Ruth Reichl's Pumpkin Pancakes {and other Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Favorites}

I had been craving butternut squash something fierce when Deb asked me what ingredient/dish we should chose for our Monthly Featured Ingredient/Dish challenge over at I Heart Cooking Clubs. I was having dreams about some of my all-time favorite squash recipes (see below).

As soon as we agreed that orange squash was to be the ingredient I knew instantly what I would make. Something I've been wanting to make for ages, Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese. I was all set to make it and then...my copy of Ruth's My Kitchen Year arrived in the mail and it stole my heart.

"Mysterious misty morning. Crows wheeling, cawling. Storm is on the way. 

Coffee black. Egg fried. Toast burnt.

Gourmet's over. What now?" -Ruth Reichl, My Kitchen Year

I am now convinced that Ruth's cookbook, My Kitchen Year, is something every cook should own. I intended to simply flip through it and jot down recipes, but the writing is so compelling. I was pulled in straight away and read every page, start to finish. My Kitchen Year is so much more than a cookbook. It's the story of how Ruth overcame the end of an era, the shuttering of Gourmet magazine. Anyone who has ever suffered a great loss will identify with this book. Anyone who believes in kitchen therapy will love this book. Five pages in I knew I was holding something special. A cookbook that I can easily say is one of my all-time favorites, which is saying something because I a whole room of them.

So Ruth's Pumpkin Pancakes it is! Fluffy pumpkin pancakes that are light as a cloud with a beautiful orange hue and a subtle touch of pumpkin flavor. Ruth calls for the egg yolks to be mixed with the pumpkin puree and other liquids while the egg whites are beaten to a stiff peak and folded in later. This ensures a light tender pancake that goes down easily and doesn't weigh you down. Ruth also calls for all the typical pumpkin spices: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Oftentimes I feel as though pumpkin gets drowned out by all the spices, so I opted to use only a light touch of cinnamon. The end result was just as I had hoped: a mild tender pancake with a subtle pumpkin flavor! I garnished Ruth's Pumpkin Pancakes with some premium maple syrup, butter, and candied pecans. It was heaven on a plate.

"Gray skies. Rain. Fluffy sweaters and fluffy pancakes.

Warm butter. Real maple syrup. Candied pecans. Fall is here."

Ruth Reichl's Pumpkin Pancakes

Adapted from My Kitchen Year

by Ruth Reichl

Serves 4 to 6

3/4 cups pumpkin puree

1-1/4 cups flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

salt

4 eggs

8 tablespoons butter

1-1/4 cups milk

dash of vanilla

Note: Ruth says to add 1/4 teaspoons ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. However, I'm not a fan of spicy pumpkin, so I opted to go the more mild route, using only cinnamon. You will want to make sure you are using pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling as this would make your pancakes too sweet.

In a fairly large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder. Stir in a small amount (about 1/4 teaspoon) of each of the following spices: cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add a pinch of cloves and a bit of salt.  *See my note above.*

Separate the eggs, putting theyolks into a small bowl and the whites into a larger one. Beat the whites with clean beaters until they're beginning to hold stiff peaks, and set aside.

Melt the butter (this recipe will also work with a mere 4 tablespoons of butter - but it won't be as good), and stir it into the egg yolks, along with the pumpkin puree, the milk, and just a dash of vanilla. Stir the blendedliquids carefully into the flour mixture.

Fold the whites into the flour and pumpkin mixture. 

Heat a griddle, slick it with oil or butter, and cook the pancakes at the size that you like best. I tend to like these better when they're on the small side. Serve with maple syrup. 

This week we are all about Orange Squash at I Heart Cooking Clubs. As soon as fall hits I crave butternut squash and pumpkin pie something fierce. In the past few weeks I've had Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese, Butternut Squash soup, Butternut Squash Parmigiana, Butternut Squash Tomato Sauce with pasta, Pumpkin Chai Bread, and several slices of Pumpkin Pie and all of it has left me wanting more. 

Here are my all-time favorite Orange Squash recipes. If you're into Orange Squash, then I highly suggest trying these out!

Click on the recipe titles to link to the original post

Ina Garten's Butternut Squash and Ricotta Bruschetta

THIS IS NOT ONLY MY FAVORITE ORANGE SQUASH RECIPE, BUT IT IS HANDS DOWN ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE RECIPES! I can't explain how good this one is. Ironically, both of my butternut recipes in this roundup are Ina Garten recipes based off Ottolenghi recipes. That should tell you about all you need to know because Ottolenghi is known for his mind-blowing combinations of flavor and texture. This dish is a prime example of that. It's crunchy, creamy, chunky, sweet, savory, bright, and simply full of flavor. It's got everything a dish could have and then some.

Ina Garten's Butternut Squash Hummus

This is the perfect appetizer to make for any fall get together. I love the brilliant orange color and all the fun toppings on the hummus. Creamy butternut squash hummus adorned with chunks of roasted butternut squash, roasted squash seeds, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a scattering of pretty green parsley. It is simply a masterpiece of a dish!

Donna Hay's Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar Mascarpone Cream

If pumpkin pie is something you make over the holidays, then I would encourage you to try Donna Hay's Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar Mascarpone Cream. It is a very light pumpkin pie, perfect for enjoying after a heavy Thanksgiving dinner, and then there's the Brown Sugar Mascarpone Cream...need I say more?

