Butternut Squash French Toast (a.k.a. the Morning-After-Rocky-Horror Toast...)

I’ve had toast on my mind this past week, specifically toast for the Halloween weekend showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show at the old Admiral Theater in West Seattle. Last Halloween, our family (including Mohammad, our exchange student from Saudi Arabia) joined friends for the midnight Rocky Horror show. We had a blast! We sang along and danced the Time Warp and threw rice, toast, playing cards and rolls of TP. (Friendly reminder from the staff at the Admiral Theater: “Remember to throw the TP up and back!”) All of the parents in our group were transported back to high school and college days; I can’t tell you how many times I saw Rocky Horror at the Harvard Square theater in Cambridge, MA! The kids were somewhere between entertained, shocked and mortified. Mohammad took it all in stride... another day in America, I guess.

As I assembled our prop bags for this Halloween’s showing, I began to think about what I could cook with a fun Rocky Horror theme for our house guests visiting for the weekend. A rice dish? Or how about toast? Since I’d be serving breakfast on Sunday morning after the show, French toast seemed the perfect choice. And, of course, I had to make it seasonal so I created a version with butternut squash.

Happy Halloween!

[Unfortunately, illness struck our household over the weekend and we didn’t make it to the midnight showing. So bummed! But we still enjoyed this French toast and sang along to the Rocky Horror sound track. We’re all back on track this Monday morning. Next year at RHPS!]

Butternut Squash French Toast
Serves 4

1 pound loaf of challah or other egg bread
3/4 cup butternut squash puree (either canned or from roasting and pureeing a squash)
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for serving
Butter for the frying pan
Cinnamon for sprinkling

Slice the loaf of bread into 8-10 slices (depending upon the length of the loaf).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the squash puree, milk, eggs, vanilla and syrup. Dunk each slice of bread into the mixture and coat. Stack the slices in the bowl and spoon any liquid over the bread. Leave to soak for half an hour.

Melt some butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 3-4 slices of soaked bread in the pan and fry until golden brown. Flip and fry the other side until golden. Turn the heat down if it’s cooking too fast or getting too dark.

Remove the French toast slices to an oven proof pan and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat frying with the remaining slices. When ready to eat, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve with maple syrup.

Sweet Potato Molasses Muffins: A Visit with Friends (and Halloween Festivities)

We have some dear friends visiting for the weekend! Dan and Jacob arrived last night and it’s always special to get time with them. This morning Dan headed to a conference and my family took off for work and school. This means Jacob (who is 7) and I get to spend the day together and I have really been looking forward to this time! We have big plans ... a visit to the zoo, a stop at Top Pot Doughnuts, Lego playing, Mad Libs – and, of course, some baking. Jacob already helped knead the challah dough for tonight. I have other treats planned, too. This is Halloween weekend, after all!

Tomorrow we are all going to carve pumpkins, and I’ve baked some Sweet Potato and Molasses Muffins to eat while creating our jack-o-lantern masterpieces. The muffins will go with a lunch of eyeball chili, spider web pizzas, apple cider and hot chocolate. I do love Halloween!

These muffins make a wholesome snack or would be a tasty addition to your pre trick-or-treating dinner. They are full of roasted sweet potatoes, some whole wheat flour and sweetened with molasses. I use blackstrap molasses for more molasses punch, but if you prefer a more subtle flavor you can use light molasses (this will also give your muffins more orange color). I’ve also used a 15 ounce can of butternut squash puree before when I didn’t have time to roast the sweet potatoes, and this worked deliciously, as well.

I’m off to the zoo with Jacob! Enjoy your Halloween weekend!

Sweet Potato and Molasses Muffins
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes 12

1 1/2 cups sweet potato puree, made from roasting a large, orange flesh sweet potato (about 1 1/2 pounds) until soft and pureeing in food processor (or you can substitute a 15 ounce can of unsweetened sweet potato or butternut squash puree)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup molasses (dark creates a more intense flavor and brown color, light a more subtle flavor and more orange color in muffins)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter or line a muffin tin with paper cups.

