Guest Post: Almond Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts

This is my lovely sister, Kristen, holding her beautiful Brussels Sprouts. When I showed up late to my family's Christmas, these were on the kitchen table. I grabbed a couple on the way to the gift exchange and, LO!, they were remarkably, surprise-level, delicious. Not that Brussels sprouts aren't usually, and certainly not that Sister Kristen's cooking isn't likewise delicious. But, these. They had the magic.

I asked for the recipe and, well, now I see. "1 stick butter" is all it takes.


4 cups fresh brussels sprouts
olive oil, salt, pepper
1 stick butter
sliced almonds
garlic

This is a really easy and delicious recipe! I made it for my roommates and my family for Christmas dinner and it turned out well both times.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Trim and clean up the ends of the Brussels sprouts. Put them on a baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper optional, though I added it. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes until the sprouts begin to turn golden brown, mixing them about halfway through.

When the sprouts are about to come out of the oven, melt the stick of butter with chopped fresh garlic (1-2 cloves). When melted, stir in the sliced almonds, cook for a few minutes until everything has melded.

Take Brussels sprouts out of the oven, put in serving bowl and pour the butter mixture over the top and toss. Enjoy!


--

P.S. Happy New Year!

Agave Nectar Brownies

EDIT: I made these brownies and they turned out dry, then my friend Sarah made these brownies and they turned out "dry as a bone." So I'm thinking there's something off about the recipe. The flavor was good, but the consistency was just not what you should expect from a brownie. If you make them with success, let me know. But for now, I'm recommending we add this recipe to the FAIL pile. Sad, I know. The agave dared us to dream so big.


These brownies are adapted from this recipe. I think I may have overcooked mine because they were a bit dry. But I like the idea of using agave nectar in place of sugar. It gave them a very mild sweetness--almost a savory register--which was lovely against the dark, dark chocolate.

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
2/3 cup agave nectar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
a couple tablespoons cream

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch square pan.

Combine the butter, agave nectar, and cocoa. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir to combine. Add the walnuts, if using.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes (? -- the original recipe says 25-30 minutes, but that was too long for my oven).

After the brownies are baked and cooled, melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl over a small pot of boiling water. Stir in the cream. Pour ganache over the top and allow to cool.

Mitten Board

This gem is Love, [my] Dad. He made these for my sisters and me for Christmas. Best Christmas gift, ever, I'm pretty sure.

UP coming next year?

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

More care-for-family. The only thing I did was add some chopped fresh cranberries.

And, in a surprising turn of events, I made it home for the tail-end of Christmas after all. Which means I got in on the care package too. Double win.

3 cups sugar
3 cup grapeseed oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries

Makes two loaves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil. Slowly beat in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and baking powder into another large bowl. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones and stir to combine. Fold in cranberries.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake for about an 1 hour and 10 minutes. A toothpick into the center may not come out totally clean. The pumpkin makes this bread so moist, and some carryover cooking will occur as these cool.

Transfer to racks and cool for 15 minutes. Cut around edge of the loaves then turn them out onto racks and cool completely.

Merry Christmas!

I'm taking the day off. Merry Christmas, pals.

Guest Post: Squash, Sweet Potato, and Carrot Puree

Today's guest poster, Max, is a student in Art History at the University where I work (not to mention a super cook and a fantastic food-photographer). I'm so glad that he has agreed to share this delicious, hearty soup with us. In small portions, I think it would be perfect for a Christmas first course. The beet flower adornment is so charming and really makes this whole dish holiday-level-special.


Butternut squash, sweet potato and carrot puree, ornamentally enhanced with a flower of beetroot salad

For the puree:
1 butternut squash
3 sweet potatoes
a few carrots, perhaps 7?
Half an onion ( of a big cooking onion )
And four garlic cloves.
Some fresh ginger.
Salt, Cayenne, Paprika.

Heat a litre and a half or so of water with a cube of vegetable bouillon.

Chop onion, garlic. Dice the veggies.

