The Garden Apartment

A Delicious Thanksgiving {and a chocolate pomegranate torte}

There's no need to tell you that I love being in the kitchen. So when my mother-in-law informed me that I could make "whatever I wanted" as my contribution to our family Thanksgiving, my mind went wild. Would I make this stuffing again or my favorite sweet potato casserole? I watched old episodes of Baking with Julia in search of the perfect bread to accompany the meal. Would I make a vegetable side dish (and which vegetable would it be)? And of course, I spent much time thinking about the dessert. Thoughts ranged in the pumpkin arena, from mini tarts with toasted pecans to pies with gingersnap crusts.

And then, I was standing in line at the grocery store. My gaze drifted to the Fine Cooking magazine left abandoned on the conveyor belt. The picture on the cover of the magazine was too much for me to pass by: a chocolate pomegranate torte beautifully covered in chocolate glaze and topped off with pomegranate seeds. It was fate intercepting me at Safeway. I had to have it make it. I paid the steep price for the magazine and happily bounced out of the store.

Did I mention that I did not read any of the instructions on how to make this torte? Upon arriving home, I discovered that this torte recipe involved three major steps including: making the cake, making a pomegranate jelly from scratch, and making a chocolate glaze. I would have to plan ahead for this one. Luckily, the magazine advised completing the first two steps one to two days ahead of serving. I got to work on Tuesday night. The cooking gods were with me, as I completed both steps (and washed the dishes) in just over an hour. 

On Thursday morning, we packed up the car with my nearly completed torte, some pumpkin brioche rolls which would do their final rise on baking sheets in the back seat of the car, all the ingredients for my sweet potato casserole, myself, my husband, and our dog- Clancy- who thankfully had a barrier between himself and the food items.

We arrived, and everyone got to work putting together a Thanksgiving meal to remember. Even DJ, my fun-loving brother-in-law (who is asking for an adult big wheels for Christmas), volunteered to be my sous chef for the day. As sous chef, he expertly whipped the sweet potatoes with maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. He peeled potatoes and suffered the classic potato peeling injury: a bloody thumb. And here, he proudly removes the sweet potatoes (topped with maple glazed pecans) from the oven:

My father-in-law Dennis, carved the turkey. John's mother brined the turkey, and then Dennis smoked it on the grill. The result was one flavorful and tender turkey: absolutely delicious. Of course, Dennis is an expert on the grill, and someday I hope he'll allow me to wax poetic about his delicious beef brisket.

  

My mother-in-law Katherine put together some delicious dishes. She made a wonderful cranberry apple stuffing, delicious green beans, a Martha Stewart inspired artichoke heart casserole (a new favorite), and this delicious pumpkin cheesecake.

 

The only person who was not much of a help in the kitchen was my husband, John. Yet, he poses proudly with the oven mitts, despite his general lack of involvement in all things culinary on Thanksgiving.

The table was set. And in the words of that fun-loving brother-in-law: it took us twenty minutes to eat a feast that took all day to prepare.

So, we waited a bit for the desserts. . . and here it is: my chocolate pomegranate torte and Katherine's pumpkin cheesecake. 

All agreed that the pomegranate paired nicely with with the dark chocolate. However, I can't say that this was quite as good as I imagined it would be. Though I personally like dark chocolate, John informed me (after indulging in the torte) that he really prefers milk chocolate. So, buyers beware: this is a good torte for those dark chocolate lovers out there who enjoy the slightly bitter flavor. If you aren't a dark chocolate lover, I really recommend simply making your favorite brownie, topping it with the pomegranate jelly and the chocolate glaze. Now that would be sure to please.

Chocolate Pomegranate Torte (from Fine Cooking Magazine)

Serves twelve to fourteen

It is recommended that the cake is spread with the jelly one-two days prior to serving. The cake should be glazed the day it is served.

For the cake:

• 2 oz. (4 TB) soften unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, plus more for the pan
• 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70 or 72% cacao) 
• 3 large eggs, separated  
• 3/4 Cup granulated sugar 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 
• 1/2 Cup unbleached all-purpose flour 

For the pomegranate jelly:

•  1 medium Pink Lady or Braeburn apple
• 1 1/2 Cups unsweetened pomegranate juice 
• 1/4 Cup plus 2 TB granulated sugar 
• 12 frozen or fresh cranberries  

For the glaze:

•  6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70 or 72%), chopped medium fine
• 3 oz. (6 TB) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces 
• 1 TB honey or light corn syrup 
• pinch table salt 

•  Fresh pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)

Make the Cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease the sides of a 9x2 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. 

