pumpkin dulce de leche pie

I made this for a friend's Pie Party last week, and remembered how much love I this particular combination of ingredients. It adds and extra-special twist and uniqueness to this classic holiday confection.This recipe is adapted from my mom's Pumpkin Pie recipe (my all-time favorite) and Recipe Girl's Dulce De Leche Pumpkin Toffee Pie. Combining the two makes for an incredible dessert. Just in time for Thanksgiving!

1 unbaked pie crust that fits in a deep pie dish
3/4 can of dulce de leche (microwaved for about 20 seconds to soften)
1 1/4 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 tablespoon flour
2 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400° and move the rack to the second-to-bottom position (this is important—it will bubble over too much if you don't move the rack down). Scoop the softened dulce de leche in unbaked pie shell and set aside. Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices and flour in a mixing bowl. Add eggs; mix well. Add evaporated milk, water and vanilla. Mix well. Pour mixture into shell, on top of dulce de leche. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until center jiggles only slightly. 

pumpkin eggnog ice cream

 (grainy photo from my phone)

Recently a friend sent me a recipe for Pumpkin Pie Shakes, which sounded amazing, but I had unfortunately just ran out of leftover Pumpkin Pie. It inspired me to come up another seasonal concoction, Pumpkin Eggnog Ice cream. I looked up some recipes, but so many ice cream recipes involved cooking things then tempering them, and I was (am) lazy, so wanted an easy and fast way to my Pumpkiny-Eggnog filled dreams. I remembered that when I made the ice cream for the Roasted Cherry Coconut Ice Cream sandwiches, I didn't have to do any of that. So I based some of the recipe on that. I sort of just threw a bunch of stuff together, and I must say, the result is pretty great. Don't you love when mad kitchen science works out?

PS: This would also make a nice Christmas gift, and/or a great treat to bring to a Holiday Party.

Pumpkin Eggnog Ice Cream

16 oz. Eggnog
1 cup heavy cream
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 can Spided Pumpkin
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

Whisk together the ice cream ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure the sweetened condensed milk has been thoroughly mixed into the cream.

Put the ice cream mix in your ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions. Freeze. EAT.

UPDATE: pumpkin bread pudding

Ok, seriously dudes, you need to make this. It will blow people's minds and you will get marriage proposals (sort of a true story there, folks). I made this again recently, but I changed a few things from the last time, and it's even better than before. It was gone within minutes at the party I brought it to. So, I'm re-posting the recipe with the changes. There was always a lot of custard left over and I felt like that was wasteful so I cut that part of the recipe down by 1/4 [(fraction math is so hard.) I had to ask my Dad for help because my brain doesn't work that way.)] I also added a water bath, which I think added a lot to the texture. This is a thing of beauty. Take my word for it... or just make it and see for yourself.

Pumpkin bread pudding recipe:
6 Large eggs
2 2/3rd(-) cups milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1(+) cups whipping cream
3/4 t. vanilla
1 1-lb loaf pumpkin bread (Use this recipe, as it's the best ever. Also, the recipe makes two loaves, so I made the whole recipe and just did one plain for the bread pudding and added a pecan/brown sugar streusel for the other and it was ridiculously good, especially paired with my ginger pear butter I just made)

** (Because of the divisions by even numbers with the odd number amounts of milk and cream, I put in a plus or minus to indicate that it is a bit more or less than the listed amount.)

Butter a 3 quart baking dish. Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Add milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla. Whisk to blend well. stir in bread. Let sit covered, in the refrigerator, for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven
to 350°. Scoop coated bread chunks into prepared baking dish, push down the bread crumbs, compacting the mixture. Add a little extra custard on top, and press down some more. Toss any extra custard. Fill a 9x13 pan filled halfway with water and place on the bottom rack, place the bread pudding on the middle rack. Cook for 1 hour, 45 minutes, or until it is set. Before serving, dribble some cinnamon caramel sauce over the top. Freak out.