Put oil into big pot, add onion, garlic, simmer briefly. Add the vegetables and ginger with more oil and let warm for 10 minutes ( - alternatively you can put the vegetables onto a baking tray and put them in the oven to roast.)

Next, pour the vegetable broth over the vegetables. Season with salt, cayenne and paprika. Have it gently boil for 40 minutes.

Mix it all up with a blender.

Ready.

Beetroot salad:
As many beetroots as you like.

Cut off the leaves. Boil for 45 minutes. Then peel them, and cut into cubes. Drip some olive oil and balsamic and perhaps add some rosemary.

Voilà!

To make the presentation even more beautiful, why not put some cream in the middle and drape the beetroot salad on top of that?

Cheddar Straws

I'm spending this Christmas with my husband's family. So I'm making a care package to send home to my family. Here's the first of the several-part-package. (Spoiler alert!)

Adapted from Gourmet.

1/2 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons half and half

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the cheese, flour, butter, salt, and cayenne. Pour in the half and half and continue mixing until a thick dough forms. Turn this out onto a floured board, and knead into a rectangle.

Roll this out until about 1/4 inch thick. Then, with a pizza cutter, cut long strips about a 1/3 inch thick. Carefully twist these and place them on a few cookie sheets, a 1/4 inch apart.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, swapping the positions of the sheets half way through. Cool crackers on the baking sheets, on a rack.

Christmas Dinner: Carrot Souffle

I've been waging a fear-based cold-war with souffle for a while now. There has been desire but no daring.

But, friends, I really wanted to show you a stunning centerpiece for your vegetarian Christmas dinner. And with my delightful nieces, and sister and brother-in-law in town, I had a perfect occasion to test something major.

So, Ms. Stewart, tear down this wall.*

I followed her carrot souffle recipe exactly, except for the buttered spring vegetables, which I skipped in favor of a small side salad.

And look, it was really really good. Light/rich, crusted/soft. I want to use the word "gentle" to describe it, which feels right/strange. You get it: paradoxes. I loved this so much.

Thanks to my brother-in-law, Stuart, for the lovely photo above.

*Pardon the Kool-Aid man; it was the only short clip I could find.

Chrismas Brunch: Crêpe with Honey Mustard Roasted Purple Potatoes, Eggs, Tofurkey, and Goat Cheese

My family likes to have brunch on Christmas morning. And they really like meals of the build-your-own category. A crepe bar would be easy and fun and could please sweet and savory fans alike. Here's one filling I made this weekend. But the options are really countless. For sweet-breakfast lovers, nutella & banana is a classic combination.

Filling
4 purple potatoes cut into small cubes
6 shallots, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey mustard
salt pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
scrambled eggs
goat cheese
sliced tofurkey, cut into ribbons

Crepes
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
(1 tablespoon sugar, if you wanted to make sweet crepes)

For the crepes, blend all the ingredients together in a blender or whisk well. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while you make the potatoes.

For the potatoes, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the potatoes and shallots in a large roasting pan. Blend the olive oil and honey mustard, and pour as much as appropriate over the potato mixture, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the sage.

Roast for 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and beginning to crisp.

Heat a large, nonstick griddle over medium-high heat. Melt a small pad of butter on top, then pour the crepe batter onto the griddle. With a ladle or the back of a large spoon, spread the batter out. Cook for a couple minutes on the first side, flip, then cook less than a minute on the second. Stack crepes on a plate and cover to keep warm.

Combine the potato mixture with scrambled eggs in a crepe. Top with crumbled goat cheese and tofurkey, then roll up and enjoy.

Lentil Risotto

This recipe is inspired by my old pal Joyce. She used to make a delicious lentil-orzo dish and wrote down the ingredients at my request one cold Summer afternoon at her house in Connecticut. I really wanted to make that dish, but was out of orzo and pine nuts, so I subbed in some rice and walnuts and made this tasty risotto.

3 tablespoons butter or oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry French lentils
salt and pepper
4-6 cups vegetable stock, at room temperature or warmed slightly
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Over medium heat, melt the butter or heat the oil in a large, heavy bottom pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Stir in the rice and lentils and cook for a few minutes. Add a little salt and pepper.

