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Corn and Couscous Salad

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 6, 2011| 2 Comments »

Sweet summer corn is the key ingredient to this salad. Throw in some couscous, sweet onion, spicy curry, fresh red chili, and aromatic cilantro and you have an easy summer salad. Serve this flavorful salad with grilled lamb chops, fresh slices of vine-ripened melon, and a bottle of good wine. Sit back and enjoy your summertime feast. Better yet, invite some friends over to share the meal and enjoy the last days of summer together.

Corn and Couscous Salad
Recipe by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp grainy mustard
1 T white-wine or sherry vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 T extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup couscous
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red chili, minced (optional)
3 C fresh corn kernels (about 4 cobs)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together curry powder, mustard, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly drizzle in 3 tablespoons oil; whisk until emulsified. Set aside.

2. Place couscous in a large bowl. Bring 1 cup water to a boil; pour over couscous; stir to combine. Cover with a plate; let steam until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; set aside.

3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and chili; cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add corn, and cook until bright yellow and just tender, about 2 minutes. Stir corn mixture into couscous. Add curry vinaigrette and cilantro; toss to combine. Serve warm or over at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I don’t know what size portions Martha serves, but this certainly makes more than four servings. My guess is at least six plus.

2. To make this dish healthier, quinoa could be substituted for the couscous.

3. I used sweet white corn. Each corn cob yielded 1 cup of kernels. Because I had husked four ears of corn, I used 4 cups of kernels in the salad instead of the specified 3. I liked the additional corn in the salad and will make it again with this amount.

Enjoy!

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Watermelon: Beginning and End

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Summer isn’t summer unless watermelons are on the menu. There’s nothing quite like biting into a slice of crisp, juicy-sweet watermelon on a hot summer day. To that end, I double your delight by presenting two recipes that highlight the qualities of watermelons and create surprising melon moments at the beginning or at the end of your meals!

Recipe Number One: The Beginning
Watermelon for appetizers? You betcha! This appetizer has it all: a salty and tangy dip juxtaposed against the sweet crunchiness of melon, with an added a kick at the end. So unexpected, but so delicious!

Watermelon Appetizer with Asian Dipping Sauce
Adapted from an August 1992 Sunset Magazine recipe

Ingredients:
1 small (6-8 lb.) or 1 cross-cut piece (4-5 in. long) watermelon
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar*
1 T minced pickled ginger
1 T sugar
1 T fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla) or soy sauce
About 1 T crushed dried hot red chilies

Directions:
1. Cut melon into small 1-inch wedges (with rind) and place on serving platter.
2. Make Asian Dipping sauce by mixing together the lime juice, rice vinegar, pickled ginger, sugar, and fish sauce.
3. Place dipping sauce in a small, shallow serving dish next to watermelon platter.
4. Place crushed red chilies in another small, shallow serving dish and place this next to the watermelon platter as well.
5. To eat, dip melon into sauce, then into chilies, as desired.

*or 1/3 cup rice vinegar and 2 teaspoons sugar

Recipe Number Two: The End
Eating watermelon for dessert is not unusual, but this recipe for Watermelon Icicles shines because of its simplicity. It’s a perfectly refreshing and low-calorie treat for a hot summer day.

Watermelon Icicles
Adapted from a 1992 August Sunset Magazine recipe

Ingredients:
Wooden ice cream sticks or “Popsicle” sticks
1 Seedless watermelon

Directions:
1. Cut watermelon into triangular-shaped pieces about 1-inch thick and 3-inches wide at the base. Remove rind.
2. Push an ice cream stick into the wide part of the slice, almost all the way through.
3. Cover a flat baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
4. Lay the watermelon wedges in a single layer on the baking sheet.
5. Cover with plastic wrap.
4. Freeze until solid, about four hours.
5. Serve, or transfer to a freezer container and freeze up to 1 month.

Enjoy!

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Homemade Cheese Crackers

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 3, 2011| 1 Comment »

Whether it’s the combination of two cheeses – sharp white cheddar and parmigiano-reggiano – or the rich buttery taste that has a bite of cayenne pepper, these little cheese crackers are addicting. Start nibbling on one and you’ll soon find the whole bowl is empty! They are simple to make, unless you decide to cut them into tiny hearts and flowers like I did for a recent bridal shower. Whatever shape or size you choose, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with these crunchy, homemade, cheese crackers!

Cheese Crackers
A recipe from Saveur

Ingredients:
12 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
6 oz. sharp white cheddar; grated on small holes of a box grater (to yield 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
1-1/2 cups flour, preferably White Lily flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cayenne

Directions:
1. Put butter into a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.

