Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie

Are you “pumpkined-out?” I can’t blame you if you are since you’ve probably been gobbling the remaining leftovers since Thanksgiving — and I know for a fact that some folks (you know who you are) have even raided the refrigerator for a pumpkin pie breakfast. Still, this recipe (adapted from Everydaypie.com) is so delicious I just couldn’t wait until next Thanksgiving to share it. There’s no shame in baking another pumpkin pie before the season is out. I used a “cheese pumpkin” for this recipe, which gave it an exceptional flavor, but you can certainly use canned pumpkin instead. Actually, you could even make this pie with different squashes too, or even pureed sweet potatoes. Whatever you do, make sure you prick the crust and blind bake it before filling it or you’ll end up with a wet bottom — and who wants that?

To blind bake the crust, I usually butter one side of a piece of aluminum foil and place it into the uncooked pie crust, then gently pour in some beans to weigh it down. These beans have been reused countless times over the decades. They’re at least thirty years old, if not older.  I just store them in a tin until I need them again. Follow the instructions in the recipe below.

Place dollops of the mascarpone filling atop the pumpkin, then swirl them in using a knife, or chopstick. Since I was using some pumpkin I had leftover from another recipe, I had only about 1 1/2 cups and it really didn’t fill the crust as high as I would have liked. Try to use about 2 cups of pumpkin, which is what you’ll get from a 15 ounce can.

I have to say that this was really one of the best pumpkin pies I’ve ever eaten, and I don’t know if it was because of using the cheese pumpkin, the addition of mascarpone, the mixture of spices, the perfectly baked crust or a combination of all of them. I do know that I’ll be making this again and I won’t wait for next Thanksgiving to do so. I hope you try it too. Don’t forget to add the whipped cream on top!

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Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie

Author: Ciao Chow Linda via everydaypie.com

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• 1–9″ pie crust, homemade or purchased, blind baked (see instructions below)
• 1 cup (8 ounces; 227 grams) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (This turned the mascarpone a beige color, so I might eliminate it next time and just add the vanilla to the pumpkin instead.)
• ½ cup packed (100 grams) light brown sugar
• 1–½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• Pinch cloves
• 1 (15 ounce) can 100% pumpkin puree (I used 1 1/2 cups of freshly cooked and drained pumpkin but 2 cups would have been better)
• heavy cream for whipping and decorating the top of pie

Instructions

1. TO ROLL AND BLIND BAKE THE PIE CRUST:
2. Roll out the pie dough to an 11″ circle and line a 9” pie plate, crimping the edges as desired.
3. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork to let steam escape during baking. Place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes to let the pie dough chill.
4. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 375ºF.
5. Remove the pie from freezer and line the pie dough with a parchment round piece of paper (or aluminum foil that is greased on the side that touches the pie dough) and then add pie weights (or dry rice or beans or lentils) to fill the pie shell, making sure to push pie weights to the edges.
6. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack, then remove from oven and remove the parchment and pie weights.
7. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
8. Set aside until ready to use. Lower the oven to 325ºF.
9. ASSEMBLE THE FILLING:
10. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the mascarpone and the sugar, until smooth.
11. Add in 1 egg and beat until thoroughly combined.
12. Scoop out ½ cup of the mascarpone mixture and set aside.
13. Then, add to the mascarpone mixture the remaining eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pumpkin puree.
14. Beat together until fully combined.
15. Add half of the pumpkin filling to the fully baked pie crust.
16. Spoon in a few dollops of the set aside mascarpone filling to the pumpkin mixture.
17. Then, pour the remaining pumpkin mixture over the top. Spoon drops of the remaining mascarpone mixture.
18. Using a knife, chopstick or toothpick gently swirl through all layers of the pumpkin filling to achieve a marble effect.
19. TO BAKE:
20. Bake the pie on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes, or until the pie reaches a temperature of 180ºF and the outer edges have started to puff up but the center is still slightly wobbly.
21. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature before placing in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to finish firming up.

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Pappardelle with Beef Ragù and Chestnuts

OK, now if this pasta dish has you drooling, let me tell you it’s really easy to make and so delicious you’ll be eating seconds and thirds and fending off marriage proposals from anyone who tries it. Of course, that assumes you make your own pappardelle, following the instructions here. But if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own pasta and instead buy a good quality pappardelle, and serve this ragù as the accompaniment, you’re still likely to have suitors filling up your dance card after they fill their stomachs.

It all starts with that beef stew I recently posted. I asked you to put some aside in the freezer for a reason (before adding the peas and carrots.)

When you defrost it, add a 1/2 can of Italian cherry tomatoes with the juices. It’s not the same with fresh cherry tomatoes, so make sure you buy the canned ones. If it’s hard to find canned cherry tomatoes where you live, you can buy them online at many places, including here. By the way, I have no financial interest in this brand or any other, so choose whatever brand you like.

 

 

After you’ve added the tomatoes, some wine, chestnuts and a little seasoning, let everything simmer for another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to blend the flavors. You’ll get a thick and flavorful ragù that is just begging for some pasta to keep it company.

