Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake (Happy Birthday Tamara!)

Whenever I make a new cake, Mister Man loudly exclaims "this is your best cake EVER". Well, this time, I think he might have actually been right!

It was Tamara's birthday, and as always, we were heading to her place for a pot luck. We had appies thanks to Kari and Jan. (Oh, I should mention that the FIRST thing we do when we arrive at Tamara's place is to change into our pj's. Life is better when you're wearing pajamas.)

And Tamara, bless her socks, had quizzes. And we all know that quizzes lead to prizes!

I love this photo of Jan. She is taking one of the quizzes...

And I also love this photo of Tamara. She is opening presents.

After the quizzes and gifts, it was time for dinner. And dinner always leads to dessert. Andrew and Tamara were doing salmon on the grill, and they also did a really tasty potato dish from the Rebar Cookbook (I really do have to pick up a copy of this book for our home because there are some fabulous recipes in there!) Aileen was doing her world famous Caesar Salad, and I was doing birthday cake. Tamara LOVES all things orange, and being the season of orange, I thought she might enjoy a pumpkin spice cake. It just so happens that the latest issue of Fine Cooking magazine featured a recipe for Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake *insert chorus of angels singing*. It sounded delicious.

And delicious it was..... moist and slightly spicy, I would recommend this cake any day. It's worth the labour (and it is a bit labour intensive). Honestly.

Here's the recipe directly from the pages of Fine Cooking Magazine.

The Puree

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 medium-large pumpkin, cut in half from stem to bottom and seeded

(tinned pumpkin works too!)

The Cake

6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, more for greasin' the pans

9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached, all purpose flour, more for the pans

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

The topping

1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cups pecans

2 Tbsp firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp table salt

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped crystallized ginger

The Frosting (I doubled this part of the recipe, because I needed to patch a couple of divets that happened when the cakes didn't release so well)

4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 oz. (1 1/4 cups) confectioners' sugar

The pumpkin purée

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Brush a 9x13-inch baking dish with the oil. Put the pumpkin halves in the dish cut side down and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Peel the pumpkin and purée the flesh in a food processor until smooth. You’ll need 1-1/2 cups of the purée for the cake. Refrigerate or freeze any remaining purée for another use.

The cake

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

Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans with removable bottoms (or butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, butter the parchment, and flour the pans).

Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not set, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves. In a large bowl, whisk 1-1/2 cups of the pumpkin purée with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and buttermilk until very well blended. With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Gently whisk in the brown butter until completely incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake the cakes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto racks, remove the pan bottoms or parchment, and cool completely.

The topping

Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and cook until the pecans brown slightly, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and salt and stir until the sugar melts and the nuts are glazed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ginger. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool in the skillet.

Make the frosting

(NOTE: I doubled it as I needed to patch a couple of divets that happened when the cakes didn't release brilliantly)

Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Pour into

a small bowl and let stand until the solids settle at the bottom of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the bowl to the freezer and chill until just firm, about 18 minutes. Using a spoon, carefully scrape the butter from bowl, leaving the browned solids at the bottom; discard the solids.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and the brown sugar has dissolved, 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Assemble the cake

Put one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread 1/2 cup of the frosting on the layer. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nut mixture over the frosting and top with the second layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Arrange the remaining topping in a ring 1-1/2 inches in from the edge of the cake and serve.

American friends, if you're looking for a perfect Thanksgiving dessert, I think this cake might fit the bill perfectly.

P.S. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I did happen to win a prize. It was a much coveted Oprah magazine and it's still hanging proudly in our reading room! Let's face it, the odd issue of Oprah magazine makes the world a nicer place.....

Father's Day: A Day Fit For a King

Oh it was glorious. As Mister Man pointed out, there were 5 starches on his plate. 5!!! This is a meal made for my people.

Because there were going to be so many of us at dinner, I wanted to make a couple of desserts that would go far, so I opted for a big pan of Fudge Brownies and a pan of Gingered Lemon Bars. I noted that one of the cousins broke into the plate of brownies before we'd even begun the main event. I took this as a good sign!