Cinnamon Caramel Sauce Recipe:
1 cup (packed ) golden brown sugar
1 cube butter
½ cup whipping cream
¾ t. cinnamon

Stir brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add cream and cinnamon and bring to simmer. simmer until sauce thickens and is reduced to 1 ½ cups, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.

ok, i've been crazy swamped so i haven't had time to make things and blog and take pictures, etc. but i did make this pumpkin black bean soup last night and it's delish! i highly recommend it. all i want to eat is soup lately, so i love finding new recipes.

also, i really, really want to make/eat this gingerbread apple upside cake. but i think i'll try it with pears. dreamy!

ok, i'll try to blog soon. i'm already dreaming of all the christmas food that is awaiting me when i visit home later this month.

guest posting: pumpkin dulce de leche pie

my november post on yourheartout. check it out! you won't be sorry.

pecan pie bars

i made food for an event last night for mondo fine art. i was dumb and didn't bring my camera, but i took a couple of shots with my phone. i made pumpkin bread pudding with cinnamon caramel sauce, gingerbread chocolate cookies and pecan bars.

i've been wanting to make pecan pie bars for ages now, but whenever i've tried one of these bars at a bakery or restaurant, they seem to be really dry and not have the consistency anywhere near pecan pie, so i was put off. and as i've noted before, i looooooove pecan pie. love. (love). but i couldn't be daunted for too long, so i did some research and created a fusion between a few recipes. and someone in this room (me) is happy with the result.

i got the crust recipe from the lemon bars on brown butter shortbread recipe from tartine that i posted before. and i got the filling recipe from my mom who found it in but i doubled it and made a couple of tiny tweaks. use an egg wash on the crust to keep the filling from seeping into it too much. you just put an egg white on the crust and swish it around till it's covered the entire surface of the crust, then you pour off the excess then bake.

crust:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.

filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup corn syrup
4 eggs, room temp.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 1/2 cups pecans

pour the filling on top and bake for 50 minutes at 350°. after the bars cool for 15 minutes, run a knife around the edges to make them easier to get out later. i think these taste best when they are made the day before and served cold. 

 

guest posting: pumpkin pancakes

check out my latest post on yourheartout.com. pumpkin pancakes and cinnamon syrup. the love affair with pumpkin continues...

pumpkin cake with apple crisp topping

i've been thinking for a while now that apples and pumpkin should make friends. they use the same spices and they are both fall friendly. so i decided i needed this. pumpkin cake, caramelized apples, and a crispy topping. so that's what i did.

here is the cake recipe:
2 cups flour
2 tsps ground cinnamon
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground giner
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 15 oz. can pumpkin

grease a 13 by 9 inch baking pan. whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice, and ginger together in a medium bowl.

in a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together with an electric mixer on medium high speed until thick & fluffy, about 5 minutes. reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the pumpkin puree until combined, about 1 minute. slowly beat in the flour mixture until just incorporated, about 30 seconds.

give the batter a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and gently tap the pan on the work surface to settle the batter. bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. (bake at 350°)

but i baked it for about 20 minutes, then added caramelized apples. for this, i sliced up two golden delicious apples, and sauteed them in about a tablespoon of butter and added cinnamon and cloves and dark brown sugar to taste.

and to top it off, i made the crisp topping from this recipe (but halved it, as shown below).
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
2 t. cinnamon

then i baked it another 15 minutes. until a knife inserted in the center came out clean. and voila! you have yourself a fall dessert with two of my favorite ingredients.

pumpkin bread pudding with cinnamon caramel sauce

i love fall. i love boots and scarves and cardigans and changing leaves. i love thinking about apple cider, molasses infused treats and most of all—PUMPKIN. i keep thinking of new recipes to try which involve pumpkin. in fact, during the spring and summer i have to restrain myself from busting out my pumpkin and whipping up a pie or cookies using this marvelous ingredient. but, i have to stand by my principles, using/wearing/eating/listening to things that are seasonally appropriate. so, finally i've been able to experiment and i'm quite pleased with my first endeavor. i'm pretty sure i've mentioned how much i love bread pudding a few times on this blog and combining these two loves is a match made in fall heaven. i made my mom's recipe for pumpkin bread and combined it with an altered version of the recipe she sent me for a bread pudding from this bed and breakfast in mendocino, ca. dreamy. dream-fest. dream come true. so yeah, i like pumpkin and stuff...