Finely grate 2 oz. of the chocolate and set aside. Coarsely chop the remaining chocolate and combine with the butter and 3 TB water in a heat proof bowl. Set the bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water and stir frequently until the mixture is melted and smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar and the salt until thick and lightened in color.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-high speed to soft peaks (about 2 minutes). With the motor running, gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating to stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Whisk the warm chocolate and the flour into the yolk mixture. With a rubber spatula, fold one-quarter of the whites into the chocolate batter. Scrape the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture and sprinkle the grated chocolate on top. Fold together. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out smudged with a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for ten minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto another rack. Remove the pan and parchment and invert onto the first rack. (Note from Tiffany: I had trouble with this step-- the cake cracked right down the middle during this part. The cake baked so evenly, that I think you could skip this part to avoid having your cake split.)

Make the pomegranate jelly: Grate enough of the apple (including the peel) to yield 3/4 cup. In a medium saucepan, bring the grated apple, pomegranate juice, sugar, and cranberries to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, covered, until the mixture has thickened a little, about ten minutes. Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally at first and then constantly at the end, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is reduced to 3/4 Cup.

With a rubber spatula, press the pulp through a medium-mesh strainer (Note from Tiffany: I placed cheesecloth in a colander over a bowl for this step-- it worked wonderfully) into a bowl until you can't get any more juice out of the pulp. Discard the pulp in the strainer.

Brush away any loose crumbs from the sides and top of the cake. Transfer the cake to a cardboard circle or tart pan bottom. 

Stir the jelly to blend it, scrape it onto the cake, and spread evenly over the top. Let the jelly cool until it is set (about 1 hour). At this point, the cake may be covered with an inverted cake pan, wrapped in plastic, and stored at room temperature for up to two days.

Make the glaze: Put the chocolate, butter, honey, and salt in a heat proof bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water. Stir gently until the chocolate melts and the mixture is perfectly smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 TB cool water. Let cool to room temperature without stirring. If not using right away, cover and store at room temperature.

Set the cake on a rack set over a baking sheet. With a spatula, spread 1/3 cup of the glaze around the sides and top of the cake (be careful not to disturb the jelly). Re-warm the glaze gently to 90F in a skillet of barely simmering water-- the glaze should have the consistency of thick pourable cream.

Scrape all of the glaze onto the top of the cake. Spread the glaze over the top and all around the sides. For the shiniest glaze, work quickly and use as few strokes as possible. 

Garnish with pomegranate seeds and let the cake rest on a rack for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cake plate and let sit at room temperature until set, 15-30 minutes, or up to several hours before serving.

  

Thanksgiving Virtual Buffet: Fennel, Apple, Cranberry Stuffing, Brussel Sprouts with Virginia Ham, and much more

Five foodies gather together virtually to give thanks. . . and to help you select some delicious dishes for your own Thanksgiving Feast.

We've certainly come a long way since the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621. Could the pilgrims or the Wampanong Indians- who reportedly actually ate such things as venison and even lobster- have imagined the traditions we now associate with our annual harvest celebration? From the Snoopy Balloon parading in New York City's Macy's Day Parade, to our national leader officially pardoning a turkey, and the endless football watching (which I will undoubtedly endure this holiday), we've really incorporated some interesting traditions into this harvest celebration. 

And now, I bring you something the pilgrims and Indians truly could not have imagined: a virtual Thanksgiving celebration. 

As you prepare to set your own table this Thursday, and to welcome family and friends to feast and give thanks together, consider this delicious spread (pictured above).

• Thanksgiving Turkey from Sue of Feel Good Eats
• Celery Root, Parsnip, and Apple Puree from Amy of Eggs on Sunday  
• Fennel, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffingg from me (continue reading this post) 
• Brussel Sprouts with Virginia Ham from me (continue reading this post)   

 And because we're such a sweet bunch of food bloggers, plenty of desserts:

• Squash and Apple Bake from Amy of Eggs on Sunday 
• Apple and Pecan Tart from Kristin of The Kitchen Sink
• Sweet Potato Cake with Praline Pecan Topping from Grace of A Southern Grace 

 We'll start with my recipe for Fennel, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing.