In a large bowl, stir together the sweet potato puree, eggs, milk, molasses and butter. Mix in remaining ingredients and stir until just mixed. Divide batter among the 12 cups. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a tester inserted comes out with a just a few moist crumbs. Serve warm or room temperature.

Lentils and Apples with Acorn Squash: A Fall Staple at Hillel

During the years I was cooking at Hillel for the UW students, I created hundreds of dinners for Shabbat and the holidays. Whenever we served chicken or beef for dinner, we always offered a vegetarian entrée alongside. One of my most requested vegetarian dishes for the fall months was sweet and sour lentils served in a bowl of steamed squash.

Now, I am a bit biased since I adore lentils – red, brown, green ... all of them. But I must say, this is a lovely lentil recipe. The sweet and sour flavor comes from adding honey or maple syrup and red wine vinegar. I include apples for more fall essence, but pears or quince would be nice, too. It’s certainly not a pretty dish – very brown – so you do need a sprig of something green to jazz it up. What it lacks in looks, though, it makes up for in taste.

I usually serve these lentils in acorn squash halves, but I’ve also spooned them over spaghetti squash. It’s tasty warm or room temperature, making it ideal to feed a crowd at a potluck (or some hungry college students!). And did I mention it’s inexpensive, freezes well, is vegan and can be gluten-free if you use tamari in place of the soy sauce? Whew, that’s a lot of virtues for one dish! Let the humble lentil shine!

Lentils and Apples with Acorn Squash
Lentils adapted from New Kosher Cuisine for All Seasons
By Ivy Feurerstadt and Melinda Strauss
Serves 4 as a main dish, or 8 as a side dish (cut into quarters)

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/8 cup soy sauce or tamari
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
A dash of garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
1 apple, cored and diced
2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeds scraped out
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for serving

In a medium sized saucepan, stir together the first nine ingredients. Add the lentils and mix well. Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat down and let simmer for about an hour, stirring a few times and tossing the diced apple into the saucepan after the first 20 minutes. Check to see if the lentils are soft and the liquid has thickened. If too liquidy, let simmer uncovered near the end. The lentils should have the consistency of a thick sauce.

While the lentils are cooking, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the 4 squash halves in a roasting dish (cut a small slice off the bottom of each if needed so they sit securely) and add about an inch of water to the pan. Cover with foil and place in the oven. Steam the squash until tender, about 30-45 minutes depending upon how large they are. Remove from oven and set aside until lentils are cooked.

Place the squash halves on a serving platter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the lentils into each half and top with a sprig of parsley.

If making ahead: Prepare the squash and lentils and keep separate. When close to serving, spoon the lentils into the squash and warm in the oven.

Pumpkin Oat Jumbles with Brown Butter Glaze

Did you know that in the mid-1800s, cookies were referred to as jumbles? I learned this in The Essential New York Times Cook Book and I think this early name is delightful. I have an image of a creation that is jumbled together using simple, homey ingredients. I’ve named one of my favorite cookies a jumble because, well – I just think “jumble” when I look at them! And with pumpkins in season and Halloween approaching, I want to share them with you.

You may have noticed that I adore pumpkin in any form, savory or sweet! Today I’m going with a sweet option. These cookies are thick and soft, almost cake-like. I’ve added chocolate chips to them in the past, and you can certainly do this if you’d like, but I find I prefer their pure pumpkin flavor (and these do pack a lot of pumpkin flavor). The cookies are made more wholesome with the addition of oats and some whole wheat flour – so you can feel a little bit virtuous indulging in them!

But did I mention the brown butter glaze? Oh my ... brown butter makes everything insanely delicious. I remember the first time I made brown butter, watching the brown flecks appear and swirl in the pan, while inhaling the heavenly scent. Anytime you need melted butter for a recipe, it’s worth taking the extra time to brown it. It especially enhances fall produce like apples and squash beautifully. This nutty, buttery glaze elevates these pumpkin cookies to new heights, making them a delectable Halloween (or anytime) treat.