2. Add cheeses and beat well.

3. Sift flour, salt, and cayenne together into another bowl.

4. Using your hands, quickly work flour mixture into butter mixture without overworking the dough. If dough remains crumbly, stir in 2 tbsp. ice water.

5. Gather dough into a ball.

6. Quarter dough, shape each piece into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

8. Roll out one piece of dough on a floured surface to 1/16″ thickness.

9. Using a 1-1/2″ round cookie cutter, cut out about 30 rounds and transfer to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet about 1/2″ apart. Repeat process with remaining dough.

10. Bake crackers until puffed and golden, 6-8 minutes. Transfer crackers to a nontoxic paper bag or paper towels to let cool completely. Crackers will keep in an upright container for up to one month.

Makes about 10 dozen.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I made different batches – one with sharp white cheddar and one with regular sharp cheddar. Tasters preferred the regular sharp cheddar. Obviously, the better the cheese, the better the flavor!

2. As mentioned before, these crackers can be cut into any shape or size. Just adjust the baking time. My small crackers were baked just under six minutes.

3. Although, these crackers can be stored for a while, I made them two days before the shower and stuck them in the oven the morning of the shower to re-crisp them.

4. Irish white cheddar cheese can normally be purchased at Costco or Sam’s Club.

5. If wrapped in a nice container, these crackers would make a wonderful hostess gift.

Enjoy!!

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Chinese-Style Beef Jerky

Posted in About me, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on March 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

One piece! One tiny little piece of homemade Chinese-style beef jerky remained in the bowl. In the quick ten minutes it took me to wash the dishes, the entire contents (minus one piece, of course) had been devoured by He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named! Noting the digestive-inhalation that just occurred, I considered my first foray into making beef jerky a success!

Beef Jerky
Adapted from a recipe by Rhoda Yee

Ingredients:
1 lb flank steak
2 tsp salt
4 tsp sherry
8 tsp honey
6 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp each of: ketchup, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce

Directions:
1. Rinse meat and blot dry. Place completely flat in zip-type plastic bag and freeze for about 45 minutes.

2. Make the marinade with the remaining ingredients. Set aside.

3. Remove meat from the freezer and take out of bag. On a cutting board slice the meat into wide strips across the grain and put into a large bowl. The pieces should be no thicker than 1/8th-inch thick.

4. Pour the marinade into the meat bowl. With your hands, carefully mix the two, making sure that all sides of the meat slices are evenly coated with the marinade. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one day.

5. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

6. Cover baking pans with foil. Place either broiling racks or cooling racks into the baking pans. This allows air to flow around the meat. Spray racks with a vegetable spray and place slices of meat in a single layer on the racks. The slices can touch, but should not overlap.

7. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

8. Store in an airtight container.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. Chinese-style beef jerky is a little sweeter and stickier than conventional western beef jerky.

2. The best prices for flank steak were at Sam’s Club, Winco, and Costco – in that order.

3. These are optional procedures – Halfway through the baking time I removed the baking sheets from the oven and poured off the meat juices that had collected in the bottom. I wanted the meat to bake and not steam. At this point I also turned the slices of meat over.

3. Because I like my beef jerky peppery, I sprinkled some freshly ground black pepper over the raw meat slices prior to baking and again at the halfway point after flipping them over.

4. How to tell when meat is done: The slices will shrink by about 50%. The color should be dark brown and should be evenly colored, but not burnt! You’ll know when you see them.

5. After reviewing many other beef jerky recipes, I found this one to be relatively easy. So easy, in fact, that I made three batches in over two days!

Enjoy!

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Eclair Cake

Posted in Entertainment, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 15, 2011| 3 Comments »

What’s not to like about a cake that has all the delicious components of a bakery-fresh eclair, but is easier to make? The rich chocolate sauce, the fresh whipped cream, the creamy vanilla custard, and the light, cream puff pastry each, in their own right, are special, but combined they are divine! I made this scrumptious Eclair Cake for my son’s birthday and everyone loved it from top to bottom – as evidenced by some serious, post-devouring, fork licking!

