Pumpkin Cheesecake

As a fan of pumpkin and cheesecake, this is my favorite recipe.  Hint: It is as close as you can get to that famous cheesecake place.  This recipe is on the menu for Thanksgiving by special request of my dinner guests.  Cheesecake is always better baked 24 hours ahead, and will free up your oven for your big dinner.  However...you will need more refrigerator space :-)

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham crumbs

5 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. sugar

Filling:

3- 8oz.pkgs. Cream cheese, softened

1-cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1-cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Cloves or allspice

Whipped Cream (1 pint whipping cream sweetened with 1 T powdered sugar & 1 tsp vanilla)

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 2/3 up the sides of an 8" spring form pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350 degrees set aside.

Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. Add pumpkin eggs, and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 min. or till the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven. Allow cheesecake to reach room temperature, and then refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and transfer to serving platter. Decorate with whipped cream.  Hint: Add a teaspoon of instant vanilla pudding to stabilize the whipped cream if you are not serving immediately.

Pumpkin Muffins

     Unless you have been living under a rock, you've noticed pumpkin-related dishes and beverages are the latest food trend. Yes, pumpkin...a super food packed with 280% of our daily Vitamin A requirement. Who knew? What a wonderful stroke of luck for Libby's! Pumpkin...it's not just for Thanksgiving pie. In fact, Felix Salmon, a leading financial journalist writing in New York magazine says "pumpkin is the new bacon." So what's next--a massive pumpkin shortage? Note to self...begin hoarding cans of pumpkin...
      My quest this month is achieving delicious pumpkin flavor paired with a balanced ratio of fall spices. Last week it was doughnuts. Healthy, but not enough spice to balance the pumpkin. This week my quest was the ubiquitous muffin. While mixing a fresh batch of pumpkin pie spice mix this morning, I realized what was missing from the pumpkin doughnut recipe--cloves! Mortar and pestle to the rescue. Nothing says 'aroma' quite like the smell of freshly ground cloves. Viola! Spice balance achieved!
      If you enjoy soft, moist muffins redolent with the fragrance of fall spices, this is the recipe you've been waiting for. Pure pumpkin comfort food with 10 minutes of preparation time. Parting thought: Never underestimate the value of freshly ground spices. I promise, your taste buds will thank you!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice 
(yield approximately one heaping tablespoon)

Pumpkin Muffins

2 teaspoons Vietnamese cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup 100% pure pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.  Paper-line or spray 12 muffin cups

COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
COMBINE Sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in a mixer bowl and beat with wire whisk until blended.
Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir with wooden spoon until moist--be gentle, don't over-mix.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

BAKE 25-30 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire rack about 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and place on wire rack to cool completely--if you can wait that long. Frost with cream cheese icing if desired. Store in covered container.

Cinnamon Rolls (the easy way)

Personally, I find the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls to be intoxicating.  Spice combined with fragrant yeast dough is pure heaven, at least in my mind.  This recipe makes fabulous rolls the easy way, using the bread maker for the dough.  There is still about 4 hours involved, but very little hands-on time is required.  You still get to enjoy the smells from baking them in the oven.  Enjoy!

Dough:

1 cup water
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
3 1/3 cups bread flour (King Arthur is my choice)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast or quick acting yeast

Filling:


1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (preferably Saigon cinnamon)
2 tablespoons softened butter

Directions:

1. Add all dough ingredients to the bread pan in your bread maker in the order listed.  Select Sweet Dough cycle or set time for 1:35 hours.
2. Grease a 9 x 9 x 2 inch square pan.  Mix 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon.  Roll dough on lightly floured surface into 18 x 9 inch rectangle.  Spread with 2 tablespoons of butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Roll up tightly beginning with the short end of the dough.  Pinch edges of the dough to seal.  Cut rolls into 1-inch slices (easiest using dental floss to keep the round shape).  Place in pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1 to 1 1/4 hours).
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from pan; drizzle glaze over warm rolls.  9 rolls.

Glaze:  Mix 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk (I use heavy cream for a richer flavor) until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese

We all have a favorite comfort food.  Mine has always been macaroni and cheese. Homemade--not the stuff in the box.  While my mom made really great mac and cheese, I have always searched for new recipes.  Years ago I came across a recipe in SAVEUR, a great foodie magazine.  It is rich, creamy, decadent and can be called grown up because there is a bit of cayenne pepper to turn up the flavor.  It's not difficult to make, but be sure to allow yourself about 30 minutes of prep time plus another 30 minutes of baking.  This recipe is a splurge, not calorie friendly, but isn't that why we exercise?  I promise you will love it.

8 tbsp. (one stick) unsalted butter
6 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cayenne (red) pepper
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
3 3/4 cups hot milk
4 cups grated sharp cheddar, divided (freshly grated tastes best)
1 lb. ditalini (short macaroni), cooked
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt 6 tbsp. butter in a medium stainless-steel saucepan  over low heat.  Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes.  (It is essential for the flour to foam while it cooks or the sauce will taste like raw flour).  Stir in the cayenne pepper and season to taste with salt and white pepper.  Whisk in hot milk, 1/2 cup at a time, and cook, stirring until the sauce thickens.  Reduce heat to low and stir in 2 cups of cheese.  Cook and stir until cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

2.  Combine pasta and sauce in a large bowl.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over the bottom of a buttered 8" x 11" baking dish.  Place one-third of the pasta in the dish, top with 1/2 cup of cheese, then repeat, layering pasta and cheese, ending with the cheese, making three layers in all.  Pour cream over assembled macaroni and cheese.

3.  Melt remaining 2 tbsp. of butter in a skillet.  Add bread crumbs, coat with melted butter, and sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese.  Bake until crust is golden, about 30 minutes.  Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.