Pumpkin Oat Jumbles
Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
By King Arthur Flour
Makes 20-22 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg, room temperature
1 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur, of course!)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
15 ounces (1 can) plain pumpkin puree

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy and smooth. Add in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Beat in the egg, then slowly beat in the oats. Add the flours in alternately with the pumpkin puree. Chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large cookie scoop (mine is about 1/4 cup) or large spoon, drop balls of dough onto the cookie sheet (9-10 at a time). Bake for 14 minutes, until they’re set. Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan. The cookies will be soft. Drizzle with Brown Butter Glaze (recipe follows) or serve plain.

Brown Butter Glaze
Makes enough to glaze about 20 cookies

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat and cook until it is golden brown and has little flecks in it, about 3-4 minutes (watch closely). Immediately pour the butter over the powdered sugar and scrape the pan to get the brown bits. Stir together and add in the milk, one tablespoon at a time until a smooth glaze is formed. Use the glaze right away, since it will harden.

Green Tomato and Apple Chutney

Is this a familiar sight in your garden right now? Summer came late to Seattle, and as a result we have green tomatoes ... lots of them. I usually have only a few left at the end of the season so I just toss them in a paper bag to ripen in a cool spot. This year, I decided it was time to make something with these green beauties. I’m familiar with fried green tomatoes (and loved the movie by the same name!), but wanted to discover a new way of enjoying them. Enter chutney!

At the library, I recently found a book called Preserved. The title says it all. The authors share techniques and recipes for preserving food by salting, drying, smoking, pickling, fermenting, freezing, canning, or using sugar or alcohol. Chutney falls under the sugar category, along with jams, jellies, curds and compotes.

This green tomato chutney is adapted from a recipe I found in Preserved. The house smelled warm and spicy while the chutney simmered on the stove, and although chutney’s flavor improves over time, we found it to be delicious right out of the pot. I’ve tucked a jar away to taste in a month, and have one open in the fridge to eat now. With the green tomatoes and apples in this chutney, it’s a very autumn-like condiment.

I can also tell you that the chutney makes a marvelous lunch when slathered on hearty bread with a thick slice of sharp cheddar cheese, eaten by a window dripping with rain drops. It would also be a welcome addition on your holiday table.

Green Tomato and Apple Chutney
Adapted from Preserved
By Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton
Makes 2 pints

1 1/2 pounds green tomatoes, cut into 2 inch chunks (or halved or quartered if smaller)
Olive oil to drizzle
1 1/2 pounds apples, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks (you can leave the peels on)
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup malt vinegar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
8 ounces brown sugar
6 small dried chiles
1/2 cup currants
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Turn on your broiler and raise a rack to the top shelf in your oven. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the green tomatoes with a little bit of olive oil. Broil them until they begin to blacken at the edges and turn golden, stirring a couple of times. Remove from the oven.

In a large pot, mix together the rest of the ingredients and add the green tomatoes. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. I covered my pot for about 1 1/2 hours, then uncovered and mashed the tomatoes and apples a bit. I kept the pot uncovered to thicken more for the last half hour. Watch to be sure it doesn’t begin to stick or burn on the bottom. Lower the heat if necessary.

When cool, ladle into 2 pint jars and cover. The chutney will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months unopened, and 6 weeks once opened.

A Stuffed Pumpkin for the Unprocessed October Challenge

Remember my inspiration to try stuffed pumpkin from a couple of days ago? I thought this would be a terrific recipe to make and share for the Unprocessed October challenge (eating food made from scratch using quality, whole ingredients). What could be more unprocessed than starting with a whole beautiful pumpkin?

I’ve had this pumpkin recipe on my mind for some time now. When I first opened Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table, I was drooling over just about every recipe. One in particular leaped out at me, though, and I tagged it for October. She calls it Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good, and that about sums it up!