Uncle Dal made a 14 pound roast on the BBQ. The scent of the beast cooking was enough to send us ALL into the pool to cool down. It was delicious.

Here's Bob. Clearly he was in his happy place.

As were Merilee and Cathy.

And Dodie and her grandson:

And who could possibly be in a bad mood when there are brownies on the dessert table?

Ultimate Fudge Brownies

12 oz (1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into about 9 pieces. More softened for the pan.)

3 3/4 ounces (1 1/4 cups) natural cocoa powder (sifted if it's become lumpy)

2 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

5 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla

7.5 ounces (1 2/3 cup all purpose flour)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch straight-sided metal baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on the short sides. Lightly butter the foil.

Put the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until melted, about 2 minutes. Take it off the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and salt, and whisk until well blended. Use your fingertip to check the temperature of the batter—it should be warm, not hot. If it’s hot, set the pan aside for a minute or two before continuing.

Whisk in the eggs, two and then three at a time, until just blended. Whisk in the vanilla until the batter is well blended. Sprinkle the flour over the batter and stir with a rubber spatula until just blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with small bits of brownie sticking to it, 35 to 45 minutes. For fudgy brownies, do not over bake. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack, about 3 hours.

When the brownies are cool, use the foil overhang to lift them from the pan. Invert onto a cutting board and carefully peel away the foil. Flip again and cut into 24 squares. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month.

Mister Man's Buttermilk Biscuits

I have the best partner in the world. Last Sunday, for Father's Day, he leapt out of bed at the crack of dawn to whip up 3 batches of his delicious buttermilk biscuits. The scent came sashaying into the bedroom and tantalized me into consciousness. Now THAT'S the way to wake a gal up!! I was out of bed in seconds, and testing a biscuit hot out of the oven - spread with a dollop of honey, and a smidgen of love. Flaky goodness - that's what it was.

So I snapped some photos of his nib(bles) at work.

Pretty darn cute!

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup vegetable shortening, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk, plus additional for brushing

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or your hands or a stand mixer fixed with a dough hook until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup buttermilk. Using your hands, quickly fold the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until a sticky dough forms. You may need to add more buttermilk.Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently fold the dough over itself 3 or 4 times to create layers. Press the dough out to 1 1/2-inches thick and cut with a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter. Lay the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown. I can promise you that when you walk in the room carrying this:

you'll pretty much be the most popular person on the block!

Pudding and Play

We all lead such busy lives that we had to book an afternoon with Ms. Annie and Ms. Lara about 10 days in advance! We decided that we all needed to relax, so I made a pitcher of Sangria and we broke out the horse racing game (a wedding gift from Shelley and Anthony) and laughed our faces off.

I made one of my favourite desserts, a homemade vanilla pudding. To me, this is creamy perfection. It goes down smoothly and is so cool and creamy on the tongue. It's so darn simple too. And, you can double the recipe.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

(from Fine Cooking Magazine Fresh and Quick Issue)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

5 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean or 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 large egg yolks

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces at room temperature

In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt until well blended. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the vanilla bean if using. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. This should take anywhere from about 4-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until well blended. When the milk mixture is thickened and simmering, slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes back to a boil, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

Remove the vanilla bean with a fork, and scrape any remaining seeds into the pudding. Throw out the pod. Add the butter and IF you're using vanilla extract instead of the bean, add it now. Whisk until everything is blended. Portion the hot mixture evenly into 4 bowls. Gentle press a piece of plastic on the surface of the pudding, so that no icky film forms as it cools. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm. It will last in your fridge for 3 days.

I must say, this is a perfect summer dessert. (Not that we've seen summer around these parts yet - but I'm hopeful.)