This recipe takes basic stuffing and adds a few simple additions to add some layers of flavor, texture, and color. The fennel adds a slight licorice flavor, the apple adds a bit of sweetness, and the cranberry provides a nice tang.

Ingredients

4 cups fresh bread cubes, toasted *

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 TB fresh sage 

2 tsp fennel seeds 

6 TB butter + extra for the baking dish and the top

1 cup onion, diced (about half of a large onion)

2 large celery spears, diced

1/2 head of large fennel bulb, diced

1/2 Pink Lady or Braeburn apple, diced

1/4 cup fresh cranberries, sliced into small pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups chicken stock + 1/2 cup extra

* To make the toasted bread crumbs, I recommend buying a fresh loaf of bakery bread. An Italian bread or a sourdough would work nicely. Cube the bread into 1/2 inch pieces. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in a 350 F oven until the bread is dried out and slightly crisp to the touch. You can do this step a day or two ahead to save time on Thanksgiving.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a medium baking dish with 1 TB of butter.

Heat the 6 TB of butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion, fennel, and celery to the pan and cook until the vegetables have lightly caramelized, but not browned.

In the meantime, prepare the apples and cranberries.

In a large bowl, mix the bread cubes, fresh thyme, fresh sage, fennel seeds, the cooked vegetables, diced apples, diced cranberries and salt and pepper. Combine well.

Add the chicken stock to the mixture in the bowl and mix well. If necessary, add a little extra chicken stock to absorb into the bread cubes.

Place the bread mixture into the buttered baking dish. Drizzle the additional 1/2 cup of chicken stock over the mixture. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and discard the foil. If desired, dot the top of the stuffing with butter. Return to the oven for 10 additional minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Serve alongside roasted turkey or chicken.

Of course, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a lot more food to gorge yourself on. This next recipe will help you to feign health consciousness: brussel sprouts. *Ignore the large quantities of butter and salted meats to maintain that "healthy" feeling. 

Brussel Sprouts with Virginia Ham

This recipe keeps the focus on the tender and fresh brussel sprouts. The addition of Virginia ham adds a contrasting flavor to perfectly complement the sprouts sweet flavor. The ham can be sauteed a few days ahead of time, making the prep time for this recipe a mere 15 minutes on your Thanksgiving day.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of raw brussel sprouts
• 1/4 Cup water 
• 2 TB butter 
• 1/4 cup Virginia ham, diced into 1/4 inch pieces and sauteed* 

  * The Virginia ham can be diced and sauteed several days in advance to make for a quick assembly of this recipe. Simply store in the refrigerator until ready to add to this recipe.

Place brussel sprouts and water in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until brussel sprouts are bright green-- adding a little more water if necessary. 

Once water has evaporated, add 2 TB of butter. Allow the brussel sprouts to saute so that they are slightly caramelized-- about 3-5 more minutes. Add diced Virginia ham until just reheated. 

Serve immediately. 

                         *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

I hope you enjoyed these Thanksgiving side dishes. Now, head on over to visit Amy, Grace, Kristin, and Sue for more great Thanksgiving feast recipe ideas.

We won!

Earlier this week I wrote about this great dinner party shared with April of The Food Scribe, Allison of The Humble Gourmande and Colleen of Foodie Tots. Together, we cooked up a market to table meal designed by chef Eric Ripert. To enter the dinner party contest, we had to submit one photo from the dinner party. And here it is: a picture of me, pulling the lamb and vegetables out of the oven.

From Market to Table: A Delicious Dinner Party and New Friends

From Market to Table, Four New Friends Toast to a wonderful fall dinner (Left to right: me, April, Colleen, and Allison)

Sense of community is one quality that really draws me to the farmers market. It's the bustling of people coming together to seek out good food and appreciate those who grow and produce it for us. After shopping at the market regularly for nearly a year now, I know that I will be greeted each Saturday face to face by my favorite farmers, cheese makers, and even egg vendors.  

But the blogging community is quite different, you see. When I discuss my "blog friends" with John, his response is often a confused look brought on by the use of the word "friend" to describe people I only know virtually.   

This Sunday, I was able to take my much beloved sense of community from the farmers market and literally bring it to the dinner table with a group of blog friends. And you see, these friends will no longer be mere virtual entities (whose blog designs come to mind when I mention their name), but actual people who shared a market to table meal together with a celebratory wine toast to every new course.