Begin adding stock, one ladleful at a time, stirring all the while. Each time, stir until the mixture thickens and much of the liquid has been absorbed, then add more stock. Do this for about 20-30 minutes, until the rice is tender, but slightly al dente, and the mixture is thick and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Top with grated Parmesan and walnuts if you wish. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Guest Post: Polenta Cake with Summer Squash and Eggplant

Today's guest post is brought to you by my old friend Joe, who is actually a professional cook, not some home-grown charlatan like me!


I usually cook seasonally, after all when the weather turns cold we should be thinking about hearty and warming soups, roasted root vegetables and the bounty of squash, pumpkins and gourds that can be found all around your area. But sometimes I like to hearken back to when the Cubs are on the radio and the Midwest is as pleasant as it gets. This dish reminds me of the summertime.

I originally learned to make a version of this dish at a now defunct restaurant called District 211 in Kalamazoo Michigan. Now, in that version it was covered in a heavy tomato coulis and topped with goat cheese. I feel it's a little heavy for a vegetarian entree so lets get rid of it. This dish is lighter and really lets the vegetables shine a little more. This serves 6.

Polenta cake
3 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup corn meal
2 sprigs rosemary-chopped plus 6 whole sprigs
1 sprig thyme-chopped
large pinch kosher salt
pinch cracked black pepper

1 cup balsamic vinegar
tablespoon brown sugar

6 cloves garlic-chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash-sliced lengthwise
2 medium white onions-sliced
3 Roma tomatoes-quartered
4 Mixed red and yellow bell peppers-seeded and quartered
1 medium eggplant sliced across
1/2 cup basil-chiffonade cut

Method
Put milk, rosemary, and thyme in saucepan and bring to a simmer. Slowly stir in corn meal as to prevent any lumps from forming. Now this is the hard part, you have to stir this mixture until a wooden spoon stands straight up, about 25 minutes.

Grease a sheet pan with a little olive oil and spoon the polenta onto it. Smooth the top as flat as possible and against one end. You should have enough for half of the sheet tray. Put it into a fridge to cool.

Put balsamic and brown sugar into small sauce pan over medium low heat. Reduce slowly being careful not to scorch. It should coat a spoon like molasses and be tart and sweet.

Put garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar into a large bowl. Add vegetables, salt and pepper and toss well. Let sit for 30 minutes or so.

Preheat your grill to high heat. If you don't have a grill you can roast the vegetables under the broiler. Put nice grill marks on your veggies cooking them about 3/4 of the way. They should still be firm to the bite, set on a platter and keep warm.

Take the polenta out of the fridge and cut into 6 square pieces. Heat non stick pan to medium high,add olive oil. The goal is to nicely brown the polenta on both sides until heated through. Cut in half forming 2 triangles. Arrange plates artfully to your desire, drizzle the balsamic, sprinkle basil over top and place the rosemary sprigs where you see fit.

Serve with a dry white and a loaf of good bread.

A variation on this dish could include keeping the polenta soft and adding a touch of truffle oil to it. Sub half the veggies with some roasted mushrooms and omit the balsamic for an awesome meatless meal.

Puff Pastry

When I lived in Spain, I loved to eat palmeras (=palmiers) at the end of a long night (palmeras salvajes!). That pastries could be bought there at any time of day or night was one, of many, truly amazing things about that country.

This weekend, inspired by Libby's comment last week, I set out to make puff pastry, and palmiers, from scratch. It took a long time, but was not hard. And the result was terrific. So much richer and more flavorful than frozen puff pastry.

1/4 pound butter
1/4 pound all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 - 2 1/2 ounces ice water, plus more to knead butter

In a wide bowl of ice water, knead the butter until you form it into a flattened, 4x6 inch rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the flour and salt. Pour in the ice water and continue mixing until a thick dough begins to form. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, then form the dough into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for several hours (or overnight).

Flour your pin, board, and the dough.

Roll out the dough into a deconstructed envelope (as shown in the video yesterday). Place the pad of butter in the middle, then wrap the dough around it. Pat down the dough, then roll it out into a large rectangle.