Adapted from a recipe in the 50th Anniversary Best of our Favorite Recipes – Maui Association for Family and Community Education cookbook:

Ingredients:
Crust-
1 cup water
1 cube of butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Filling-
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
2 small packages of vanilla instant pudding
2-1/2 cups fresh milk

Toppings-
1 (8 oz) container of whipped topping or freshly whipped cream
Chocolate sauce or syrup
Toasted sliced almonds, optional

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put water and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and stir in flour all at once. Keep stirring until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.
4. Remove from heat and stir in one egg at a time, beating well after each one is added.
5. Spread evenly into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until puffed up and golden. Cool.
7. While crust is cooling, prepare filling by mixing the cream cheese and the dry pudding mix together. Slowly add the milk. Batter will be thick and smooth.
8. Spread filling on cooled crust.
9. Spread whipped topping or whipped cream over filling.
10. Drizzle chocolate syrup on top.
11. Refrigerate to set and until ready to serve.

Serves about 15.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. The base layer or crust is made exactly like cream puff shells are made. The only difference is that the batter is spread out in a pan instead of being dropped by teaspoons onto a baking sheet.

2. For the whipped cream layer, I used 50 percent whipped topping and 50 percent fresh whipped cream. First I whipped the cream and then gently folded in the thawed whipped topping.

3. Instead of using a chocolate syrup, I used a hot fudge sundae sauce that was not overly thick or too heavy.

4. I lightly toasted almond slices in the oven and let them cool before sprinkling them over the cake top.

5. Another way to decorate the cake top would be to drizzle the chocolate sauce in rows over the whipped cream and then drag a knife or toothpick through the rows of sauce to create a marbleized appearance.

Enjoy!

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Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Everything tastes better with butter. Who can deny this fact? Imagine popcorn, potatoes, bread, corn on the cob, lobster and even Paula Deen without butter. Without their better parts, oops, I mean butter pats, they would definitely be less popular. If you love all things butter, like I do, and if you want to treat your taste buds to something indescribable, try this super easy pasta dish that was mentioned in my Cracked Crab with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette post. What could be better than butter? How about truffle butter! It’s the special ingredient in this rich and creamy pasta dish that is easy enough to throw together on a busy night, yet is incredibly delicious to serve to company.

Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter
Recipe by Ina Garten

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 ounces white truffle butter
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (8.82-ounce) package Cipriani tagliarelle dried pasta or other egg fettuccine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 ounces Parmesan, shaved thin with a vegetable peeler

Directions:
1. Add 1 tablespoon salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) saute pan, heat the cream over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Add the truffle butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, lower the heat to very low, and swirl the butter until it melts. Keep warm over very low heat.

3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, exactly. (If you’re not using Cipriani pasta, follow the directions on the package.) When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the drained pasta to the saute pan and toss it with the truffle-cream mixture. As the pasta absorbs the sauce, add as much of the reserved cooking water, as necessary, to keep the pasta very creamy.

4. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and garnish each serving with a generous sprinkling of chives and shaved Parmesan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Serves 2.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. Because I could not find Cipriani tagliarelle and could only find black pepper and garlic tagliarelle, I substituted fettucine. The recipe calls for an 8.82-ounce package of dried pasta, but I purchased a 12-ounce package of fresh fettucine and cooked all of it.

2. I purchased a 3-ounce container of white truffle butter for $9.99 at Whole Foods.

3. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of salt to be added to the pot of water, which seemed excessive to me, but I followed the recipe. However, in step 2, I only added 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of the 1 teaspoon called for and in step 4, I did not add any additional salt at the end, only a little bit of freshly ground black pepper.

4. Because I had it on hand, I added a few small slices of prosciutto for garnish on top.

5. This dish is best served immediately after cooking – it isn’t at its best after sitting around for a while or after reheating.

Enjoy!

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A Hearty Red Pepper-Tomato Soup

Posted in Health, Holidays, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 14, 2011| 1 Comment »

Sometimes it pays to save old magazines. From an old Sunset Magazine, dated February 1997, comes this quick to make Red Pepper-Tomato Soup that’s perfect for a cold and wet Valentine’s Day. Many aspects of this recipe make it appealing. First, it is low in calories, fat, and carbohydrates. The amount of cholesterol is negligible, especially if you use vegetable stock and do not add any cream garnish. It’s a smooth and thick soup, much like a cream-based soup, but happily without the cream. Second, this recipe requires few ingredients and most of the ingredients are pantry staples. Third, both the red peppers and tomatoes are good sources of lycopene. According to Livestrong.com, Lycopene is an antioxidant molecule found in red-colored fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes. A number of studies have shown that diets rich in tomato products can lower the incidence of several cancers as well as heart disease, possibly due to their high lycopene content. The chemical structure of lycopene gives it a number of antioxidant properties that may in theory help prevent cellular damage and fight off some of the effects of aging and chronic disease.