I was lucky to find fresh chestnuts from Italy in the produce section at my local grocery store. You’ll see plenty of sealed bags of chestnuts on the shelves that are already peeled and cooked, but they come from China, and I’m leery of the quality control, so I always seek out the Italian ones. The fresh ones are not that hard to cook and clean. Just cut a slit or make a cross cut in each chestnut; place them in a pan with cold water; let it come to a boil; boil for two or three minutes, then drain the water and roast the chestnuts in a 425 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. They should be fully cooked by then. It’s easier to peel them when they’re hot, and some of the skins will peel off easily. Others are a little more resistant, but for this recipe it doesn’t matter if the chestnuts come off in one piece. You’ll be breaking them up to put in the sauce anyway. (But munch a few with a good glass of wine while you’re peeling them too!)

Get the pasta water boiling (“Butta la pasta,” as we say in Italian) and add the pappardelle, then toss the pasta with the sauce.My mouth is watering just looking at this dish. By the way, you can freeze any of those chestnuts if you’ve cooked more than you need for this recipe. With chestnut season so short, you’ll be glad you did. As the dish below says, take your photo first, then dig in.

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Pappardelle with Beef Ragù and Chestnuts

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• 2 cups leftover beef stew (without carrots or peas or potatoes – just the meat and the sauce)
• 1 cup canned cherry tomatoes with the juice (1/2 of a 14 oz. can)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon of finely minced fresh rosemary
• 1 cup cooked chestnuts, broken into pieces
• pappardelle (about 1 lb.)

Instructions

1. Take the leftover beef stew, and cut, or shred the chunks of beef into small pieces.
2. Place the beef in a saucepan with the canned cherry tomatoes, the wine, the chestnuts and the rosemary and let it all simmer for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.
3. Boil the pasta until it is cooked and toss gently with the sauce.

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Beef Stew with Oven Baked Polenta

Although we’ve had warm, nearly 80-degree days here in New Jersey recently, it’s most unusual for this time of year. Cold weather in November is as predictable as election results on the first Tuesday of the month (oh wait………. well, let’s not go there).

And when the down comforter comes out, and the fireplace kicks in, so does my need for comfort food. One of my favorite meals to make (and eat) when the temperature drops, is this beef stew. You may like potatoes in your beef stew, and if so, feel free to add them. But I prefer mine served over creamy, cheesy, soft polenta. And this polenta doesn’t require stirring over a stove for an hour since you make it in the oven, stirring only once every twenty minutes. If you prefer, you can also serve the stew over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or rice.

Another reason I omit potatoes from beef stew (aside from the fact that reheated potatoes never taste that good) is because I like to set aside some of the beef stew (before the addition of peas and carrots) to use in another recipe, one that I’ll write about in an upcoming blog post. Without divulging that recipe right now, suffice it to say that it’s worth making this beef stew just to have the leftovers. I know you’ll thank me for it later. For now, the beef stew and polenta is pretty darn comforting too.

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Beef Stew with Oven Baked Polenta

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• FOR THE BEEF STEW:
• 2 1/2 – 3 lbs beef cubes
• flour for dusting
• salt and pepper to season the meat
• 1/4 cup olive oil, or more as needed to brown the cubes
• one large onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup canned cherry tomatoes, (or crushed tomatoes if you can’t find the cherry tomatoes)
• salt, pepper
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 T. minced fresh sage
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 or 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 squirt of “kitchen bouquet” (if you can find it – it helps make everything a richer brown color)
• FOR THE OVEN BAKED POLENTA:
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. If the beef cubes are large, cut them into smaller pieces, about 1/2″ to 3/4.”
2. Dust the cubes with flour, salt and pepper.
3. Saute the cubes in the olive oil, in one layer, repeating as necessary, and turning on each side until browned,
4. Remove the beef cubes from the pot, add more olive oil, if needed, and cook the onions over low heat until translucent.
5. Add the garlic cloves and cook for another couple of minutes
6. Put the beef cubes back into the pan, and pour in the red wine.
7. Let it cook for a minute, then add the canned tomatoes, beef broth and water, and season with salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary and sage.
8. Place the lid on the pot and place in the oven at 325 degrees for 2 – 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.
9. Place the frozen peas in the pot about 1/2 hour before removing it from oven.
10. Boil the sliced carrots in water and when nearly done, remove the carrots from the water and add to the beef stew in the oven, stirring to blend everything,
11. If you can find “Kitchen Bouquet,” add about 1 teaspoon to the pot.
12. It will give it a rich, brown color.
13. If the liquid in the beef stew is not thick enough, remove the cover, and cook on top of the stove for a bit, until some of the liquid has evaporated and thickened.
14. Serve over polenta, noodles or mashed potatoes.
15. FOR THE POLENTA:
16. Whisk together the cornmeal, milk, water and salt.
17. Place in the oven, uncovered, with the beef stew during its last hour of cooking.
18. Whisk or sttir every 20 minutes.
19. If it looks like it needs more liquid, add more water or milk.
20. After an hour, it should be thickened enough. It will thicken some more when you add the cheese.
21. If it’s still not thickened enough, return to the oven for another 20 minutes,
22. Add the butter and stir.
23. Remove from the heat, and stir in the parmesan cheese.
24. Serve with the beef stew.

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