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Pumpkin Pie Mini-Soufflés: More rich, less filling

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Gourmet Thanksgiving in Advance (described here) Recipe #5

At the end of a big holiday meal (particularly one with the Gourmet Thanksgiving dishes I have been making), you’re probably going to be pretty full.

Nonetheless, you’re going to want dessert. And face it, no matter how full you are, you’re not going to want baked apples or fat free pumpkin frozen yogurt. You want a real Thanksgiving dessert.

Enter: Pumpkin Pie Mini-Soufflés. Richer and more flavorful than pumpkin pie, yet crustless and pre-portioned in individual ramekins. Have your soufflé and eat it too, and feel great afterwards.

Pumpkin Pie Mini-Soufflés

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine’s Spiced-Pumpkin Soufflés

What I changed (reflected below) and why: Half and half instead of whole milk because I never have whole milk on hand; doubled spices for enhanced flavor; succanat instead of white sugar for added nutrition and molasses flavor; skipped the confectioner’s sugar on top, whipped cream and bourbon molasses sauce to save time and because I liked how the soufflés tasted alone.

1/2 cup half and half
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon succanat, divided, plus additional for coating ramekins
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin (from a 15-oz can, not pie filling)
10 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Whisk together half and half, cornstarch, spices, and 1 Tbsp succanat in a small heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking, then simmer, whisking, 2 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and whisk in pumpkin. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in lower third. Butter ramekins and coat with succanat, knocking out excess, then put in a large shallow baking pan.

4. Beat egg whites with salt in another large bowl using an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Add remaining 3/4 cup succanat a little at a time, beating, then beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks, 1 to 2 minutes more.

5. Fold one third of whites into cooled pumpkin mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Divide mixture among eight 6-oz ramekins, mounding it.

6. Bake soufflés until puffed and golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Soufflés will deflate with time.

    Posted in Recipes, Sweets | 2 Responses »
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    Recipe: Pecan-Crusted Goat Cheese Balls

    Saturday, November 15th, 2008

    Gourmet Thanksgiving in Advance (described here) Recipe #3

    Gorgeous, easy to make, and ridiculously delicious. Be sure to make these! Bet you can’t eat just six.

    Pecan-Crusted Goat Cheese Balls

    Adapted from Gourmet Magazine’s Pecan and Goat-Cheese Marbles

    1 cup pecans (1/4 lb)
    1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
    1/2 teaspoon sugar
    1 (11-oz) log soft goat cheese
    2 teaspoons minced rosemary (I used dried)
    1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed with side of a large knife, then chopped
    About 50 to 60 large flat-leaf parsley leaves

    1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in upper third. Toss pecans with butter, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then toast in a 4-sided sheet pan until fragrant and a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes. (Watch them very closely. If some happen to get a little burnt/dark, don’t worry- I thought it added a “smokey” taste and we still gobbled them up.) Transfer to a plate and cool completely.

    2. Chop pecans rather finely, then transfer to a wide shallow bowl.

    3. Stir together goat cheese, rosemary, coriander, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until combined well. Form teaspoons of cheese mixture into marbles between your palms, then roll in pecans to coat and roll between your palms again briefly. Transfer to a plate.

    4. Put a parsley leaf over each cheese marble and spear together with a wooden pick.

    Posted in Appetizers, Recipes | 8 Responses »
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    Recipe: Wild Mushroom and Collard Green Bundles

    Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

    Gourmet Thanksgiving in Advance (described here) Recipe #2

    Perhaps the most delicious way to eat collard greens, particularly for those who dislike bitter-tasting collards and/or vegetarians who can’t do the collard greens & bacon thing.

    When you get to step 3, be generous with the filling in each leaf. I had extra which I put in romaine leaves. As you can see in the photo, they’re not as pretty (though surprisingly still tasty, but not as good as the collards).

    Wild Mushroom and Collard Green Bundles

    Adapted from Gourmet Magazine’s Wild-Mushroom Bundles

    8 large collard leaves, stems and thick portion of center ribs removed
    1/2 cup vermouth
    2 tablespoons shallot, finely diced
    1 teaspoon minced garlic
    4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
    1 lb mixed fresh wild mushrooms: shitake, oyster, and chanterelle, cut into wedges (6 cups)
    1. Cook collards in a large pot of boiling water with 1 Tbsp salt until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes, then drain. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then spread leaves, undersides up, on paper towels, overlapping cut edges slightly, and pat dry.
    2. Bring wine to a boil with shallot, garlic, butter, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a heavy medium saucepan. Add mushrooms and cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes. Butter a 2-qt shallow baking dish, then strain mushroom juices into baking dish, reserving mushrooms.
    3. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third. Mound a 1/4 cup mushrooms in center of each collard leaf. Fold leaves to enclose filling and arrange bundles, seam sides down, in 1 layer in baking dish and cover the dish with foil. (Or, if making in advance, at this point refrigerate the baking dish for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before heating.)
    4. Heat in oven until bundles are hot and juices are bubbling, about 20 minutes.

    Posted in Recipes, Side Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegetables | No Responses »
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    Recipe: Cranberry, Quince, and Pearl Onion Compote

    Monday, November 10th, 2008

    Gourmet Thanksgiving in Advance (described here) Recipe #1.

    A refreshing, sweet/tart accompaniment to turkey and mashed potatoes. It’s worth it to find quince, which has a pear-like consistency when cooked and a festive winter holiday flavor.

    Cranberry, Quince, and Pearl Onion Compote

    Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, November 2008

    1/2 lb pearl onions (2 cups) – the recipe says “red preferred,” but I could only find white
    2 cups organic apple juice
    1/2 cup (raw) sugar- the recipe called for 1 cup but I found half to be very sweet
    2 T cider vinegar
    6 cloves
    1 tsp coriander seeds- next time I might crush them or use a powdered form since the crunchy seeds stand out in the finished dish
    2 quinces, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
    1 (12-oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed if frozen)

    1. Trim root end of each onion and cut an X in it. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute, then drain in a colander. Cool slighly, then peel. Be liberal in what you peel off, since the fibrous outer layers will compete with the texture of the final dish.

    2. Bring juice, sugar, vinegar, and spices to a boil in a 3-qt heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add onions and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add quinces and continue simmering, uncovered, stirring occasionally until both onions and quinces are tender but not falling apart.

    3. Add cranberries and simmer until tender but not falling apart, 5 to 8 minutes. Discard cloves (easier to find than I had feared!). Trasnfer fruit and onions to a bowl using a slotted spoon, then boil syrup, if necessary, until reduced to 1/3 cup. Pour syrup over compote and cool to room temperature. (May be made 3 days ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

    Posted in Recipes, Side Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegetables | 2 Responses »
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    Book Club “Lite”: Gourmet Magazine

    Sunday, November 9th, 2008

    Books (and book clubs) are great and all, but sometimes–during a busy subway commute or late at night– reading a full page of text (and then turning the page and doing it all over again) aggravates A.D.D. or exhaustion.

    At these times, captions and blurbs of text are more manageable. Especially if they’re interspersed with pictures.

    My first nomination for Book Club Lite: Gourmet Magazine. Fancy ingredients and innovative techniques, but straightforward recipes. And for people who’ve always preferred pictures to words: the photographs are BIG.

    I’ve decided to make several of this month’s holiday recipes in advance, to give you a heads up in case you might want to use some of Gourmet’s recipes at your Thanksgiving table.

    Posted in Book Club | 9 Responses »
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