Pumkpin Mousse Parfait

I made this for a party this weekend and it served about 12 cups. This is amazingly easy and delicious. It's somehow light and rich at the same time. I layered each cup twice but think I may only do one layer the next time I make it. I think you could omit the rum if you wanted to, but it adds a nice flavor if you like that.

¼ c dark rum
1 packet (2 tsp) unflavored gelatin powder
1 15-oz can pumpkin
½ c granulated sugar
½ c light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 large eggs
1 tsp orange zest
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp kosher salt
1 c cold heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sweetened whipped cream
Chopped ginger cookies

Place the rum in a heat proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 10 minutes for the gelatin to soften.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, the sugars, egg yolks, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Set the bowl of gelatin over a pan of simmering water and cook until the gelatin is clear. Immediately whisk the hot gelatin mixture into the pumpkin mixture. In a medium bowl, whip the cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture.

To assemble, spoon some of the pumpkin mixture into parfait glasses. Add a layer of whipped cream, followed by some chopped cookies. Repeat layers, ending with a pumpkin layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or overnight. To serve, decorate with whipped cream and cookies.

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Roast Chicken with Two Lemons

This is a staple in our house - always moist, simple, easy and delicious. It's self-basting so no oil or butter is required - it will not stick to the pan. Great for chicken salads and anything that requires cooked chicken without extra flavors interfering. This is a shortened version of the recipe from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

Whole Chicken (3-5 lbs), giblets removed

2 Small Lemons

Salt

Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pierce the lemons 5 times with a fork. Pat the chicken dry.

3. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper inside and out. I sometimes put s & p inside the skin of the breasts.

4. Stuff the bird with the lemons and close the cavity up with a toothpick to prevent the lemons from falling out (don't do it too tightly or the chicken will burst). Although, honestly sometimes the lemons are just too big so I go with one and a half or I leave the cavity open and hope for the best.

5. Place bird breast side down on roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the bird over and cook for another 30 minutes (or leave it - the turning is just for color on the skin of the breasts which is nice for presentation).

6. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and roast until the bird is done, about 20 minutes more. Allow for 20-25 minutes of total cooking time for each pound.

The juices from the bird are delicious - I spoon them over pieces of the chicken when serving.

Breakfast Apple Granola Crisp

Another winner from Smitten Kitchen. I am posting this here so you don't have to go digging for it... She tones down the sugar to make this an acceptable breakfast item which I reluctantly accept...I figure Caroline will go for this since apples and applesauce are a daily demand of hers.

3 pounds* of whatever apples, or mix of apples, you like to bake with, peeled, cored and cut into medium chunks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup flour
2 cups oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, as you wish; I used unsweetened)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix apple chunks with lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and pinch of salt in a 9×13-inch baking dish until apples are evenly coated. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the honey. Stir in the flour, oats, almonds, coconut and another pinch of salt until clumps form. Sprinkle evenly over the apple mixture and bake in the oven for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until the apples are softened and bubbly. Should the granola brown before you wish it to, cover the baking dish carefully with foil for all but the last few minutes of baking time, when removing the foil will help the granola recrisp. Cool to room temperature and then stash in the fridge to eat with your morning yogurt.

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Missy Chase Lapine's Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Aidan loves these and I'm a fan too. The recipe is from The Sneaky Chef, a cookbook dedicated to sneaking fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your child's favorite foods. Basically, she makes purees, juices and flour blends that can be added to everyday foods like mac n cheese and muffins so that your little ones are getting the nutrients they need without the food fight. I strongly recommend her book and thought I would post one recipe (which also includes recipes for her 'Orange Puree' and 'Flour Blend') that I am particularly fond of.

1 Cup Flour Blend (see below)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1/4 Cup brown sugar

1/4 Cup canola oil

3/4 Cup Orange Puree (see below)

3/4 Cup smooth peanut butter

8 heaping teaspoons favorite jam

(jelly doesn't work as well as jam - jelly disappears

into the muffins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners (or spray muffin pan with vegetable oil spray).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the FLour Blend, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined, then whisk in the oil, Orange Puree, and peanut butter. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until flour is just moistened (don't overmix or muffins will be dense).

