Pumpkin Steamed Pudding

This recipe is from the December 1981 issue of Gourmet magazine.Although this is made like a pudding, I like it even better sliced thin and served at room temperature as a ‘tea cake”. Given the high butter content of this recipe, I make (steamed) Cranberry Pudding much more frequently.

Butter and sugar a 1 ½ to 2-liter steam-pudding mold (tube center with cover).

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, cream:

6T butter
¾ cup dark brown sugar

then add:

2 eggs

Mix well then add:

1 ½ cups flour
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
½ t ground ginger
½ t ground nutmeg
¼ t soda
½ c puree pumpkin (use fresh or frozen fresh pumpkin if possible)
2 T dark molasses or maple syrup

Stir in:

½ c chopped pecans
4 T crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup zante currants or raisins (optional)

Pour into the prepared mold and cover. Place on rack in large kettle, with the hot water height half that of the mold. Place cover on kettle and steam pudding for 2 1/2 hours Check periodically to be sure water level has not fallen significantly. Pudding is done when a small skewer inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean. Let stand in the mold 5 minutes then remove from mold; sliding a knife around the edges of the mold will facilitate this. While this can be served warm (reheat in microwave if made ahead) it is also good at room temperature.

Serve with Orange (Hard) Sauce , Hard Sauce, or Ginger Frozen Yogurt.

Reviewwed 5/21/17

Orange Steamed Pudding

This recipe is from the December 1981 issue of Gourmet magazine. Although this is made like a pudding, I like it even better sliced thin and served at room temperature as a ‘tea cake” Given the high butter content of this recipe, I make (steamed) Cranberry Pudding much more frequently.

Butter and sugar a 1 ½ to 2-liter steam-pudding mold (tube center with cover).

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, cream:

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar

then add:

4 eggs

Mix well then add:

2 cups flour
2 t baking powder
½ c orange juice

Stir in

1 ½ T orange zest [use organic orange]
1 ½ T lemon zest [use organic lemon]
2/3 cup zante currants (optional)

Pour into the prepared mold and cover. Place on rack in large kettle, with the hot water height half that of the mold. Place cover on kettle and steam pudding for 1 ½ to 2 hours Check periodically to be sure water level has not fallen significantly. Pudding is done when a small skewer inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean. Let stand in the mold 5 minutes then remove from mold; sliding a knife around the edges of the mold will facilitate this. While this can be served warm (reheat in microwave if made ahead) it is also good at room temperature.

Serve with Orange (Hard) Sauce.

Reviewed 5/21/17

Orange (Hard) Sauce

In a food processor combine:

6 T butter *
1 c confectioner’s sugar
2 t orange juice

Mix with steel blade until well blended, then stir in

1 T orange zest (use organic orange)


Store in refrigerator until one hour before serving. Serve at room temperature.

*Use butter not a butter substitute. For a lower cholesterol version, amount of butter may be reduced and amount orange juice increased.

This is requisite accompaniment for Cranberry Pudding and also a good garnish for Orange Steamed Pudding and Pumpkin Steamed Pudding

VARIATION #1:
For hard sauce, use brandy instead of orange juice.

VARIATION #2:
For a traditional hard sauce, use brandy instead of orange juice and omit the orange zest.

Reviewed 5/21/17

Cranberry Pudding

Serves 8

I have served this many times for Christmas Dinner dessert, on a Royal Copenhagen 1967 Christmas plate which Florence gave Ed and me the Christmas after we were married, garnished with holly.

Butter and sugar a 1½ to 2-liter steam-pudding mold (tube center with cover). Mix together:

1 cup cranberries, whole
1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup raisins
2 T crystallized ginger, finely chopped (I use Whole Foods crystalized ginger chunks)

Over the fruit mixture, sift:

1½ t baking soda
1½ cups flour

Mix and stir into fruit and flour mixture until thoroughly blended:

1/2 cup dark molasses
3/8 cup hot water

Pour into the prepared mold and cover. Place on a rack in large kettle, with the hot water height half that of the mold. Place cover on kettle and steam pudding for 1½ to 2 hours. Check periodically to be sure water level has not fallen significantly. Pudding is done when a small skewer inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean. Let stand in mold 5 minutes then remove from mold; sliding a knife around the edges of the mold will facilitate this.

This pudding should be served fairly warm. If steaming ahead of time, pudding should be heated in the oven or microwave oven until it is heated all the way through.

Serve with Orange (Hard) Sauce.








Reviewed 5/21/17

Pumpkin Pie

Makes a 9-inch pie

Alexandra made two delicious pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving one year in New Hampshire using this recipe. Alex  knows the secret  is to use fresh (or fresh frozen) pumpkin, not canned pumpkin. To prepare fresh pumpkin, Alex cuts pumpkin in half, removes seeds, puts water in the cavities and bakes in a moderate oven, ~350 degrees F, until pumpkin flesh is soft and easy to scoop out of the shell. This recipe is adapted from the old-fashioned squash pie recipe in Marian Morash’s Victory Garden Cookbook.

Make:

1 Pie Crust

Combine:

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t ground cloves

In a mixing bowl, beat well:

2 eggs

Then stir in:

1 1/2 c pureed cooked pumpkin (Fresh is best!)
1 2 /3 c evaporated milk

Add dry ingredients and mix well, until smooth. Pour into pie shell. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 15 minutes, REDUCE heat to 350°, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until set. Cool. Serve with:

Whipped cream (optional)

Reviewed 6/17/2017

Apple Tart

Make

Pie Crust (Pate Brisee) for one bottom crust

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.

Roll out dough and line bottom of a 9 ½ - 10 inch tart pan (with removable bottom), pushing dough up the sides and into the fluted edges.

Cover crust with piece of buttered aluminum foil pressed tightly against the crust and edges. If you have pie crust weights or a heavy pan place these on the foil. (I just use foil).

Cook for 8-9 minutes. Remove foil (and weights, if used). Using a fork, prick several holes in bottom of crust then return crust to oven for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven.

While crust is baking, wash and peel:

6 very large Cortland apples (or approximately 4 pounds of other crisp cooking/eating apples)

Cut apples into quarters then slice each quarter into thin, lengthwise slices. Toss apples with:

2 t lemon juice
1 t cinnamon
2 T  sugar

Arrange apples on the crust in the tart pan, closely overlapping the apples in concentric rings.

Reduce oven to 375 degrees F. Bake tart for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately brush on an apricot glaze. Make glaze by combining and heating to 225 degrees F:

¼ c apricot preserve (there will be pieces of fruit; I usually cut larger pieces into very small bits, alternatively you may choose to rub preserves through a sieve)

1 T sugar

Using a pastry brush coat all the apples topping the tart with the hot glaze.

Cool, remove from tart pan (or at least remove side ring of pan) and serve.

Reviewed 6/17/2017

Polly’s Brown Lace Cookies

This recipe comes from an Aspen friend of Ja and Moogie’s. They are decadent but delicious. I usually make them around Christmas.

Blend in Cuisinart fitted with a steel blade:

2 c brown sugar
½ stick butter
2 eggs
½ c flour
1 t vanilla

Then add, stirring in by hand:

2 c medium chopped pecans

Chill for one hour or overnight.

Rolldough  into 1” balls [I make them about half that size as they are easier to remove from the pan after cooking - see below]

Put balls on a greased and floured cookie sheet.

Cook at 375 degrees F [Moogie notes 350 degree preference] 7-8 minutes.

Cool 2-3 minutes in pan before removing. [These can be a bit difficult to remove in one piece. I find it helps a bit if I put the pan outside in the winter cold (or in the freezer) for about a minute and then remove.]

Reviewed 5/14/17