Spicy Pumpkin Seed Brittle

I'm using a lot of fresh pumpkin in my baking this time of year, and am finding myself with an abundance of pumpkin seeds. Instead of just throwing these little gems away, I like to quickly roast them in the oven and swap them for the peanuts in my favorite sweet and spicy brittle recipe.

When stored in an airtight jar, Spicy Pumpkin Seed Brittle makes a thoughtful and seasonal gift.

Makes about 16 pieces

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups roasted pumpkin seeds

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup water

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil. Lightly coat a heatproof spatula with non-stick cooking spray and set on aluminum foil lined tray.

2. In a medium saucepot, cook butter, sugar, honey, water, spices, and salt until a deep amber caramel color or 330°F, gently swirling caramel in pan every few minutes. As soon as caramel reaches temperature, immediately remove from heat, add pumpkin seeds and quickly stir once or twice to coat with caramel. Pour brittle over prepared baking sheet and, using greased spatula, spread into a thin even layer. Let cool to room temperature and break into small shards. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Pound Cake with a Maple-Pecan Glaze

This month I’ll be featuring all sorts of pumpkin desserts to help celebrate the season! To kick it off, I baked my favorite pumpkin pound cake with a maple-pecan glaze.

I like to combine equal parts roasted sugar pumpkin and kabocha squash puree for my pumpkin recipes. The kabocha squash is a bit more starch than sugar pumpkin and has a gorgeous bright orange flesh. Once pureed, kabocha makes a thicker puree and has an extra intense squash flavor that pumpkin lovers will really enjoy. And roasting gives the squash and pumpkin, a yummy caramel flavor that add to the warm spices used in the batter.

If y’all love pumpkin as much as I do, don’t forget: There’s much more to come this month!

Pumpkin Pound Cake with a Maple-Pecan Glaze

Makes 12-16 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

5 large eggs

2 cups Roasted Sugar Pumpkin and Kabocha Squash Puree  (recipe follows)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1.     Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Lightly coat a 12-cup Bundt cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices and set aside.

2.     In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Slowly add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until just smooth. Evenly spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted in center.

3.     Cool for 15 minutes in the pan on a rack; invert onto a cooling rack and let cool until room temperature. Glaze with the Maple-Pecan Glaze just before serving.

Maple-Pecan Glaze

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 to 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions:

1.     In a small saucepan, bring the butter, maple syrup, and cream to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the confectioner’s sugar and salt into the hot mixture until smooth. Let cool for about 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the pecans, and pour over the cooled cake.

To make your own pumpkin-kabocha squash puree at home:

Roasted Sugar Pumpkin and Kabocha Squash Puree

Makes about 8 cups

Ingredients:

1 4-pound sugar pumpkin

1 4-pound kabocha squash

Directions:

1.     Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

2.     Cut pumpkin and squash into eighths. Place in large baking dish, fill with about 1/4-inch of water, and cover with foil. Roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until flesh is fork tender. Remove foil and continue to bake until just caramelized, 15 to 30 minutes.

3.     Remove from oven and once cooled enough to handle, use a large spoon to scrape flesh from skin. Puree the pumpkin and squash flesh in a food processor until smooth. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating or using.

Apple Pie Season

Image via Time Out New York magazine

It's September, which marks the official start of Apple Pie Season (in my book). The markets are ripe with heirloom varieties of all shapes and sizes–and it's finally cool enough to turn on your oven! To get you inspired, here's a link to my entry in Time Out New York's best apple pie contest from a few years back: Farmers' Market Cortlandt Apple Pie with Pecan-Oatmeal Streusel. It won a not-too-shabby third place. 

Here's hoping it will inspire a pie bake-off of your own! 

What's In Season: Persimmons

Now that we're past Thanksgiving, can I say a word about pumpkin? Even though technically it's a vegetable, pumpkin gets the starring role in so many autumn desserts. It was a good run, but it's time to make room for some lesser known fall fruits.

Have you tried persimmons? Popular in Japan, persimmons look like little orange tomatoes on the outside, with sweet, slightly musky flesh on the inside. Fresh persimmons would taste fabulous with a dollop of honey and a sprinkle of sea salt. Or you could cook them down into a compote and make a sweet/savory cheese garnish. I use a persimmon puree (with a hearty dose of brandy) to make Persimmon Pudding, a dense, moist cake. The bright orange slices look so festive when arranged on top!

What are your favorite fall fruits? Anything unusual?

Persimmon Pudding! Recipe to be published in my cookbook.