festive fall foods
I have long aspired to become a domestic goddess. Though I do not limit this to cooking, that seems to be the most currently marketable aspect, as I do not have my own home, nor my own family. Thus, I start where I can.
Tomorrow night is my Halloween celebration, and we're doing food pot-luck style. I've been hankering to bake something, so I decided I would bring pie. Not just any pie, however. I wanted to make a pumpkin pie - from an actual pumpkin. Along the way, I somehow decided to make a pecan pie too.
I began my adventure this afternoon by shelling fresh pecans with Heber while watching The Incredibles. Carrying my bounty home, I investigated the contents of my kitchen and ran to the grocery store, where I collected the necessary supplies, including a sugar pumpkin. Sugar pumpkins (also called pie pumpkins) are much smaller than the typical jack-0-lantern variety, sweeter and less stringy. I can't imagine how much pie filling you could make from one of those huge ones, anyway. Eek.
While the pumpkin was roasting in the oven so that I could peel it and then puree it, I made my pie crusts. As I haven't actually tasted the pies yet, I couldn't tell you how well it turned out, but I sampled snippets from around the edges and they were yummy. I used this recipe here, and I think I'd actually like to try it with some vodka next time to make it flakier, just for fun.
Once the dough was chilled and the pumpkin pureed, I put the pie all together - and happily discovered enough extra dough to make 6 little pie-lettes. Which, of course, made me think of Pushing Daisies and how smitten I am with The Pie Maker. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please do educate yourself. The pumpkin pie recipe came from Mrs. Sigg, whoever she may be, as it had lots of reviews with 5 stars, and I figured if I wasn't sure what I was doing, I'd go for someone 281 other people liked enough to comment on.
After the pumpkin was done (and one of the baby pie-lettes duly tested and pronounced delisherous), the pecan pie went in. No ordinary pecan pie this, but a rich chocolate pecan pie from one of my favorite chefs, Emeril Lagasse. When I pulled it out of the oven, I decided it was probably the most lovely thing I've ever baked. And it smells so good! I'm impatient for tomorrow night to come so that I might taste it.
I think that's my favorite part of all of this - my house is full of these warm, rich, autumn aromas. Nutmeg and cinnamon and chocolate, nuts and pumpkins and mmmmmmm. Now it's also filled with a spicier scent, as I am making use of all those pumpkin seeds I scooped out of the glop. The inside of a pumpkin is really unpleasant to stick one's fingers in, let me tell you. But covered in some butter, chili powder, and garlic salt and roasted for a while...yummy. Looking forward to enjoying that snack tomorrow too! (On a side note, there was great disparity in my internet sources for how long one should roast pumpkin seeds, ranging from 12 minutes to 30. I'm going on 20ish and they're almost done. We'll see. Maybe I'll have to contribute a recipe to the interwebs.)
Ahhhh, finished. I have been cooking or preparing for to cook for the last 8 hours. Delightful, but I'm ready for bed. G'night, all.
Tomorrow night is my Halloween celebration, and we're doing food pot-luck style. I've been hankering to bake something, so I decided I would bring pie. Not just any pie, however. I wanted to make a pumpkin pie - from an actual pumpkin. Along the way, I somehow decided to make a pecan pie too.
I began my adventure this afternoon by shelling fresh pecans with Heber while watching The Incredibles. Carrying my bounty home, I investigated the contents of my kitchen and ran to the grocery store, where I collected the necessary supplies, including a sugar pumpkin. Sugar pumpkins (also called pie pumpkins) are much smaller than the typical jack-0-lantern variety, sweeter and less stringy. I can't imagine how much pie filling you could make from one of those huge ones, anyway. Eek.
While the pumpkin was roasting in the oven so that I could peel it and then puree it, I made my pie crusts. As I haven't actually tasted the pies yet, I couldn't tell you how well it turned out, but I sampled snippets from around the edges and they were yummy. I used this recipe here, and I think I'd actually like to try it with some vodka next time to make it flakier, just for fun.
Once the dough was chilled and the pumpkin pureed, I put the pie all together - and happily discovered enough extra dough to make 6 little pie-lettes. Which, of course, made me think of Pushing Daisies and how smitten I am with The Pie Maker. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please do educate yourself. The pumpkin pie recipe came from Mrs. Sigg, whoever she may be, as it had lots of reviews with 5 stars, and I figured if I wasn't sure what I was doing, I'd go for someone 281 other people liked enough to comment on.
After the pumpkin was done (and one of the baby pie-lettes duly tested and pronounced delisherous), the pecan pie went in. No ordinary pecan pie this, but a rich chocolate pecan pie from one of my favorite chefs, Emeril Lagasse. When I pulled it out of the oven, I decided it was probably the most lovely thing I've ever baked. And it smells so good! I'm impatient for tomorrow night to come so that I might taste it.
I think that's my favorite part of all of this - my house is full of these warm, rich, autumn aromas. Nutmeg and cinnamon and chocolate, nuts and pumpkins and mmmmmmm. Now it's also filled with a spicier scent, as I am making use of all those pumpkin seeds I scooped out of the glop. The inside of a pumpkin is really unpleasant to stick one's fingers in, let me tell you. But covered in some butter, chili powder, and garlic salt and roasted for a while...yummy. Looking forward to enjoying that snack tomorrow too! (On a side note, there was great disparity in my internet sources for how long one should roast pumpkin seeds, ranging from 12 minutes to 30. I'm going on 20ish and they're almost done. We'll see. Maybe I'll have to contribute a recipe to the interwebs.)
Ahhhh, finished. I have been cooking or preparing for to cook for the last 8 hours. Delightful, but I'm ready for bed. G'night, all.
NED! So much less than three-ing.
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