Belle de boskoop Mince Pies

Belle de boskoop mince pie

Merry Christmas to all of my wonderful readers out there. I’d like to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season, and also share a great seasonal treat with you; mince pie. This recipe came to mind when I started cleaning the pantry and the refrigerator to get them organized for 2013. When I saw these sad looking Belle de boskoop apples that I had purchased at the UBC apple festival last October, I knew I could turn them into something magical that evoked the best elements of a  white Christmas.

As goboroot literally goes back to its roots in the next few weeks during my trip abroad, I’m hoping to report foodie or may not so foodie scenes in the land of Japan. So stay tuned! xoxo

Belledeboskoop mince pie

Belle de boskoop mince pie

Belle de boskoop mince pie

Warm holiday wishes

Belle de boskoop Mince Pies

Makes 8 x 2½ inch muffin tin

Filling (start a day before serving)

2 Belle de boskoop apples, cut into ¼ inch pieces

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup shredded coconut

2 tablespoons cane sugar

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon brandy based vanilla extract (or regular vanilla extract)

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Pie dough

150g butter, softened

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

¼ cup lightly packed, ground and blanched almonds

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, room temperature and lightly beaten

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

Extra butter for greasing the tin

Extra flour for dusting the tin and rolling the dough

1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water for brushing the tops of the pies

Extra confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Make the filling by combining all the ingredients well. Let stand overnight in the refrigerator.

Next day. Grease the pan with butter and dust lightly with flour. Keep in the refrigerator.

Make the dough. Place the butter in a food processor and beat until creamy. Add the sugar, almonds, salt, vanilla and egg, and continue to beat until well incorporated.

Scrape down the side of the wall as necessary. Add the flour in a few installments. Continue to beat until the dough comes together to form a ball.

Separate the dough in two portions. Flour the working surface and flatten the dough into disks. Wrap with a piece of Saran wrap separately, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Take out the filling from the refrigerator and stir well. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Flour the work surface well and roll one of the disks into 1/8 inch thickness with a rolling pin, keeping the other disk in the refrigerator.

Cut out 8 X 3 ½ inch circles. Fit the circles into the muffin tin.

Roll another disk into 1/8 inch thickness on the floured work surface. Cut out 8 X 2 ½ inch circles. Fill the muffin tin with the mince filling, press the circles and seal. Using water makes it easy to stick the bottom and top dough pieces together. Make slits on the top of the pies.

Combine egg yolk and water to make an egg wash. Brush plenty on top of the pies.

Bake until the sides of the pies become golden brown, for about 30 minutes.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Pie dough adapted from Desserts by Pierre Hermé

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce

Here in Vancouver, when the sun finally peeks through heavy clouds, I run outside, stand up straight with my arms outstretched, eyes closed, feeling the warmth of the sun.  This experience is rare, and lasts only for a few minutes during winter, however, I’m always in awe of how this simple act can help recharge me. “Just Feel the Warmth of the Sun Act.” In my kitchen, I tend to recreate the bright sunshine when actual sunlight isn’t an option.

crab apple tree in the garden

Pumpkin cheesecake

When it comes to baking, my twin sister is the go-to person. She bakes everything, from heavy, dense Scandinavian style bread with her own homemade yeast to traditional Japanese buns filled with red bean paste, to biscotti, bagels, gluten-free kids’ birthday cakes and so much more. Since she gladly shared this cheesecake recipe with me a long time ago, it has remained on my mind every time I roast Marina Di Chioggia winter squashes. As it turns out, the cake was absolutely loved by everyone at dinner parties even after a full season of feasts.

caramel sauce

Chasmanthium latifolium

Pumpkin cheesecake

Pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

Makes 9 inch springform pan

Crust

30g whole wheat digestive cookies

40g chocolate cookies

30g butter, melted

Filling

250g cream cheese, room temperature

50ml whipping cream

100g sugar

2 eggs

10g cornstarch

200g pumpkin puree

30g sugar

1 egg yolk

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Caramel sauce

½ cup whipping cream

30g butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup brown sugar

Make crust by smashing cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin until fine texture is achieved. Combine well with butter, press into the bottom of the pan and keep refrigerated.

Preheat the oven to 390F. Set a kettle of water on the stove. You are going to use this later for steaming the cake in the oven. Not quite tea time yet!

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, and add the whipping cream, sugar, eggs and starch. Combine well.