Just in time for the cold winter months, Chef Eric Ripert posted a "Dinner Social Photo Challenge" on his blog Avec Eric. The theme for the month of November was The Market Table: a perfect theme for a farmers market foodie like myself. Chef Ripert posted a complete menu, planning tips, and wine pairing on Avec Eric here. 

April Fulton, of the Food Scribe, rounded up a wonderful group of fellow food bloggers including Colleen of Foodie Tots and Allison of the Humble Gourmande. April challenged us to hold a stress-free dinner party.  With this in mind, we used the good old divide and conquer strategy and split the menu four ways. 

I took the main course: Roasted leg of lamb with Market Vegetables. And truly, this was the perfect market to table menu for November. Here are my photos from the Sunday morning DuPont Circle Farmers Market. 

Brussels Sprouts stalks were an exciting find.

Golden Beets (and the more popular red beets rest in the back)

Russian Banana Fingerling potatoes

Fresh Carrots

After purchasing all of the fall market vegetables, I stopped at my favorite butcher shop, Let's Meat on the Avenue, to pick up the leg of lamb.

And then, I dashed off to April's lovely home to join three other cooks as we assembled a delicious meal.

As we worked in the kitchen, we snacked on two delicious canapes. 

Allison's endive with blue cheese, prosciutto, and pomegranate seeds (Photo: Allison)

Allison also provided the wine pairing for each course, which we all enjoyed tremendously, especially April.

All kidding aside, April did do a fantastic job putting together these caramelized onion and olive croustades.

 

Parmesan cheese falls onto the croustades just before they hit the oven

Out of the oven and delicious (Photo by Allison)

Colleen made the first course: a pumpkin soup. She also purchased her ingredients and the clever Celebration Squash bowls from the farmers market.

Pumpkin Soup with Creme Fraiche and toasted pumpkin seeds

After some more wine and a wonderful helping of soup, it was time for the main course.  I proudly retrieved it from the oven.

 

Photo of me by Colleen

 

And brought it to share at the table.

Yum, yum. 

We thought we were completely full until April mentioned the dessert to us: maple roasted pears with bourbon chocolate sauce. As a special treat, April also made homemade chestnut ice cream to accompany the pears. 

Now there's something to toast to. 

For those of you who couldn't join us at the table to share this meal, I hope you enjoyed the virtual recap of a delicious evening.

Now, wander over to read more from Allison, April, and Colleen. Or, check out our entire photo collection on Flickr and our entry at Avec Eric listed under "The Scribe."

Pumpkin Week(s) Part Two: Chicken with Spicy Pumpkin Sauce

Okay, okay. So a "week" is really seven days long. Judging by my math, my pumpkin week event may end up being more of a two week affair. Forgive me, please. Somehow time is quickly slipping away this fall season, and this is the first quiet moment I've had to sit down to write to you about this dish.

With this recipe, I really wanted to play with flavors. I wanted the chicken to be flavorful and tender and the sauce both sweet and spicy. And then, to really take things over the top, I added some diced sauteed Virginia ham to top it all off. 

I began by marinating the chicken in a lime-yogurt sauce accented by a few spices. Marinating chicken in yogurt actually helps to tenderize the meat. According to an article on Fine Cooking magazine online, "It's not quite clear how the tenderizing occurs, but it seems that calcium in dairy products activates enzymes in meat that break down proteins, a process similar to the way that aging tenderizes meat."

Eight hours later, I moved the chicken to the oven to bake. While the chicken baked in the oven, I worked on creating the spicy pumpkin sauce topping. 

The resulting chicken met all objectives: tender chicken, spicy and sweet sauce, and a nice depth of flavor. Oh, and I used up some more of that fresh pumpkin puree.

Roasted Chicken with Spicy Pumpkin Sauce

• 2 chicken breasts   

For the Yogurt Marinade 

• 1 cup of plain yogurt 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• zest of one lime 
• juice of one lime 
• 1 TB Chili powder 
• 1 tsp Cumin 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced 

For the sauce

• 1 Cup of fresh pumpkin puree  
• 1 Cup of chicken stock 
• 1 TB Chili powder 
• 2 dashes of hot sauce 
• 2 TB brown sugar 
• 1 tsp of fresh thyme 
• 1/2 cup of diced Virginia ham, sauteed 

Assemble the Marinade  

At least eight hours prior to cooking (or overnight), whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a glass baking dish. Once combined, add the chicken breasts and cover thoroughly with the marinade. Cover the dish and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 8 hours.