Pineapple Upside Down Cake That Will Set Your World on End

Dear Smitten Kitchen. You have got it goin' on. Thank-you for this recipe which takes an old school concept and, with the addition of fresh fruit and juice, it total kicks its way into the new millennium. At the inaugural BBQ this was a fabulous finish to a fabulous meal: sweet and comforting with a slightly tart overtone.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (a la Smitten Kitchen)

The Topping:

1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored

3/4 stick unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

The Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon dark rum

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake

I made the caramel in a small pot and poured it into a 9" cake pan. Smitten Kitchen suggests that, in an ideal world, you use a well seasoned cast iron skillet. I didn't have one, but found that making the caramel in a pot worked just fine.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut the pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, for four minutes. Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in a circular pattern.

Then you're going to sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let it stand for five minutes before inverting a plate over the pan and flipping the cake onto the plate. Keep the plate pressed firmly against the pan during this process! You can sprinkle rum over the cake (though I didn't).

Serve it warm or at room temperature. I served it at room temperature and almost everyone had 2 pieces. Mister Man even said that he wanted this for his birthday cake! Now THAT'S high praise....

Ann's Date Squares (thanks to Step!)

During our down time at the workshop 2 weekends ago, a couple of us were bonding over baking. Steph talked about a recipe her mom swears by for date squares, and I promised I'd take it out for a spin and post the results.

This is a lovely new twist on a classic. The orange and coffee create an exotic flavour - and the filling doesn't contain any sugar, so these aren't too sweet at all. They have a kind of sophistication that take them to the next level.

Ann's Date Squares

Filling

2 c chopped, pitted dates

1 c brewed coffee

Combine above ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil – immediately lower heat and simmer until dates are soft (about 10 min) – remove from heat, stir in the following:

1 Tbsp lemon juice

juice of 1/2 orange

grated rind of orange set aside to cool

Crumb

1 1/4 c all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Mix above ingredients in large bowl and then cut in the following:

3/4 c cold butter

then add:

1 1/4 c rolled oats

3/4 c lightly packed brown sugar

2 tbsp ground hazelnuts or other chopped nuts (optional)

Press half the crumb mixture into an 8” square pan – spread this layer with filling and then top the filling with the remaining crumb mixture bake at 325 F for 25-30 minutes. Let them cool totally before you dive in. Oh! And they're lovely with a warm beverage... like a lovely cuppa tea.

Chocolate Raspberry Tart with a Gingersnap Crust (AKA delicious and easier than you think)

Mister Man and I do love having fun folks over for meals. He is a stellar cook and together, I think we make a good team. He's on Team Savory and I'm on Team Sweet = Team Full Meal Deal.

We had some fabulous friends over this week (on a school night no less! which just goes to show you how much we love 'em!); Eileen, Allan and Big Snit. Mister Man made his soon-to-be-world-famous braised short ribs. I have to confess that we tucked into those babies so quickly and fervently, we didn't even stop for a photo. I'm a bit embarrassed to actually fess up to that one. He served the short ribs with buttery mashed taters and blanched asparagus. One of our guests brought a lovely crunchy salad, so we were happy campers. It was unbelievably delicious. Here they are now: Mister Man and Allan.

EB and Big Snit.

We were all waaaaay too full after the main course, so we actually took pause, during which time I managed to snap these photos of the dessert I made. And here's the thing about this dessert (aside from the fact that it was delicious - a beautiful combo of tart and sweet) - it's EASY to make! And I'm not even pulling your leg! The recipe comes from my favourite foodie mag: Fine Cooking - the CHOCOLATE ISSUE (I feel like there should be piles of reverb on that)

Here's what you do.

Ingredients

About 40 gingersnap wafers (to yield 1 1/2 cups finely ground)

4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Small pinch salt

Instructions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Smear a 9" fluted tart pan (with a removable bottom) with a bit of vegetable oil. In a food processor, grind those gingersnaps until they're the texture of sand. Transfer to a bowl, add the melted butter, and work it in by stirring the mixture or mushing it together with your hands. Press it into the sides and bottom of the oiled tart pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm.

Bake the tart crust on the baking sheet until fragrant, about 13 minutes, checking and rotating if needed to make the sure the crust doesn't get too dark. Set on a rack to cool.

