Carol Daniel's Pumpkin Bread

 

Carol Daniel's Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup salad oil

2/3 cup water

2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin

3-1/3 cups flour (400 gms)

3 cups granulated sugar (600 gms)

2 tsp. baking soda

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup chopped, roasted pecans, optional

Method:

In mixing bowl, beat eggs. Addf oil, water and pumpkin puree and mix well.

in a medium mixing bowl, sift flour together with sugar, bakihg soda, salt, and spices.

Mak a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the pumpkin mixture. Stir just until all ingredients are mixed. If you want to add roasted pecans, fold them in at this time.

Turn batter into 3 well-oiled loaf tins. I use my two Wolfgang Puck bread pans, plus approximately  5-6 muffin tins.

Bake at 350˚ F. for 1 hour, with a cake tester coming out clean. Remove pans from oven and set on cooling rack. Let bread cool before removing from tins.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins with Nutmeg Glaze

This is a recipe I clipped from the 1993 November/December issue of Eating Well Magazine. These are perfect to bake up this time of year.  They have more of a moist cake texture than a muffin.  

 

Get your muffin tins lined if you so desire. When I make these to enjoy at home I don't use cupcake liners.  I took these to Sunday school class and thought it better to have them in a liner.

Mix dates, raisins and candied ginger together with the brandy.  Give a toss and set aside.

Along with the fruits and ginger that is flavored by the brandy, these muffins are kissed with all of these great spices.

Sift them in with the flour along with the baking soda, salt & pepper.  Set this bowl aside.

In another small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.  Set this aside.  I have no earthly idea why I did not take a photo of this mixture.  We'll all live.

Now we get to assemble everything else.



In a stand mixer, beat the eggs and egg yolks until they are frothy.



Mix in the brown sugar

and the the molasses


Add 1/2 the flour/spice mixture and stir until just mixed.

 
add the melted butter



and the oil

Add the remaining flour/spice mix

and stir until incorporated.

Add the bowl of the pumpkin mixture and combine well.

Fold in the dates, raisins and candied ginger that has absorbed some of the brandy.  Pour in all the brandy left in the bowl as well.  Can't leave out the good stuff!

Fill each muffin liner 2/3 full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool a bit in the pans while you mix together the glaze.

Transfer the muffins to a cooling wrack that has been set over some wax paper.  Drizzle with the glaze.  You can also dip the tops off the muffins directly in the glaze.

I had some extra batter so I made several mini-muffins to throw in the freezer.



Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins with Nutmeg Glaze
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine
Yield 24 regular-sized muffins

Ingredients:
for the muffins:
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates 
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger
3 Tbsp. rum, brandy, or apple cider (I used brandy)
2-1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached white flour
2 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup skim-milk buttermilk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1-1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, preferably canola oil

for the glaze
1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
1-1/2 Tbsp. rum, brandy, or apple cider
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

 Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F.  Treat 24 muffin tins with vegetable spray, or line with muffin liners.
Prep and measure all of your ingredients.

In a small bowl, soak dates, raisins and crystallized ginger in the brandy, stirring from time to time while preparing the batter.

Sift flour, ginger, allspice, nutmeg cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.  In a small bowl whisk together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer beat eggs and egg whites at medium speed until foamy.  Gradually add brown sugar and beat until light and frothy, about 1 minute.  Add molasses and beat well.

Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add butter and oil and beat until just mixed.  Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just mixed.  Add the pumpkin mixture and beat until just combined.  Stir in the dried fruit mixture and soaking liquid.

Fill the muffin tins with batter, 2/3 full.  Tap tins to get rid of air bubbles.  

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.  Cool the muffins briefly in the pan on a rack for 2 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack.  (the muffins can be prepared ahead and store, well wrapped, in the freezer for up to 1 month.  To reheat wrap in aluminum foil and heat at 375° for 20 - 30 minutes.)

Nutmeg Glaze:
In a small bowl, stir together the confectioner's sugar, milk, brandy, & grated nutmeg until smooth.  Drizzle the glaze over the warm muffins, letting the glaze drip down the sides.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Topping

Since it would be sacrilegious to omit pumpkin pie and pecan pie from a dessert buffet at Thanksgiving their places of honor were reserved on ours.  But Thanksgiving is such an opportunistic time to try new desserts.  There is so much to do with pumpkin!  I tried three new recipes this year and the one I’m sharing with you today is a Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Topping.