Scoop about two tablespoons of batter into the large muffin cups until half full. Place a heaping teaspoon of jam in the center of each muffin. Cover the jam with another 2 tablespoons or so of batter, filling the cups just over the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

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Flour Blend Recipe

1/3 Cup unsweetened wheat germ

1/3 Cup whole wheat flour

1/3 Cup unbleached all-purpose white flour

Mix all ingredients together. Can be stored in the refrigerator for months.

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Orange Puree

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped

3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks

3-4 Tbs water

Steam the carrots and potato for about 20 minutes (or boil for same amount of time) until vegetables are very tender. Puree cooked vegetables in food processor with 2 Tbs water. If necessary, add remaining amounts of water to make a smooth puree. This makes about 2 Cups of puree. N.B. I freeze the remainder in ice-cube trays and defrost one cube to mix with another cube of plain pureed fruit and applesauce. Aidan loves this!

Baked Risotto with Asparagus, Spinach and Parmesan

Another favorite from Trattoria. This is a very easy way to make risotto. It's creamy and delicious with the right amount of green vegetables to balance out the cheese. I usually serve this alone but it pairs nicely as a side dish with chicken. Also great during Lent.

1 TBSP olive oil

1 small onion, minced

sea salt to taste

1 cup Arborio rice

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

4 cups (3 oz) loosely packed fresh spinach, finely chopped (I never chop this and it still works out)

10 thin spears fresh asparagus, cut into diagonal slices

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 400

combine oil, onion and salt in saucepan about 4 minutes.

Add the rice, stirring to coat with oil.

Add the stock, spinach, asparagus, nutmeg and salt and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.

Stir in half the cheese

Transfer to baking dish and smooth over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover dish

Bake until rice has absorbed most of the liquid, about 35-40 minutes.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side

Homemade Marshmellows!

Many, many thanks to Angela for linking this site on her fabulous blog. I will definitely be trying this out and many others I have been drooling over this morning!

Here's the recipe

Curried Noodles and Chicken with Coconut Milk

This is the best Asian recipe I have come across since starting my culinary relationship with the cuisine a few months ago. If you like yellow curry dishes, this is for you. It's sweet yet spicy and wonderfully aromatic. It is also sinfully fattening but you could probably use a lower fat coconut milk. Substituting store-bought curry paste will not yield the same delicious results in my experience; the homemade paste is worth the effort. This is slightly altered from the recipe in Basic Asian which calls for tofu, no chicken.

1 piece ginger (3/4 in. section), chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 stalks lemongrass

2 tsp sambal oelek

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander seed

1 tsp ground cumin

Salt

8 oz. thin Chinese egg noodles

1 leek, root end and green parts removed

1/4 lb fresh oyster mushrooms (I don't make

the dish with these since Kyle doesn't eat them

so I don't know how they would effect the flavor

but you could probably use button shrooms no problem)

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

8 oz. cooked chicken, chopped or shredded

Oil for sauteing

1 2/3 cups canned coconut milk (= 1 can)

2-3 Tbs kecap manis (this is sweetened soy sauce;

heat 2-3 Tbs brown sugar with 2-3 Tbs soy sauce for a few

seconds in microwave to dissolve sugar as substitute)

1. Rinse lemongrass, trim ends, remove outer layer, chop coarsely and process along with ginger and garlic in food processor. Mix this paste with sambal oelek, turmeric, coriander, cumin and a good pinch of salt. You can make this ahead of time same day, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator.

2. Cook noodles in boiling water for 3-5 min or until cooked through. Drain and rinse under cold water.

3. Slit leek open lengthwise and rinse thoroughly. Cut into 2-in lengths, then into narrow strips. Wipe off mushrooms with paper towels, discard stems and slice caps.

4. Place enough oil in the bottom of a hot pan (at med/med-high) to lightly coat bottom - around 1 tbs. - Saute seasoning paste mixture in pan for 2 minutes. Add leek, bell pepper and mushrooms; saute for 3-4 minutes. Pour in coconut milk and bring to a low boil. Stir in noodles and chicken; heat through. Add kecap manis and salt to taste, then serve.

Feeds 4.