Mini Corned Beef Pot Pies and a Donna Hay Roundup!

I love corned beef and always buy one in March so I can enjoy one or two Ruebens.  Afterwards I always use the leftovers to make some corned beef hash, which makes for an awesome Sunday breakfast.  This time around I wanted to try my hand at these Mini Corned Beef Pot Pies and wow I'm I glad I did!  These little babies are excellent! 

The recipe begins with a simple white sauce, or roux, to which you can add onion, carrot, cubes of potato, and/or peas.  I added what I had on hand, which was half an onion and about a cup of frozen peas, but I think adding potato would make these even better!  We loved these pot pies and everyone made me promise to make them again next year!

Mini Corned Beef Pot Pies

Adapted from Donna Hay website

Makes 4 individual pies

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2/3 cups chicken stock

1-1/4 cup milk

1 cup cooked corned beef, shredded or cubed

1 cup frozen peas

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 sheet puff pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten

 Notes: This recipe was created using Donna Hay's recipe for corned beef which includes a little carrot and onion.  If you'd like carrot and onion added to your pot pie then you may wish to saute one onion and one carrot in a little butter until somewhat tender and then add this to the pot pie filling.  

Preheat oven to 400F.  Melt the butter over low heat and add the flour, cook, stirring for 5-7 minutes until golden and sandy in texture.  Gradually whisk in the stock and milk, increase the heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes or until thickened.  Add the corned beef, and onion/carrot mixture*, peas, and parsley and stir to combine.  Place your ovenproof dishes (should be 4 dishes with 1 cup capacity) down on the puff pastry and cut out 4 rounds that are slightly bigger than your ovenproof dishes.  Remove the ovenproof dishes and place them onto a foil-lined baking tray. Spoon the pot pie filling into the dishes.  Place the cut puff pastry rounds over the filling.  Brush the pastry with the egg.  Decorate tops with various herbs and/or additional onions (if using).  Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

Our time with Donna Hay is coming to a close at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  We've cooked with many cooks/chefs over the years, but I must say that cooking with Donna has been extremely pleasant and somewhat effortless. Donna's recipes are simple, straightforward, and completely stress-free. I found myself looking forward to making her recipes and never once felt overwhelmed by the task.  I will definitely look to her recipes in the future when I am pressed for time and in the mood for fuss-free recipes.

Below are my Donna Hay favorites from the past six months in no particular order.  If you click on the recipe name you will be directed to the original post.

Raspberry Breakfast Parfaits

Salmon and Chive Parcels

Fusilli with Broccoli Pesto

Roasted Sweet Potato Pasta

Lamb Sausage Rolls

Frozen Vodka Slushie

Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar Mascarpone

Donna Hay's Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar Mascarpone

I am crazy about pumpkin pie.  Every year around this time I start craving a slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top.  Since no one else in my family likes pumpkin pie I usually resort to picking up a slice from a bakery.  This year I decided I was going to treat myself and make a pumpkin pie.  By the end of the week I was an expert at rationalizing.  I manged to convince myself that a slice of this pumpkin pie was a perfectly suitable breakfast.

Thankfully, this pumpkin pie is very light and would be perfect to follow a heavy Thanksgiving dinner.  It's sweet, but not overly sweet, and is lightly spiced compared to other versions.  I fell in love with the smooth and creamy texture of this pie.  Normally I like a touch of whipped cream on top of my pumpkin pie, but when I saw the recipe for this brown sugar mascarpone topping I was very curious. Let's just say I love the brown sugar mascarpone.  I'm fairly certain you will too.

Pumpkin Pie

Adapted from Modern Classics Book 2

by Donna Hay

Serves 8

1 sheet of storebought pie crust or homemade, recipe below*

1 cup pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree, recipe below*

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs 

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

freshly grated nutmeg for serving, optional

*Notes: Donna's recipe actually calls for her homemade sweet shortcrust pastry, but I opted to use a store-bought pie crust because I had one on hand. The recipe also calls for 1 cup of pureed butternut pumpkin, directions for that below, but I opted to use 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree because I also had that on hand. 

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 1/8 inch thick.  Place in a 9 inch tart ring.  Line the pastry with non-stick baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice or beans.  Bake for 10 minutes, remove the weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden.  Reduce the oven temperature to 300F.

To make the filling, place the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, cream and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Pour into the tart shell and bake for 50 minutes or until the filling is set.  Cool in the tin.  Sprinkle with nutmeg, slice and serve with brown sugar mascarpone.

*For the Butternut Squash Puree: Peel, chop and steam 1 pound of butternut squash until cooked.  Cool completely and puree in a food processor

*For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry:  Process 2 cups plain all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 5 ounces of cold chopped butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  While the motor is running, add enough iced water to form a smooth dough and process until just combined.  Knead the dough lightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface or between sheets of non-stick baking paper until 1/8 inch thick, or whatever thickness required, and line the tart tin.  Bake as directed.

For the Brown Sugar Mascarpone:  Combine 2 cups mascarpone and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a bowl.  Spoon on top of the pumpkin pie or serve on the side.

Theme:Are You Calling Me A Tart?

***12 Weeks of Winter Squash***

This pumpkin pie is being linked to the 12 Weeks of Winter Squash Event hosted by my friends Heather and Joanne. Feel free to link up your winter squash dishes during the week at the linky below--or on one of the other participating blogs. Linky will open up at 12:01am on 11/18/13