Show your special someone how much you care by serving them this attractive, heart-healthy, red soup. It’s up to you whether or not you want to add the cream garnish, but you’ll really want the heart-shaped croutons to soak up all that hearty goodness!

Red Pepper-Tomato Soup
Recipe from Laura Sabo for Sunset Magazine

Ingredients:
2 or 3 slices French Bread, each about 1/2-inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup (about 1-1/2 oz.) chopped shallots
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup canned peeled roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream or whipping cream (optional)

Directions:
1. With a heart-shaped cookie cutter or a knife, cut heart shapes (3 inches wide or smaller) out of bread. Lay croutons on a baking sheet and brush tops with about 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon basil. Bake in 350 degree oven
until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes for a 3-inch-wide heart.

2. Meanwhile, in a 2 or 3-quart pan, cook shallots, stirring often, in remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat until shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add broth, red peppers, tomatoes and their juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon basil. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover and simmer over low heat 5 to 10 minutes.

3. With slotted spoon, ladle peppers, tomatoes, and shallots into a blender or food processor; whirl until smooth. Return puree to pan; stir into liquid. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Ladle soup into bowls. Spoon dollops of sour cream decoratively over soup; swirl with the tip of a knife through sour cream. Immediately before serving, set heart-shaped croutons on top.

Makes 4 cups (2-3 servings)

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I used a 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers. After rinsing and draining, the amount of red peppers came to just a tad over one cup.

2. Although the recipe called for a 16-ounce can of tomatoes, I only had a 28-ounce can available. I threw the whole amount into the pot figuring it couldn’t hurt – plus what was I going to do with the few remaining canned tomatoes?

3. I started with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and found that was enough for my low-sodium taste buds. I added about 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of sugar – this amount will depend on the sweetness of the tomatoes you are using.

4. The dollops of sour cream sank to the bottom of the bowl, so I used heavy cream instead and dragged a toothpick through them to create the “almost” heart-shaped swirls.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Reindeer Snack Mix

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on December 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Santa and his reindeer have come and gone, leaving not a trace of the Reindeer Snack Mix that was set out for them. They obviously needed to fuel their bodies with carbohydrates for the strenuous night that lay ahead! Many versions of Reindeer Snack Mix exist, but this one has just the right combination of saltiness, spiciness, and sweetness so that everyone who comes in contact with it finds it addicting! Why wait until next Christmas to make this Mix? Put it out at your next gathering and watch how fast it disappears!

Reindeer Snack Mix
Taste of Home Test Kitchen recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups Bugles
2 cups square-shaped, cheese-flavored crackers
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 cup Corn Chex cereal
1 cup bite-sized shredded wheat
1 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1-1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
2. In another bowl, combine the butter, syrup, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Pour over the cereal mixture and toss gently, but thoroughly, to coat.
3. Transfer to an ungreased 15-inch x 1–in baking pan. Bake, uncovered at 250 degrees F for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Serves 9.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. This recipe lends itself easily to substitutions. I use Crispix cereal in lieu of Corn Chex; pecans, walnuts, almonds and cashews work well individually or mixed; popcorn can be substituted for the shredded wheat (although I feel the shredded wheat absorbs the sauce much better); smaller, stubbier pretzels make it easier to grab a handful than the thin stick ones. I always add more Bugles than called for, because these are the first item to be picked out of the Mix and eaten. I usually double these dry ingredients and mix them in a large roasting pan.

2. In step 2, I add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder to the sauce mixture. The level of spiciness can easily be adjusted by adding or reducing the Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Make about 1.5 to 2 times the amount of sauce per batch for better coating.

3. I roast the mix in two shallow-lipped baking pans. Don’t try baking it in a deep pan (such as a roasting pan) because the Mix will take longer to dry out.

Enjoy!

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Hot Mushroom Turnovers

Posted in About me, Holidays, Parenting, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 7, 2010| 10 Comments »

November 1982. That’s what it reads on the upper left-hand corner of a slightly tattered, grease-spotted, magazine page. There’s no additional clue to reveal the identity of the magazine from which I carefully tore out the page. That I saved this page all these years is impressive, but what is incredible to me is that in those early-parenting days I had enough time to read a magazine, let alone had the ambition to make the recipe on the page. Having an eighteen-month-old baby who never slept took its toll out on me back then. So why on earth would a sleep-deprived, working, young mom clip out a recipe for a fancy holiday hors d’oeuvre, when she barely had time to make herself a sandwich? I’m sure it was wishful thinking on my part that my baby would eventually be like others and take a four hour nap instead of a twenty-minute one or that I’d eventually be able to leave the house to make friends and have the energy to entertain! Ever the optimist!

