Celebrate National Pumpkin Day!

Today is National Pumpkin Day! What are you doing to celebrate this fall specialty? Admittedly, this wasn't on my list to celebrate today, but I thought it would be fun to feature another fabulous pumpkin bundt that I baked this week. The All-in-One Holiday Bundt recipe was created by Dorie Greenspan and is in her book, Baking From My Home to Yours. (The recipe can also be found here.)

The recipe is a fabulous combination of pumpkin, apples, cranberries, and pecans all of which is laced together with a delicious mixture of warming fall spices such as ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. My version baked beautifully and when it came time to guild the lily I opted to make my own cream cheese glaze. The glaze draped the cake beautifully. Toasted pecans added a final touch. I didn't actually get a slice of this bundt, because I packed thecakeinto my trusty Nordic Ware Bundtkeeper and passed it off to my mother in law who needed a little treat for tea time this week.

I'm thinking that today might be a great day to bake one for myself...I do have more Libby'spumpkin puree on deck...

Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

--Melissa A. Trainer

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Mirliton Festival in New Orleans? Let's Go!

You've still got a little time to book a trip to the greatest food city in the universe for next weekend's celebration of the mirliton!

What's that? You've never heard of this pear-shaped veggie that also acts a little like a fruit? That's probably because it's called other names in other parts of the country: chayote or cactus pear are a couple also-known-as monikers that hang on this strange-looking beast.

But the folks in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans will tell you there's no better mirliton than one that grows in their yards. That's why for the past 23 years, they've celebrated this feat by feeding folks who wanted to come on by the Bywater. Oh, and because it's New Orleans, there's also plenty of music and booze, too.

This might not be as well known as the over-the-top Mardi Gras season festivals and parades and all-around shenanigans, but it sure does sound like a lot of fun.

To get the full skinny on the mirliton, check out a presentation on the Southern Foodways Alliance Okracasts on iTunes. Click on the Symposium lineup from 2011 and look for Sara Roahen's entertaining talk called The Mirliton Gets Its Due. You can download the discussion for free. A plane ticket to NOLA? Well, that's going to run you some dough. But, heck yes, it's so worth it!

-- Leslie Kelly

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Bruce Aidell's Great Meat Cookbook Is Just That

When you get a new cookbook, how do you decide what recipe to tackle first?

For me, it's often about the drool-inducing photos. Yup, I'm a sucker for gorgeous images of foods that look seared, caramelized, spiced-just-right and yet juicy. That criteria fits most of the pics in the new Great Meat Cookbook by one of the world's authorities on the subject, Bruce Aidells.

Bruce wrote his first encycolpedic, yet entertainly approachable The Complete Meat Cookbook more than 16 years ago, and much has happened in the meat world since then. He told a group of fans at a special meat-centric dinner at Dahlia Lounge in Seattle recently that the revolution in sustainable meat movement was among the primary reasons he decided to update his original work.

"The book will help you understand the difference between 'natural' and 'grass-fed' beef, and offer advice on how best to cook them," he said.

A part-time vegetarian sitting at my table confessed that she had starting eating more meat since discovering his first book because its many tips on how to properly cook various cuts really worked. There's a hearty endorsement!

So, when I got home, I flipped through all 600 pages and then found myself drawn back to a dish that sounded perfect for an autumnal meal: Pork Stew with Hard Cider. Shocker, there wasn't even a photo. This braise isn't exactly photogenic, but boy, was it delicious!

I modified it just a bit so it could simmer in my new Crock-Pot, which made the kitchen smell incredible. I also skipped the potatoes and served it over polenta. Even my polenta-skeptical hubby enjoyed the pairing.

PORK STEW WITH HARD CIDER, BABY ONIONS AND POTATOES
From The Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells with Anne-Marie Ramo

1/4 pound bacon
3 pounds boneless Boston butt or boneless country-style ribs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled parsnips
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup Calvados or brandy, optional
1 1/2 cups hard cider, still or sparkling
2 cups homemade pork stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
30 small boiling onions, trimmed and peeled (or use frozen)
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes (about 2 inches wide), scrubbed and cut in half
2 semitart apples such as Granny Smith or Jonathan, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch dice
1 tablespoon coarse-grain mustard

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until lightly brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving about 3 tablespoons of fat in the pot.

Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and brown the pork on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and seat aside.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots and parsnips and cook, covered for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Stir in the sage and cook for 1 minute more. Add the Calvados (if using) and reduce until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the cider, stock and reserved bacon and pork. and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 40 minutes.