8 large eggs

3 ½ cups milk

2 cups sugar

1 ½ cups whipping cream

1 t. vanilla extract

1 1-lb loaf pumpkin bread

butter a 3 quart baking dish. whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. add milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla. whisk to blend well. stir in bread. pour mixture into prepared baking dish, push down the bread crumbs, making sure they have all been coated by mixture. cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. cook for 1 hour, 45 minutes, or until it is set – 350 degrees (i had to up the tempurature to 375 degrees for the last 40 minutes). before serving, dribble some cinnamon caramel sauce over the top and serve with freshly whipped cream.

cinnamon caramel sauce

1 cup (packed ) golden brown sugar

1 cube butter

½ cup whipping cream

¾ t. cinnamon

stir brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. add cream and cinnamon and bring to simmer. simmer until sauce thickens and is reduced to 1 ½ cups, about 5 minutes. serve warm.

pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

i made these again. but these are better pictures. it was my dear friend rachel's birthday and i made some of these to send to her for a birthday treat. i really, really love these cookies. worth two posts in my opinion.

favorite pumpkin pie

there is no pumpkin pie that i love more than this recipe from my mom. it's super easy and has the spices just right.

1 1/4 c. pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1 t. flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. evaporated milk
2 T. water
1/2 t. vanilla
1 uncooked pie shell

combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices and flour in a mixing bowl. add eggs; mix well. add evaporated milk, water and vanilla. mix well. pour into shell and bake in 400° oven for 45-50 minutes.

pumpkin cheesecake with praline sauce

so, another idea for thanksgiving dessert is another favorite, pumpkin cheesecake. it always goes over very well and is a great alternative to a traditional pie.

crust:
1 T. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
1/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs
2 T. sugar
2 T. butter, melted

filling:
4 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 c. sugar
5 eggs
1/4 c. flour
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 (16oz.) can pumpkin

sauce:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. butter
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. chopped pecans (optional for non-nut lovers)
1/2 t. vanilla

heat oven to 350 degrees. butter 9" springform pan using 1 T. butter. in medium bowl, combine 1 1/4 c. pecans, bread crumbs and 2 T. sugar. drizzle melted butter oer pecan mixture; toss to combine. press into botom and up sides of buttered pan. refrigerate.

in large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and creamy. gradually beat in 1 c. brown sugar and 2/3 c. sugar until smooth. at low speed, add 5 eggs, 1 at a time. beat just until blended. in small bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin; mix well. gradually add to cream cheese mixute; beat until smooth. pour into crust-lined pan.

bake at 350° for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until center is set. turn oven off; let cake stand in oven 30 minutes with door open at least 4 inches. remove from oven. run sharp knife around sides of pan. cool to room temp. on wire rack. cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.

in small saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 c. brown sugar, water and 1/4 c. brown sugar, water and 1/4 c. butter. bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes. gradually blend small amount of hot syrup into beaten egg. return egg mixture to saucepan; cook over low heat 1 minute, stirring constantly. remove from heat; stir in 1/4 c. pecans and vanilla. remove sides of pan from cheesecake. serve sauce slightly warm over wedges of cheesecake. store in refrigerator.

pumpkin eater

today i made this bread. i was trying a new recipe but, i have to say that mother really does know best and my recipe from her really does kick all other pumpkin bread to the curb.

here is the recipe:

4 cups flour
1/2 t. nutmeg
4 cups sugar
1 29 oz. can pumpkin
4 t. baking soda
1 cup oil
1 t. salt
1 t. cloves
1 t. cinnamon
(my mom puts 2 c. raisins and 2 c. nuts, but personally, i would do 2 c. chocolate chips)

mix dry ingredients into a large bowl. add nuts and raisins (or choc. chips), then stir in pumpkin and oil. beat with wooden spoon until well blended. grease and flour 2 large or 3 medium loaf pans. pour in batter and bake in 325° oven for 1 1/4 hours to 1 1/2 hours. put toothpick in center to see if bread is done.

sunday baking extravaganza: part three

ok, so as part of my sunday bake-fest, i made these:



pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. i found them in a neighborhood cookbook that my sister, kristin, organized. i would have never thought of putting in oats on my own, but they add a very nice texture and density to an otherwise very airy cookie. they are best before you have to store them in tupperware or otherwise, because they lose their amazing crisp but soft on the inside texture. after covering them, they just become soft. anyway, these are my favorite pumpkin cookies of all time.

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (i don't have this so i make it up using cloves, ginger and cinnamon - with a touch of nutmeg)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
chocolate chips

beat together butter and sugars til creamy. add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; beat well. add combined oats, flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt; mix well. stir in chocolate chips.

drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet (or i love, love, love my silpats). bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

i rarely follow a recipe exactly and usually add a little secret ingredient of my own to change things up. the recipe says to cook it longer than 10 minutes, but i find that cooking it more can make them too dry. even if they look undercooked, 10 minutes seems about right, once the cookies have cooled.

let me know if you try any of these recipes and how they turn out. i'd love to hear!