Well, that baby grew up and sleeps quite a bit these days. Somehow I survived his sleepless ways and am thankful that I hung on to that page and recipe all these years. The Hot Mushroom Turnover recipe has become a family favorite. These delicate little turnovers are made with a forgiving cream-cheese pastry and filled with the goodness of fresh mushrooms, bits of onions, rich sour cream, and fragrant thyme. They’re great for holiday entertaining because you can freeze them unbaked –  popping them into the oven when you have company or just when you have a craving for them!

Hot Mushroom Turnovers

Ingredients:
1 – 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups + 2 T all purpose flour, divided use
1/2 + 3 T cup butter, softened, divided use
1/2 pound mushrooms, minced
1 large onion, minced
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1. In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1-1/2 cups flour, and 1/2 cup butter until smooth. Shape into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, melt 3 T butter. Add mushrooms and onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream, salt, thyme, and 2 T flour; set aside.

3. On floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll half of dough 1/8-inch thick. With a floured 2-3/4-inch round cookie cutter or inverted glass, cut out as many circles as possible. Repeat.

4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

5. Onto one half of each dough circle, put 1 teaspoon of the mushroom mixture. Brush edges of circles with egg wash, using a small brush. Fold dough over filling. With fork, firmly press edges together to seal. Prick tops with fork.

6. Place turnovers on ungreased cookie sheet and brush tops with remaining egg wash.

7. Bake 12-14 minutes until golden.

Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. Do not attempt to put more than 1 teaspoon of filling into the turnovers. The turnovers may not seal correctly or may burst while baking if they are over-filled.

2. The onions should be minced smaller than the mushrooms. The mushrooms shrink while they are cooking. Ultimately you want both components to be of the same size.

3. I seem to always have leftover filling. Either use the extra filling for something else (topping for Brie?) or double the amount of pastry dough.

4. In a pinch I think puff pastry sheets could be used instead of making scratch pastry.

5. If you freeze them, make sure you bake them a little longer.

Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Mousse in Puff Pastry Shells

Posted in Holidays, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 16, 2010| 1 Comment »

Want a simple, yet elegant fall dessert recipe? Like the flavors of pumpkin pie, but don’t have the time to make and bake a pie? Don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but want a pleasing pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving? Want a dessert that you can pretty much make a head of time? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to check out this recipe! Using store bought puff pastry and canned pumpkin puree, the only hard part about this recipe is waiting the two hours it takes to chill the pumpkin mousse!

Pumpkin Mousse in Puff Pastry Shells
Adapted from a recipe by Chef Claudia Fleming, Gramercy Tavern

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 cup canned, unsweetened pumpkin puree
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. plus 1/2 cup heavy cream, divided use
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of cloves
Whipped cream for garnish, optional

Directions:
1. Bake puff pastry shells according to package directions. Cool. Remove centers.

2. Sprinkle gelatin over 1 tablespoon of water in a microwave-safe cup. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. Microwave on HIGH 10-15 seconds or just until dissolved.

3. Mix pumpkin, granulated and brown sugars, 2 tablespoons cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Heat to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in gelatin. Cool completely.

4. Beat remaining cream in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Refrigerate until mixture is set, about 2 hours.

5. Spoon pumpkin mousse into pastry shells. Serve with fresh cranberry sauce, if desired.

Serves 6.

Linnell’s Notes:
The pumpkin mousse can be easily made ahead, but the pastry shells will taste better and have a flakier texture if baked the same day as serving.

Although, you could spoon the mousse into the pastry shells, I chose to pipe it in. Instead of using a pastry bag, I used a sandwich-sized, zip-type plastic bag. By cutting less than a half-inch off one of its corners, I was able to insert a coupler and a pastry tip into that corner of the bag. After filling the bag half full with the pumpkin mousse, I piped the mousse into the shells.

Instead of using fresh cranberry sauce as garnish, I whipped up a little extra whipping cream (adding a little powdered sugar while I was whipping it to sweeten the cream) and put a dollop of it on top of the mousse. I finished it off with a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Chopped candied ginger sprinkled on top of the cream would also be a nice finishing touch.

The next time I make this I will add a little orange zest to the pumpkin mousse mixture and perhaps add a little less nutmeg.

Enjoy!

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