Add the onionsand potatoes and cook for 10 minutes more. Add the apples and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the potatoes and pork are fork-tender. Strain the solids from the liquid and reserve.

Return the liquid to the pot and skim off the fat from the surface. Whisk in the mustard, bring to a boil and cook until just thickened and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Return the solids to the pot and heat for 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve in shallow soup bowls.

Serves 6.

-- Leslie Kelly

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Secrets to Skillet Apple Brown Betty

No doubt the creation of Colonial forebears reluctant to let anything go to waste, apple brown betty is a simple baked fruit dessert traditionally made with apples and leftover bread. Recipes abound in both old and new American cookbooks, but the dish rarely makes it off the page and into the kitchen. Thats because some versions are just unpalatable, with apples that range from dry to mushy to applesauce.

Soggy and mushy just doesnt cut it in the test kitchen. Caramelizing a blend of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples gave our version the best flavor, and adding cider to the pan softened them and made the dessert more moistbut not wet. Finally, sprinkling some of the toasted crumbs into the mixture to thicken the juices, while reserving the rest for sprinkling on just before serving, gave this betty one tasty makeover.

BUILDING A SKILLET BROWN BETTY

1. Cook the bread crumb mixture until the crumbs are deep golden brown. Cool the mixture on a paper towel-lined plate.

2. Melt the butter in the empty skillet and cook the apples and the sugar mixture (in two batches) until golden brown.

3. Return all the apples to the pan. Add the cider and cook until lightly thickened.

4. Stir in some bread crumbs to thicken the mixture. Flatten the apple mixture with a spoon and sprinkle with the remaining crumbs.

Want to try for yourself? Check out our Skillet Apple Brown Betty recipe free through November 1st.

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New York Times Story Prompts Crazy Combo Confessions

Call me hopelessly old-fashioned, but I still get The New York Times tossed at my front door every morning and Wednesday's my favorite day of the week for juicy reads in the Dining section.

Today, I nearly spit my coffee out, laughing, as I read about reporter Dwight Garner's peculuar penchant for peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, pictured here in a photo from the newspaper. Who knew?

The funniest part of this revelation was that the author of this true confession was hardly alone. On the Times' Web site's Diner's Journal blog, reader comments have been trending toward: Oh, I've been eating peanut butter and pickle sandwiches for years.

This seems to open the floodgates for others to serve up their wacky creations such as chocolate and garlic or bananas dipped in Miracle Whip. These odd couples sound flat-out strange, but, hey, to each her/his own!

What's your go-to crazy combo?

-- Leslie Kelly

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Sophisticated Sip: Martini with Orange Bitters

This week on Kathy Casey's Liquid Kitchen, I stir up a Martini with Orange Bitters paired with Bitter Orange Fennel-Roasted Walnuts! This classic gin martini gets the much welcome addition of orange bitters. And every d'lish cocktail deserves an equally tasty nibble. Serve this cocktail alongside these spiced walnuts for some easy holiday entertaining!

Enjoy! -Kathy

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The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook Launch Party: Sweetness in Seattle!

The latest cookbook from Tom Douglas makes its official debut Tuesday, but the open-to-the-public pre-funk was a real blast. Everyone was invited to sample goodies -- both sweet and savory -- prepared from recipes from this weighty tome, co-authored by Tom's longtime collaborator, Shelley Lance.

The entertainment went above and beyond the snacking and having copies of The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook signed. This open house was held in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood at the Dahlia Workshop, the massive pastry kitchen that shares space in a building with Serious Biscuit and Serious Pie. Friends and fans were encouraged to wander around and to roll up their sleeves and DIY.

There was a station for shaping English muffins, a cookie decorating corner -- which was hopping -- and a doughnut dipping table featuring homemade jams, all featured in the book. The crowd ate it up.

When I got home, it was such a treat to thumb through the pages and find so many of my favorite Dahlia Bakery cookies, pies and cakes included. But what impressed me most on the initial first look was that the whole baking team was given props, and a two-page spread of individual mug shots. So cool!

Can't wait to give these recipes a go, but it might be a challenge because I'm spoiled. If I get a hankering for a Chocolate Truffle Cookie or a piece of the world-famous Triple Coconut Pie, I can always walk to the Dahlia Bakery.

-- Leslie Kelly

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