Posts Tagged ‘pumpkin recipes’

Fun Halloween Appetizer — Brie Moon

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

Brie Moon ~ with savory Boursin cheese spread and oranges; serves 15-20

from Casey’s Cafe in Half Moon Bay

Imagine this cheese dressed up with Casey's fun presentation! © Viktorfischer | Dreamstime.com

A fun and tasty way to serve brie. I like to cut it into a half moon. You can also leave it whole and just serve a “Full Moon.”

1 2 – 2.2 pound wheel of Brie, cut into the shape of a half moon. Trim the extra into slices to place around the edge of the serving platter

1 – 2 packages of Boursin, crumbled (1 for half moon, 2 for a full moon)

2 large oranges, zested

(Optional ~ toasted pumpkin seeds)

Place Brie on serving platter and cover with Boursin. It’s easiest to use a spreader that has been dipped in warm water to smooth out cheese. Trim the edges to smooth out. Sprinkle orange zest along the rind (not on the cut edge of a half moon). If you like you can sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top of the orange zest or all around the moon for a fun addition to your buffet. Serve with bruschetta or another savory crisp bread.

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Witch’s Cauldron (Spicy Fall Harvest Soup) from Casey’s Cafe

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

A wholesome soup with exotic spices for a warming winter treat.

Spicy Fall Harvest Soup witches brew

© Indigocrow | Dreamstime.com

Makes 10-12 servings

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 sugar pie pumpkins, or other baking pumpkin, cut in half and seeded
Olive oil or spray oil for baking
2 turnips, peeled and diced
2 yellow onions, peeled and diced
2 rutabaga, peeled and diced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups water
2 -3 cans coconut milk
2 cans of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1/2- 1 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon red Thai curry
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon coriander
Sea salt and pepper

Garnish: a swirl of sour cream, minced green onion and cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place butternut squash and pumpkin on a cookie sheet lined with paper or foil and lightly oiled. Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes. Check to see if they are done by pressing down on skin side. If ready it will be easy to press down. Remove from oven and let cool. Peel skin and trim away dark bottom edges of squashes.

Put turnips, onion, rutabaga and sweet potatoes on a foil-lined, lightly oiled baking sheet and pour 1/2 cup of water over them and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes. The veggies need to be tender to puree nicely, check them and add time, if needed.

In a blender or food processor: put approximately 2 1/2 cups of butternut squash or pumpkin and onions in with water, Thai curry and coconut milk. Repeat until all the squash and onions are pureed. Put in soup pot, add spices and stir to blend. Do the same with the root vegetables and ginger using any broth that is on the baking sheet. Add water to the soup, if needed.

Start soup over medium heat and add sweet chili sauce to soup as it cooks. Carefully skim the surface to remove any scum that rises to the surface. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more water if too thick. Cook for at least 45 minutes. If too spicy you can add a little cream or more coconut milk to soften the flavors.

Serve with a garnish of sour cream and fresh herbs.

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Halloween Salmon Recipe

Monday, October 4th, 2010

This recipe from Casey’s Cafe in Half Moon Bay turns a favorite coastal fish into a real Halloween treat. Baked filet of salmon on a platter, glazed with a caper berry sauce and garnished with lemon. Great for a buffet presentation, or a party. Serve with Bruschetta or garlic toasts. Serves 15-20

© Maite Lohmann | Dreamstime.com

Sea Monster Arm

1 whole side of salmon, skin and bones removed

Bay Seasoning

sea salt

2 cups salad greens

3 lemons, sliced into “half moons”

Place salmon on a paper or foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle it with the bay seasoning and salt. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Check to see if it is cooked through and add time if needed. Let salmon cool. Trim away the belly meat and the tip of the tail, making a nice long filet. Save the trim for pasta or salmon mousse or another treat. Set filet on a long serving tray and surround with salad greens. Cover salmon with the caper glaze then place the slices of lemon across the top and bottom of the salmon.

Caper Berry Sauce

Can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for 2-3 days.

In a small bowl, whisk together—

2 cloves of mashed boiled garlic

zest and juice of 2 lemons

1/3 cup finely minced red onion

1/3 cup drained capers

2 green onions, finely minced

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

2 to 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce according to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

dash of Tabasco

1 teaspoon sea salt

Taste and adjust seasonings. You want the sauce to be slightly thick, so it will glaze the salmon nicely.

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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, a Half Moon Bay Treat, Safe for Diabetics

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010

© Karen Hoar | Dreamstime.com

Living in Half Moon Bay, we enjoy a healthy lifestyle.   This is a really healthy pumpkin muffin recipe for anyone with wonderful ingredients including buckwheat flour.   The recipe can be made without sugar, making it a recipe that diabetics can enjoy.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup sugar plus 2 packets heat-stable sugar substitute or 1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel

1/4 cup orange juice

Spray twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with nonstick coating; set pan aside. IN a medium bowl combine the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, sugar plus sugar substitute or the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

In another bowl combine the eggs, pumpkin, milk, oil, orange peel and orange juice. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing the batter evenly. Bake in a 400 F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the muffins are light brown. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

From Better Homes and Gardens Diabetic Cookbook
Meredith Books, Des Moines, Iowa 1999

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Pumpkin Pasta

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

istock © STEFANIA LEVI

From The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed; Ten Speed Press

1 pound tagliolini or fine fresh pasta

3 pounds of pumpkin

4 tablespoons of butter

1 leek

1 stick celery

chicken stock

salt and black pepper

gtrated nutmeg

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt half the butter and add the finely chopped leek and celery. Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds and any stringy fibres. Cut the pumpkin into thin slices. Add to the leek and celery and stir for a few minutes.

Now add a little stock and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes, adding more stock from time to time if necessary to keep moist. Check the seasoning and add salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Process the sauce in a blender or food processor. Return to the pan and keep warm. Cook the pasta carefully and avoid overcooking. Fresh pasta will only need a few minutes, so add the cream to the sauce as soon as you have thrown the pasta into the boiling water.

Drain the pasta and place in a heated dish. Stir in the freshly grated cheese and then the pumpkin sauce. Mix well, add the rest of the butter and serve at once.

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Pumpkin Cookies

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

istock © moodville

. 8 ounces softened butter

. 3/4 cup white sugar

. 1 cup packed brown sugar

. 1 egg

. 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

. 1 cup pumpkin

. 1/2 cup oats

. 1 teaspoon baking powder

. 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

. 1/2 teaspoon allspice

. 1/2 teaspoon salt

. 1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

. Cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar, then beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin (canned or freshly cooked and mashed).

. Mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, raisins and flour. Stir into pumpkin mixture.

. Drop cookies by the teaspoonful on cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly browned around edges.

. Remove from oven and place on cooling racks.

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Pumpkin Bars from a Half Moon Bay Home Cook

Monday, August 30th, 2010

contributed by Shirley Kellicutt

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

1 16-ounce can puréed pumpkin (not pie mix)

Mix dry ingredients together. Add beaten eggs, pumpkin and oil.

Bake in a jellyroll pan at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

or buy ready made cream cheese frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

6 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

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