In another bowl, thoroughly mix the pumpkin, sugar, egg yolk and cinnamon. Then, pour in ½ of cream cheese mixture and stir well.

Pour the rest of the cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust. Next, gently add the pumpkin mixture to the crust, and then swirl the top to create the marble effect.

Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with a piece of tin foil. Next, place the pan in a rimmed baking sheet on the centre rack in the oven. Pour the boiling water up to the rim of the baking sheet.

Lower the oven to 320F and bake for 1 hour. If the top becomes too dark after 40 minutes, cover the top with a piece of tin foil. Leave the cake in the oven to cool. When the cake is completely cooled, refrigerate at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.

Make the caramel sauce ahead of time before serving. Place the cream, butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and keep stirring until thickened, for about 8 minutes.

When serving the cake, run a knife around the edge inside the springform, then release and lift the pan gently. Serve with caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce recipe adapted from Donna Hay Magazine.

 

Pumpkin Doughnuts

pumpkin doughnuts

I was inspired when I saw this recipe by Crispy Bits and Burnt Ends on Noshing with the Nolands. I had just been looking for a way to rescue our badly bruised and scratched pumpkin after rolling it on a steep gravel road at a local pumpkin (technically winter squash) rolling contest. We didn’t win the prize but were amazed how fast, straight and far it rolled from the shoot!

pumpkin doughnuts

I have been collecting seeds from pumpkins I have grown over the last three years, and now some of my pumpkins have started becoming somewhat strange looking and less sweet to taste. If you have a goal to save seeds, don’t be greedy like me planting kabocha, Uchiki red kuri, Marina Di Chioggia and so on in one garden. I would recommend that you grow one cultivar or type from each species so as to prevent them from cross-pollinating, which ends up producing seeds whose traits are unknown to us.  A good idea would be to pick one cultivar “Marina Di Chioggia” from Cucurbita maxima, delicata from Cucurbita pepo and butternut squash from Cucurbita moschata; that way you will be able to harvest pure seeds to grow during the next season. If you have planted mish mash this summer, then the seeds from those fruits are not suited for saving but make great snacks when roasted with spices!

pumpkin doughnuts and coffee

Thankfully, I received inspiration in the nick of time and decided to turn my glorious leftover pumpkin (the one from the pure seed back, not from the abovementioned Frankenseeds) into doughnuts. We had these doughnuts in the darkness of evening after coming back from a long, soggy walk with our two dogs. They didn’t seem to like this much rain. Since it was Halloween night, we saw groups of poor kids out and about in costumes hidden under their raincoats. As we reached home and dried off, we were looking forward to welcoming the next morning, rain or shine, because we knew that the rest of doughnuts were awaiting us for breakfast. It would be a nice way to start another otherwise miserable rainy day.

pumpkin doughnuts and coffee

As a side note, besides beating the autumn rain blues with the power of delicious doughnuts, I have also picked up some beautiful handspun linen from Heather Ross; I absolutely love its colour and cloud-like texture that suddenly brought some much-needed sunshine to my soul and to our table. What is your pick-me-up for your soul on wet, cold, dark, gray, rainy days?

pumpkin from the garden on hand spun linen from Heather Ross

Pumpkin Doughnuts

My grandma, my twin sister and I used to make shredded carrot and parsley doughnuts together in her kitchen as part of my grandma’s effort to introduce us to vegetables at a very young age. This time, I used a homegrown pumpkin and froze the rest in a single portion for soup, lasagne, croquettes, bread, buns, dog cookies and so forth.

Yields about 2 ½ dozen with a 2.5 inch doughnut cutter

1 pumpkin or winter squash to extract ¾ cup puree

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cardamom

2 tablespoons butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup milk, room temperature

Grape seed or canola oil

Extra sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut a pumpkin in half, discard the seeds and roast on a baking sheet until soft, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and spoon out the meat. Puree when the pumpkin is completely cooled.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices all together.

Cream the butter and add sugar gradually until fluffy. Add the egg and combine well. Add vanilla, milk and pumpkin and stir until incorporated. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.

Heat the oil over medium low heat to reach 370F. The oil’s height should be around 1 ½ inches in a deep skillet. In the meantime, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to ½ inch thickness and cut out rings. Transfer to a floured baking sheet.

Fry the doughnuts until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Rest the doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Make sure the oil temperature stays the same before adding another batch.

Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Adapted from Crispy Bits and Burnt Ends