This recipe hails from Gourmet magazine.  Date unknown.  It's a gastronomic shame that this great food magazine met it's demise two years ago.  I started reading Gourmet when I was in junior high school during the late 1960’s.  Gourmet was not simply my introduction to food from all over the world but the food journalists transported me to all of those remote places as well.

I have always gravitated to authors whose writings center around food.  One of my favorite food writers is Ruth Reichl.  She was the last Editor in Chief of Gourmet  when the magazine shut down in November of 2009.   I highly recommend any of her books.  Okay, on to the recipe.

Although the recipe has 3 different stages, it is really a simple recipe to make.

First you’ll make the crust with finely ground graham cracker crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, granualted sugar and butter.

I recommend boxed Keebler graham cracker crumbs.  I’ve tried processing my own from whole graham crackers and it just does not come out for me.  The recipe also calls for finely chopped pecans.  I ground mine in a food processor to the same fineness as the crumbs.

After mixing all of the ingredients for the crust press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and up the sides about ½ inch (good time for those kitchen gloves!).  Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.  I did mine the night before which is a nice do-ahead feature of this recipe.

This is also a good time to remind you to read a recipe completely through several times and several days prior to making it for the first time.  You might find yourself in a pickle if you did not allow at least an hour for your crust to get very cold or a day to allow the finished cheesecake to rest in the refrigerator overnight.

For the filling you will need these guys

The recipe calls for bourbon liqueur or bourbon.  Since I already had bourbon on hand I used that.

Whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and the brown sugar. 

 In an electric mixer bowl cream the cream cheese and the granulated sugar.  Beat in the cream, cornstarch, vanilla and the bourbon.  Add the pumpkin mixture   

Beat until the filling is smooth.

Pour the filling into your chilled crust and bake in a 350° F. oven for 50 to 55 minutes.

While the filling is baking, mix up your topping.

This is a simple and quick with only three ingredients.

Whisk together the sour cream, sugar and bourbon.  Set aside until you are ready for it.

I think I hear the timer announcing the filling is done!  Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes or more (but don’t take an hour long nap).  I think I let mine rest for not much more than the recommended 5 minutes.  Also, don't turn the oven off; you'll be sticking the cheesecake back in shortly.

With your offset spatula spread the sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake.  Bake for 5 minutes more.

Let cheesecake cool on a wire rack.   When it is completely cool, top with the pecan halves and give it a fine dusting of freshly grated nutmeg.  Cover lightly and refrigerate overnight.

Not the prettiest photo of this cheesecake.  Time got away from me and I failed to take a photo of it when it was removed from it's pan and placed on it's pretty pedestal.    This picture was taken when I was putting it up for the evening.  The pumpkin filling was very creamy yet firm and the topping added a little zing to it.  I liked this cheesecake a lot.  Family members who tried it liked it too but not many are cheesecake eaters.  I took the rest of it to work on Monday and it was gobbled up.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Topping

Will serve 10-12

For the Crust:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

½ cup finely chopped pecans

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Mise en Place:

butter a 9-inch springform pan

melt butter in microwave and set aside to cool

finely chop the pecans in a food processor until they have the same consistency as your graham cracker crumbs

Measure out the sugars and graham cracker crumbs

Method:

In a bowl combine the crumbs, the pecans, and the sugars; stir in the butter and press the mixture into the bottom and ½ inch up the side of a buttered 9-inch springform pan.  Chill the crust for at least an hour (overnight even better)

For the Filling:

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin

3 large eggs

1-1/2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp salt

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, cut into bits and softened

½ cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp heavy cream

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp bourbon or bourbon liqueur

Mise en Place:

cut cream cheese into cubes and allow to soften

measure out all the other ingredients

Method:

In a bowl whisk together the pumpkin, the eggs, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the ginger, the salt, and the brown sugar.  Beat in the cream, the cornstarch, the vanilla, the bourbon, and the pumpkin mixture, and beat the filling until it is smooth.

Pour the filling into the crust, bake the cheesecake in the middle of a preheated 350°F oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the center is just set.  Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.

For the Topping:

Ingredients:

2 cups sour cream

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp bourbon or bourbon liqueur

16 toasted pecan halves for garnish

Mise en Place:

measure out all ingredients into your mixing bowl

Method:

In a mixing bowl, whisk  together all of your ingredients.  Spread the sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake and bake the cheesecake for 5 minutes more.  Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a rack.  Place the pecan halves around the edge in a geometrical pattern and grate a dusting of fresh nutmeg over the top.  Cover loosely and chill overnight. 

Remove the side of the pan and place cheesecake on a serving plate.