When you are ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 375F. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Remove the plastic from the glass baking dish. When the oven is preheated, place the chicken inside and bake for 30-35 minutes (turning once during the bake time).

Making the Sauce

In a saucepan, combine the pumpkin puree, the chicken stock, chili powder, hot sauce and brown sugar. Cook until thoroughly heated through. Add more chicken stock or water if the consistency is too thick. 

* Note: if you'd like a smoother consistency, you can blend the ingredients prior to heating them in the saucepan.

Putting it all Together

Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. 

Once ready, assemble the dish by placing one chicken breast on each plate. Scoop a few spoonfuls of the pumpkin sauce on top of each chicken breast, then crumble the fresh thyme on top. Top off with the sauteed ham cubes.

Enjoy, and then check back here for a great northern Michigan pumpkin pie recipe. Hopefully, I won't leave you in suspense for too long!

Pumpkin Week Part One: Pumpkin Soup with Brandy Cream

I promised, and here it is: your first installment of pumpkin week. I'll begin with a smooth and creamy first course, my recipe for pumpkin soup with brandy cream. 

Now, I can't take all the credit for this recipe. You see, a few years ago, John's aunt had this idea to give away soup ladles along with a soup recipe. The recipe we received was for sweet potato soup with rum cream, which has turned out to be a memorable combination (and we still have the ladle- thanks Aunt Connie).

After pureeing the fresh pumpkin and toasting the seeds this weekend (instructions here), I really wanted to make soup.  Previously I have made disappointing squash soups which had too many other flavors competing with the mild squash flavor. Or, some recipes added too much liquid- making the soup's consistency poor. Learning from past mistakes, I decided to use chicken stock and heavy cream to thin out the recipe. I felt that both of these liquids would only enhance the pumpkin taste, rather than take away from it, with the bonus of the heavy cream adding creaminess to the soup.

The soup is tasty by itself, but what really puts it over the top is the addition of a brandy cream, swirled into the soup just before eating it. I simply stirred together heavy cream, apricot brandy, a small amount of lemon juice, and a little sugar. Need I say more?

Here is the recipe.

Pumpkin Soup with Brandy Cream

This recipe makes four first course servings.

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 TB canola oil 
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 TB dry white wine
• 2 Cups Chicken Stock (or water)
• 3 Cups Pumpkin Puree
• 1 tsp paprika
• a few dashes of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 Cup heavy cream  
• 2 TB fresh sage, minced  
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste
• toasted pumpkin seeds (optional) 

Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add the diced onion and curry powder. Saute until the onion is softened.

Add the white wine and saute for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock (or water), pumpkin puree, paprika, and the cayenne pepper. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. 

Add the 1/2 Cup of heavy cream.

Add the fresh sage, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

Keep warm over low heat while you mix together the brandy cream.

For the brandy cream

• 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1 TB apricot Brandy (you could substitute rum or another flavored dark liquor here)
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• dash of sugar

Combine all brandy cream ingredients.

Ladle the pumpkin soup into serving bowls and swirl the rum cream into each one. Garnish with fresh sage leaves or toasted pumpkin seeds.

While you're enjoying the first course, I will be putting together the main feature: chicken with spicy pumpkin sauce.

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Embracing Autumn with A Pumpkin Di(sh)patch: Pumpkin Basics

Sure you know how to carve a pumpkin or use it as a fall decoration, but do you know how to roast the pulpy insides to use in pies, soups, sauces, and more? Do you know how to roast the seeds? Stay tuned for step-by-step instructions on both, and follow me this week as I post recipes using the roasted pumpkin puree and the seeds.

With the first frost in our immediate area, and several frosts in the farming areas outside of DC, the farmers market is thinning out to greens, gourds, lots of apples, and campaigners pawning off McCain and Obama stickers (actually, the campaigners may be the only thing not thinning out). Not to fear, however, as I am a big believer in welcoming each season. And who wouldn't, with beautiful scenes like this in our local area?

Several years ago, (during another election year) my roommates were both from Arizona. One roommate was very excited about the changing colors and the coming of snow, while the other really missed warm weather. In an effort to help her, I started a campaign called "Embracing Autumn." This campaign included activities such as apple picking, cider and cocoa drinking, root vegetable roasting, soup making, and even learning to knit winter scarves. Unlike negative campaign ads, my "Embracing Autumn" campaign was a hit.