Fold the dough in thirds. Then roll it out into a large rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds again, turn 90 degrees and roll again. Fold in thirds, turn, roll. After the third time, refrigerate the packet for at least half an hour. This will help keep the butter from warming too much.

Repeat a total of six to eight times. By then, you should have layers of dough sandwiching layers of butter. These layers will build flakiness in the final product, as the butter heats in the oven and puffs up the dough around it.

Refrigerate the dough again before baking. You want everything to be cold when it enters the hot oven.

You can use this pastry for hundreds of things. But to make the palmiers shown above, roll the dough out into a long rectangle, then fold the long sides into the middle. Then fold the fold sides into the middle. Horizontally cut small pieces and shape them quickly into hearts. (The Joy of Cooking has a great diagram for this). Place them cut side up on a baking sheet, brush with cream or egg wash, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Puff Pastry How To

Tomorrow, I'm going to give you a recipe for Puff Pastry. So study up, pals! It's easier than it seems.

Linguine with Brown Butter Sage Sauce, Spinach, and Morels

1 pound linguine
1/4 cup butter
10 sage leaves
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
6 dried morels
4 cups fresh spinach
salt + pepper
Parmesan cheese

Boil the linguine until al dente.

Place the morels in a small dish with warm water. Soak for about 10 minutes until they soften. Then, roughly chop them.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottom pot over moderately high heat. When the foam subsides and it begins to brown, add the sage leaves and cook until they crisp (a couple minutes). Remove the sage, add the garlic, shallot, and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes more.

Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta directly from the water to the brown butter sauce. Toss to coat. Wilt in the spinach, season to taste, and top with grated Parmesan if you like.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

The squash in this dish gives the macaroni and cheese an authentic look. And by "authentic," I mean "orange." A Trojan cow sneaking in more than dairy. If only I had thought of this in 2007! I could have gotten in on this sneaky scandal.

But looks aside, I'm not actually convinced this dish would fool anyone. As my husband said, if he were a kid who came to my house for dinner, he'd wonder what kind of weird macaroni and cheese I was serving. Weird=delicious in this case. Slightly sweet, with a nice tang from the aged cheddar and a subtle underlay of sage.

2 1/2 pound butternut squash
4 shallots, peeled
3 cloves garlic, peeled
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
2 cups grated cave aged cheddar
3/4 pound macaroni or other noodle of your choice
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Slice each half crosswise into inch-thick strips. Lay these in a roasting pan with the shallots and garlic. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the flesh of the squash is very tender.

While the squash is roasting, put some water on to boil. Boil the pasta until al dente.

When the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven and scrape the flesh from the peel. Set aside. Roughly chop the shallots and garlic.

Melt 1 tb of the butter in a large pot. Toss in the shallots, garlic, sage, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir for a minute or so, until the flour is cooked. Pour in the milk and continue stirring for a couple minutes more. Don't worry if it doesn't thicken much; the squash will take care of that. Add the cooked squash to the milk mixture and mash. Melt in the cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Add the macaroni to the squash mixture and stir to combine. You can stop here if you wish. Otherwise, turn your oven down to 375 degrees F.

Melt the second tablespoon of butter and stir in the breadcrumbs until combined. Spoon the macaroni mixture into baking dishes, top with breadcrumbs, then bake for 10-15 minutes until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown.

Serves 6.

Guest Post: Winter Vegetable Casserole with Herb Biscuits

Today's guest poster is one of the great friends of my life. Coming to us from LA, Elaine and her fantastic casserole will warm even us! Even December Chicago! Even -20F windchill-blizzard-Midwest! Yes, she/it is that hot.


The sweet flavors of winter vegetables combine with savory herb biscuits for a delicious cold weather casserole.

This recipe serves six, or reheats splendidly.

