, break brittle into pieces once cool.

Serves 12.

Make ahead: brittle can be made 2 weeks ahead and kept, layers separated by wax paper, in an airtight container.

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What Would You Make?

partysugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:28:15 -0700

Okay, here's the deal: You are at home and hungry for food. You have to cook up something scrumptious for you and your boyfriend/ girlfriend/ spouse/ child/ friend, but the ingredients you have on hand are limited.

Since today is Halloween, you're bound to have pumpkin seeds on hand. You also have fresh leeks and a thick chunk of Parmesan reggiano cheese. Using these ingredients, along with whatever staples you currently have in your cupboard and refrigerator, what would you make? Tell me in the comments section below!

To see what I would make, read more

First I would toast the pumpkin seeds.
I usually have puff pastry in my freezer so I would take some out and use the crust to make a simple tart crust.
Next I would sauté the leeks until soft and mix with lightly beaten eggs, a few tablespoons of milk, a bunch of freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
I would bake the tart in the oven until puffy and crisp.
When it's done I would sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds over the top and serve with a glass of chilled Rosé!

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Don't Throw Those Pumpkin Seeds Away: Roast Them!

partysugar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:18:11 -0700

One of the things I love most about Halloween is the chance to carve pumpkins. Although the faces I carve each year change, what remains constant is the tasty snack I enjoy during and after: roasted pumpkin seeds! Toasting pumpkin seeds is super easy. All you need are the pumpkin seeds, an oven, and a cookie sheet. Here's how you do it:

Instead of throwing the seeds in the trash as you remove them from the pumpkin, put them into a big bowl filled with cold water. Soaking them allows the pumpkin membranes to separate from the seeds.
Throughly drain and dry the seeds. Pour a tablespoon or two of olive oil onto the cookie sheet. Spread the pumpkin seeds on the sheet in an even layer.
If desired, toss with the spices of your choice. Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and cayenne make nice additions.
Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Enjoy now or later! Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Now that I've shared one of my Halloween traditions with you, why don't you share yours with me? What Halloween rituals do you perform each October?

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In Season: Butternut Squash

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:29 -0800

Perhaps the most-loved variety of Winter squash, butternut squash is to Thanksgiving what pumpkin is to Halloween: ubiquitous. Reasonably priced and versatile, with a long shelf life, these mild, vibrantly-hued veggies are at their best during the cold days ahead. When selecting, look for squash free of bruises, feel heavy for their size, and have a matte skin. Those with wider necks and smaller bulbs will have the most flesh. Because of its rigid exterior, butternut squash has an extended shelf life, and storing it for longer - up to a month, unrefrigerated, in a cool, dark place - can bring out its sweetness. Once peeled, the vegetable will keep for up to a week if covered tightly in the fridge. Learn how to make the most of it when you keep reading.

Know Your Ingredients: Solid Pack Pumpkin

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:00:10 -0800

Recently, a co-worker came to me with a number of questions about canned, solid pack pumpkin: Is it sweetened? Does it have spices in it? What is it used for?

Well, Alexis - and anyone else curious to know - here's the answer you've been waiting for. Solid pack pumpkin is exactly that: just pumpkin, and nothing else (despite the misleading pumpkin pie that is often on the label). It's sometimes called pumpkin purée or "100% pure pumpkin" to distinguish it from the similarly named canned pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices.

Although you can make it yourself, buying solid pack pumpkin - which is free of preservatives - saves you the effort of seeding, roasting, scooping, and blending pumpkin flesh until smooth. The purée can be used as a time-saving measure when making pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin soup.

Have you ever bought solid pack pumpkin? What did you use it for?

Come Party With Me: Fall Lunch - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:00:20 -0700

Since both Summer and my birthday are officially over, I've been a little down. There's nothing that makes me feel more excited and happy than a party on the horizon, so to celebrate the arrival of Autumn, I'm planning a simple lunch. The meal will honor the season and its most prominent ingredients. I'll start by putting together a small spread of olives, crackers, and charcuterie. When guests arrive, they can savor olives or nibble on crackers. To begin the sit-down meal, I'll serve a spicy green salad with Manchego cheese, pears, and pumpkin seeds. For the main course, a Fall lunch requires something comforting and classic, like a butternut squash and sage lasagna. If you are interested in the recipes to this menu, read more.

Spicy Green Salad With Manchego and Pears
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1/3 cup green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas; not toasted)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon mild honey
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
4 cups packed spicy salad greens, such as radish greens, watercress, and/or arugula, tough stems discarded
4 cups packed frisée (French curly endive), torn into bite-size pieces
1 (1/2-pound) piece Manchego cheese, rind removed and cheese shaved into 32 thin slices (preferably with a cheese plane)
8 small red or yellow Bartlett pears (preferably with stems)

Directions

Cook seeds in 1 tablespoon oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until puffed and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels and reserve oil. Season seeds with salt and pepper.
Whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add remaining 1/3 cup olive oil and reserved oil from skillet in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
Divide greens and cheese among salad plates. Cut off 2 opposite sides of each pear (reserve for another use), leaving a 1/2-inch-thick lengthwise center slice with stem and core. Arrange a pear slice on each plate and drizzle dressing over salads. Sprinkle with seeds.

Serves 8.
Make ahead: Pumpkin seeds can be toasted 2 days ahead and kept separately from oil, covered, at room temperature. Greens can be washed and dried 1 day ahead and chilled, wrapped in paper towels, in a sealed bag.

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Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
Fresh Lasagna Noodles, (you will need only 1/2 of the batch), cut into 4-by-13-inch strips and cooked, or store-bought dried noodles, cooked
4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Bake until light gold and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt.
Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add sage, and cook until light gold and slightly crisp at edges, 3 to 4 minutes.
Place squash in a medium bowl, and mash 1/2 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the other 1/2 in whole pieces. Gently stir in sage-butter mixture and stock. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread 3/4 cup of ricotta mixture in a 9-cup baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 of the butternut squash mixture over noodles. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering once more (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta). Sprinkle Parmesan over ricotta mixture.
Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 8.

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Would You Eat This Mushroom Chocolate?

YumSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:15:10 -0700

A friend recently returned from South Korea bearing gifts. One of them was a bar of North Korean chocolate candy she'd picked up from the country's demilitarized border. In the manner of a Nestle Crunch bar, it was crispy and crumbly, with little taste of mushrooms at first. But a few minutes later, my mouth was filled with the distinct, earthy taste of shrooms - not terrible but certainly odd. I wish understood Korean so I could have deciphered the ingredients (any takers?), but the bar looked to be composed of corn flakes and pumpkin seeds, coated in mushroom-infused chocolate. Would you have been willing to try it?