It was in this spirit that I set off for the Old Town Alexandria farmer's market Saturday morning. The day seemed to reciprocate my hopefulness with beautiful blue skies, almost warm weather, and streaks of bright sunshine. My first stop was Bigg Riggs Farm, where I found eight varieties of apples, some lovely acorn squash varieties, and the last of the yummy peppers. Coming in a few weeks, Calvin will be offering market-goers farm fresh eggs and frozen veggies (flash frozen this summer). 

After grabbing some apples and two acorn squash, I headed off to get some cheese from my friends at the Blue Ridge Dairy, then made a dash over to Spring Valley Farm and Orchard where I found these "Veronica Cauliflower" which remind me of pictures of chaos theory. Though intrigued, I resisted and instead bought a big batch of gorgeous looking spinach.

My real goal this Saturday, though? Pumpkins! And I had yet to find them after several stops. With my head down and shoulders slumped over, I decided to conclude my farmer's market trip. 

Ah, not so soon, though:

I found these pie pumpkins at the Cameron Berry Farm stand. Cameron Berry Farm is a farm near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The farmer at this stand informed me that they are also selling frozen berries from the spring and summer harvests. This was delightful news to me since my small home freezer really limited my ability to freeze berries and other summer treats.

Now, with my head proudly up, I avoided the political campaigners and proudly left the market with a full bag of produce embracing autumn. 

So, let's talk about those pumpkins, shall we? Though the local produce is much more limited at this time of year, its incredible how versatile these items can be. In this spirit, I am declaring this week "Pumpkin Week" and throughout the week I will be posting some pumpkin creations for you including a first course, an entree, and a dessert-- all with pumpkin as the primary ingredient.

To begin, however, let's talk about some pumpkin basics. I was surprised to find out that many of my friends didn't know how to roast a pumpkin in order to use the pulp-- or how to roast the seeds to make delicious pumpkin seed snacks. In this post, I'll discuss the basics so that you can join me on this journey of using the pumpkin in multiple recipes. 

Roasting the pumpkin:

I purchased two pie pumpkins. Pie pumpkins have a better flavor than the larger carving pumpkins we're used to seeing. You can also try using another type of pumpkin (if you can find one) like the Cinderella or a Kabocha squash.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F. 

In the meantime, get a large knife and cut your pumpkins in half (cut them carefully, making each side flat so that the pulp will be able to steam when placed pulp-side down).

Remove the seeds by scraping with a spoon. Place them into a collander so that you can easily clean them for roasting later.

Place the pumpkins pulp-side down on a lined baking sheet.

Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the pulp begins to look soft. 

Remove the pumpkins and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove the pulp with a spoon. If you plan to use the puree for pumpkin bread, you may want to remove some of the liquid from the pulp by blotting with cheesecloth (thanks for the tip, Holly!).

If desired (for a smoother consistency), process the baked pulp in a food processor. 

Two pie pumpkins will yield about 6-7 Cups of pumpkin puree. This will store in your fridge for about one week-- perfect for using throughout the week in multiple recipes.

Roasting the Seeds:

Before I digress too much, go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 350 F. 

And now my digression. . . I feel like I'm really offering a public service here by including my instructions on how to roast pumpkin seeds. I've had three people tell me that they've had failed pumpkin seed roasting experiments this fall. The problem: you're trying to be too healthy by not using any oil or butter! 

That's right. There, I said it. If you're going to roast pumpkin seeds you at least need to use oil, or use butter. I like to use both, and a lot of salt. This is a snack, folks, and it only comes once a year. Embrace the butter and the salt, at least for this one recipe.

After rinsing and cleaning the seeds of all the stringy pulp, place them on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on top. Then, place small squares of butter around the seeds. You can see them melting in this photo:

Liberally add Kosher Salt. 

Roast in a 350 F oven for about 20-30 minutes, until they look perfectly roasted and crispy like these.

Enjoy these as a snack or on top of soups and salads. 

I've given you the basics, and throughout the week I'll follow-up with some delicious ways for you to use the pumpkin puree. I would have more recipes incorporating the pumpkin seeds, but my husband has already eaten them all. 

Hopefully I've gained your vote for my "Embracing Autumn" pumpkin campaign. Now get out there and show your support: buy some pumpkins!

Coming in the next post: Pumpkin Soup with Apricot Brandy Cream. . . .