Filling:
1 Acorn Squash
12 Brussels Sprouts
3 Large Carrots
2 Cups Peas
1 Orange
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 400.
Remove the seeds and rind from the squash and cut into cubes. Slice the carrots and halve the brussels sprouts, add the peas and place everything in a 9x11" baking dish.
Squeeze the juice of the orange through a strainer over the vegetables, drizzle with the olive oil and mix to coat. Season gently with salt and pepper.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender. While the vegetables cook, prepare the biscuits for the topping.

Biscuit Topping:
2 Cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
4 Tablespoons Cold Butter
1 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Milk
3 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary

Finely chop the Rosemary, carefully avoiding any stem pieces, and combine with the milk.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, then cut in the cold butter using a pastry blade. Add the milk in portions, folding it into the dough until smooth.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough into quarters and roll again to 1/4" thickness. Cut the dough into 3" rounds. Place the rounds in the refrigerator as you prepare the sauce.

Sauce:
1 Large Onion
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
2 Tablespoons Flour
12 Fresh Sage Leaves

Cut the sage leaves into ribbons. Dice the onion and saute with the butter in a sauce pan until translucent. Coat the onions with the flour and stir 30 seconds. Continue stirring and slowly add the vegetable broth. Once the sauce thickens season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the sage leaves and remove from heat.

Pour the sauce evenly over the vegetables and stir together. Place the biscuit rounds over the top, and brush with the remaining milk.
Bake for approximately 15 Minutes at 400 degrees, until biscuits are golden.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Purple Potatoes, and Tempeh over Barley

This is a very humble meal. But so delicious, too, friends. If you wanted, you could dress it up with a marinade, a gravy, or sauce. But I like this simple winter roast as-is.

12 ounces Brussels sprouts (1 bag), cut in half lengthwise, dry outside leaves removed
2 large purple potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1, 8 ounce piece tempeh, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
olive oil
salt + pepper
barley
vegetable stock

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the vegetables in a roasting dish. Coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 25-35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Cook barley in vegetable stock for extra flavor. Serve with roasted vegetables.

Rachel and Martha

Rachel Maddow and Martha Stewart are two of my favorite ladies. Add a totally ridiculous dessert, and Martha telling Rachel "I love how fast you talk," and this video is pretty much the best ever. I couldn't find an embed-able file so, please, go watch here. (Select "Croquembouche")

Vegan Winter Minestrone

I was going through some old bookmarked recipes and realized that I had two versions of Gourmet's Winter Minestrone, plus the original, marked. With the strangely (and wonderfully) late Winter just beginning here in Chicago, I figured now was as good a time as ever to toss my (vegan) version into the mix.

Thinking now, there's something sort of apt (or, dare we go there?, meta) about this versioning soup story. Soup is so flexible, with lots of room for substitutions depending on the season, your pantry, and you. And so forgiving too. Soup is a great place to start if you're new to cooking. In fact, it was the first thing I ever cooked on my own, as a child, in the cabin in the dunes. I remember bouillon, noodles, and dry spices. I think my cousin Danny was there. Maybe that soup was horrible, but we made it, and we ate it.

8 ounces vegan ground beef style seitan
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can whole Roma tomatoes in their juice
6 cups hot water
1/2 red cabbage, chopped
8 ounces fresh spinach (about 10 cups/handfuls)
1 (14 ounce) can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked pasta

Cook the seitan, carrots, celery, and onions, in the oil in a wide, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the onions soften, add the garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and begin to stick to bottom of pot.

Push vegetables to one side of pot. Add tomato paste to cleared area and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Stir paste into the vegetables and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes. (Paste may stick to pot, but don’t let it burn.)

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up with a spoon, then add hot water, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Wilt in the spinach and stir in the beans. Continue coking for another few minutes, until the beans are warmed.

Season soup with salt and pepper. Stir in pasta just before serving.

Pumpkin Enchiladas

I love to make squash tacos, by roasting the squash with a nice spice rub. Here's an also-delicious shortcut version that will help you use up the leftover pumpkin puree spilling from your post-Thanksgiving cupboards.

grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
2 cups pumpkin puree
salt to taste
6 medium sized tortillas
red salsa
1/4 cup shredded chihuahua cheese
cilantro

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Saute the onion, peppers, and garlic in a tablespoon or so of the oil until the onions become soft and translucent. Add the spices and cook for a minute more. Stir in the pumpkin puree and continue cooking until warmed through. Season to taste and remove from heat.