[Allow me to pause and show you this photo of a beautiful man holding a beautiful tart]

Meanwhile, pass 1 cup of the berries through a food mill fitted with a fine disk or force them through a fine sieve, mashing with the bottom of a measuring cup, into a medium bowl. You should end up with about 1/2 cups of puree. Set it aside and throw away the contents of the strainer. Put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream just until boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate; whisk to blend. Stir in the raspberry puree and the salt. Pour the mixture into the cooled tart shell. Refrigerate until the ganache is fairly firm, about 1 hour. Arrange the remaining raspberries on top of the ganache. Chill until the ganache is completely firm, about 30 minutes, and serve. You can even make this up to one day ahead.

I'll close by sharing a photo of the beautiful bouquet of my favourite flowers that were brought to me by Allan.

Minty Chocolate Thumbprints

I had the privilege of spending the weekend in a workshop with a truly amazing and beautiful group of people. You may recall a post I did a few months back about audio description for the blind and visually impaired? This weekend, four of us we were invited to an advanced workshop to learn from our amazing and wise mentor, Deborah Lewis. I do have some photos to share with you of the weekend, but first I want to share the recipe of the cookies I baked for my friends and colleagues to enjoy as we rolled up our sleeves and dived a little deeper into the world of audio description.

I adapted this recipe from one by Martha Stewart. Here's the secret ingredient. These are from Trader Joe's. They are delectable little discs of minty dark chocolate called Mint UFO'S.

Minty Chocolate Thumbprints

(adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar (plus about 6 tsp for rolling)

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

a handful of Trader Joe's Mint UFO's

Sift together four, cocoa and salt into a bowl. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in the yolk, vanilla and chocolate. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put about 6 teaspoons of granulated sugar into a small bowl. Form the dough into balls that are about an inch in diameter. Roll in sugar and place about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Press the centre of each ball with your thumb and gently push a Mint UFO into the indentation.

Bake until the cookies begin to crack about 10-12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheets for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

These are quite lovely if you're fond of that delectable combo of mint and chocolate.

Not to Go On and ON and ON about the Tart thing... but Pea, Ham and Sour Cream Tartlets

I hope I don't sound like a one trick pony, but after the walloping success of the fruit-full tart, I wanted to attempt a savory tart. Boy am I ever glad I did. This one strikes a major high on the yum scale, and while I may not quite be a pastry chef yet, I can say that my pastry wasn't bad!! Or perhaps it was elevated by the brilliance of the filing.

Pastry

generous 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

pinch of salt

2 1/2 ounces (75 gms) cold butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

cold water

Filling

scant 1 1/2 cup frozen peas

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 shallots, finely choped

3 1/2 ounces (100 gms) cooked ham

1/2 cup sour cream

3 egg yolks

salt and pepper

Grease 4 x 4 3/4" fluted, loose bottomed, tart pans. Sift the flour and salt into a food processor. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Tip the misture into a large blow and add the Parmesan a a tiny bit of cold water - just enough to bring the dough together. Turn out onto a floured counter (or one of those fantastic silicone pastry mats). Roll each piece to fit the tart pans. Careflly fit each piece of dough in tis shell and pres gently to fit the pan. Trim the edges. Cut 6 pieces of parchment paper and fit a piece in each pan, fill with dried beans or pastry weights and let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the tart shell blind for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Then remove the parchment paper and beans.

Meanwhile cook the peas for about a minute in hot water (don't over-do you want them to remain plump). Train. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the shallots and cook gently for 10 minutes, then add the ham and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Stir the sour cream and egg yolks together. Add the peas to the skillet, remove from head and stir in the sour cream and egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper and divide between the tart shells. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until the filling is set.

And while you're enjoying your tarts, might I also recommend a game of something fun, like our newest board game "Sequence"? (Or as we like to pretentiously say victoriously when we're about to score a point, "Sih-kwhanssssss".)

And, um, is it just me or does this hand look like it's intending to pull the rug right out from under my little feet???