You begin with a whole pumpkin, carve the top out (like a jack-o-lantern), scrape out the seeds and stringy insides -my chickens devoured the stringy stuff - then stuff it with a scrumptious filling. Pop it in the oven and walk away for two hours. That’s it!

What emerges from the oven is heavenly. Wedges of roasted pumpkin cradle a savory mix of bread, cheese, cream, herbs and any other tidbits you choose to include. Think Thanksgiving stuffing, and then some (it would make a hearty vegetarian option for the holidays). Setting the cooked pumpkin on the table makes a beautiful presentation, and it’s fun to serve the slices from the whole pumpkin.

This is a chance to get really creative! The original recipe calls for bacon, so I subbed in smoked salmon and then got crazy and threw in walnuts, mushrooms, chives and pumpkin seeds. This got a thumbs up from Bob!

We just finished eating it and I’m already planning my next stuffed pumpkin (diced apples and fresh cranberries ... maybe some grains like barley or nutty brown rice). Enjoy playing around with this recipe!

Stuffed Pumpkin
Adapted from Around My French Table
By Dorie Greenspan
Serves 4-6 as a main dish

1 sugar pumpkin, roughly 5 pounds, lid cut in the top and cleaned out (reserve the lid and save the seeds to roast or include in the recipe)
6 ounces stale bread, cut into 1 inch chunks (I used a multi-grain loaf)
8 ounces cheese, cut into 1 inch chunks (I used Beecher’s Flagship cheddar. I think Gruyere or soft goat cheese would be delicious, too.)
1/8 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
4 ounces smoked salmon, broken into chunks
2 ounces mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
3/4 cup half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pumpkin in a round casserole (I used a deep pie dish) or on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. If you bake on a baking sheet, it might be difficult to move the cooked pumpkin to a serving dish, so if possible bake in your serving dish.

In a large bowl, toss the bread chunks, cheese chunks, walnuts, salmon, mushrooms, most of the chives and salt and pepper to taste together. I also tossed in a handful of reserved pumpkin seeds.

Spoon the mixture into the carved out pumpkin. You may need to pack it down. Drizzle the half and half over and let it soak in. Cover with the lid and pop into the oven. Now forget about it for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the pumpkin is soft when pierced. Remove from the oven and serve in wedges, sprinkled with the remaining chives.

**Depending upon the size of your pumpkin, you may need to adjust the amount of ingredients and baking time. Use your best judgment, this one is not an exact science.

Book Larder Opens in Seattle!

Hooray! Last Wednesday, Seattle’s first cookbook shop, Book Larder, opened in the Fremont neighborhood. I’ve been counting down ‘til opening day and could not be more excited! Seattle has such a terrific food scene and to now have a store devoted to selling cookbooks and food-themed writing is a welcome (and, dare I say, long overdue) addition.

I popped in for a visit and let out a deep sigh upon seeing the shelves lined with cookbooks. Heavenly! This is such a sweet space, open and airy with beautiful turquoise walls and a helpful and welcoming staff. I slowly meandered, taking it all in.

The shelves are filled with books ranging from pickling to baking to gardening to memoirs. There are rare, vintage books and imported titles mixed in with current publications.

There are classics such as this

new favorites like this one (the best doughnuts in Seattle!)

and check out these two!

Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies with Theo’s cocoa nibs drew me to the back of the shop.

Here there is an inviting open kitchen which will be used for cooking classes and demonstrations. An amazing list of classes and author events is already scheduled. I’m attending a dark chocolate tasting event with Cook’s Illustrated’s Jack Bishop which promises to be a delectable evening. Sigh ... I could use a chocolate tasting this very moment!

If you live in Seattle or plan to visit, I highly recommend a stop at this cook’s paradise. Who knows what you will be dying to make after perusing Book Larder's amazing selection of cookbooks? Stuffed pumpkin is now inspiring me - more details on Wednesday!