Fill the tortillas with the pumpkin filling and a little cheese. Roll them up and line them side by side in a large baking dish. Cover with prepared salsa and cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro before serving.

Guest Post: Cranberry Almond Cinnamon Tart

My friend Emily introduced me to today's guest poster, Sabra. Shortly thereafter, I had this lovely photo in my inbox. I'm so glad Sabra has offered to share her experience making this gorgeous, seasonal tart. And I hope I get invited to more dinner parties in Madison...


Among the dinner party crowds in Madison, I’m becoming known as “The Dessert Lady.” This distinction has reached the point that a savory departure from my routinely sweet contributions is often met with looks of disappointment. In actuality, I love my role as the provider of a sweet ending to counter the savory appetizer and main course dishes. And despite the time-intensive nature of many of my creations, they are always rewarded with smiles and compliments from the dinner party-goers.

The Cranberry Almond Cinnamon Tart is my latest dessert creation (thank you Martha!), made for a Thanksgiving-themed dinner party before the actual Thanksgiving holiday. This is the third time I’ve made this particular recipe: the first time in its current incarnation, and the second time with raspberries and raspberry jam instead of cranberries. Among those who frequently find themselves on the recipient end of my desserts, this recipe is often requested for special events such as birthdays. Although this is one of those “time-intensive” recipes, it’s well worth it for the delicious results.

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon water
flour for dusting
Pâte Sucrée (recipe to follow)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
8 ounces cranberry jam or preserves (I used canned organic whole fruit cranberry sauce)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole almonds, finely ground in a food processor
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Make the Pâte Sucrée (recipe below). The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour, so I recommend making it in advance.

On a lightly floured work surface (or on a piece of wax or parchment paper), roll out the dough to a 12-inch circle, 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Transfer it to an 8 x 2 inch springform pan, pressing the crust into the bottom and up the sides. Trim the excess flush with the rim. A larger springform pan can also be used, but the crust won’t be as high. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the fresh cranberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and the water into a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the cranberries have just softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool completely.

Prick the tart crust all over with a fork. Cut a 12-inch round of parchment (or tinfoil) and place it on top of the chilled crust. Fill it with pie weights or dried beans (I used barley, for lack of a better weight cupboard). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, and brush crust lightly with egg white. Return it to the oven, and bake until pale golden, about 25 minutes. Refrigerate remaining egg white. Let crust cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees. Spread jam (or preserves or sauce) over the bottom of the tart crust.

Beat the butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to medium. Slowly add ground almonds, cinnamon, and salt, and beat until just combined. Spread mixture over jam-covered crust.

Bake tart until the filling is set and has darkened slightly, 45-50 minutes. (If it darkens too quickly, cover it loosely with foil while it is baking). Remove tart from the oven, brush top with remaining egg white, and sprinkle with sugar. Return to the oven, and bake for 5 minutes more. Let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove it from the pan, and top with candied cranberries.

Pâte Sucrée
1 1/4 cups flour
4 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice water

Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Lightly beat the yolk with ice water. With the processor running, add the yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube, and process until the dough just holds together (no longer than 30 seconds).

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

Apple Butter Apple Cinnamon Scones

These don't look very pretty, but they taste great.

1/2 cup half and half plus additional for brushing the scones
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/2 apple chopped
2 tb apple butter
turbinado sugar for sprinkling the scones

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a smal bowl, whisk together the half and half, egg, and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients. I did this by hand, pinching the cold butter against the flour until the mixture resembled coarse meal. With a rubber spatula, mix in the liquid ingredients until a dough forms.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface, spread the apple butter and apple chunks on top of it, and knead them in. Knead for about 30 seconds, then form the dough into a round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 10-12 pieces. Brush with half and half, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Urban Farming in Detroit

The power of food.

More on Detroit's urban farming. Even more.