Pumpkin Paradise

I've never been a big fan of squash. In my childhood my mother fought an uphill battle to try to get me to eat healthy foods. Cooked carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower were all pushed around the plate but never actually consumed. With acorn squash she tried the classic strategy - cut in half, scoop out seeds, fill the hollow with butter and brown sugar, and bake. I loved that. At least the butter and brown sugar part. When I got to the squash that wasn't saturated with the gooey topping, I lost interest.

Once she even served spaghetti squash, telling us that it was just like spaghetti. Lie! Squash and pasta are nothing like each other. And putting spaghetti sauce on squash doesn't make it spaghetti any more than putting on lipstick and a blond wig makes me Marilyn Monroe.

I considered pumpkins as something to be carved for Halloween or made into pie for Thanksgiving. Anything else was just too...squashy tasting. My sister adores anything pumpkin flavored and I always thought this odd. I'd pass on any recipe to her that had pumpkin - pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin soup, pumpkin kabobs (wait, sorry, just having a Forrest Gump moment there)- and she'd be thrilled.

I'm not sure what changed it for me, but I have a sneaking suspicion it was looking at all the food blogs parading out pumpkin delicacies, each more enticing than the last. I gave in to the urge for pumpkin and made a pumpkin spice cake for my daughter's birthday. Well, that meant that I had leftover pumpkin. What a happy dilemma - what to choose, what to bake?

I succumbed on the same day to two different recipes. One was Peabody's beautiful Pumpkin Brioche. I saw it first on her blog, then I saw it pop up on Melinda's Online Diary, and I knew I had to have it. I made 2 large loaves and two baby loaves, fully intending to share a lot of it. Only one baby loaf made it out the door. We gobbled up one loaf and the next morning made divine French toast with the cinnamon swirl loaf. Yumm.

I'm not going to give you the recipe or directions as they're all on Peabody's site. She gives really clear, step-by-step directions so that even a novice brioche maker like me, can have a beautiful result. Thanks, Peabody!

Peabody recently bought a new house and is having a virtual open house. All invited! (It's a good thing she's got a huge virtual living room.) I am bringing these beautiful Pumpkin Streusel rolls. They are so delicious - light, flaky, not too sweet, with just overtones of pumpkin. I have had this recipe bookmarked for a long time in my Cooking Light cookbook, and this is the perfect occasion to showcase them.

Pumpkin-Cinnamon Streusel Buns
adapted from The Best of Cooking Light

Buns:

1 package dry yeast (about 2-1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup warm water (100 to 110 deg. F)
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Glaze:
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 Tbsp hot water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1- Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly spoon 3-1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 3 cups flour, canned pumpkin, and next 5 ingredients to yeast mixture, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes) and add enough of the remaining flour, 1 Tbsp at a time to prevent the dough from sticking to hands. The dough will feel sticky.

2- Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 deg. F), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until dough is doubled in size. (To test readiness, press two fingers into the dough. If the indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

3- Combine 3 Tbsp granulated sugar, brown sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in chilled butter pieces with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

4- Punch dough down, cover and let rest 5 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll up rectangle tightly starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place the slices in a 11x7 or 9x13-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise for 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

5- Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.

6- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

7- Combine powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp water and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over buns. Serve warm. If, for some reason, not all the buns are consumed while warm, about 10 seconds in the microwave will make a bun warm and soft.

Yield: 12 buns

Don't Fear the Yeast

The first time I ever attempted yeast bread was in 9th grade home economics. We were given a demonstration and then sent home with the recipe and instructed to make the bread entirely by ourselves and come back to the next class with our loaves for grading. I was a good student who always did her homework so I started my bread as soon as I got home from school.

My mother gave me permission to use the kitchen, except her loaf pans were already in use. But she did have mini loaf pans available. That was fine. I was already learning to be flexible, an invaluable survival trait for baking.

Then I remembered that I was scheduled to babysit that evening. The mother for whom I sat regularly had no problem with me bringing homework along. In fact, I think she would have been OK with just about anything so long as she got out of the house. When I asked if I could bring along my baby bread loaves and bake them in her oven, she happily said yes.

So, I set my little loaves out to finish rising. In between bathing the little girl and getting her into bed, I stuck the loaves into the oven and set the timer. Do you see where this is going? Unfamiliar oven, transported loaves, and not knowing that you should alter the baking time for mini loaves. Yes, I had 6 charred bricks.

I took the least blackened loaf, tried to scrape off the especially burnt bits and handed it in for a very bad grade. Oh, woe is me! My teacher was sympathetic to my plight, but sympathy won't leaven a dense, black, loaf that's more weapon than foodstuff.

This bad start to breadmaking put me off further attempts until after I was married. Many years and much baking later I have now conquered my fear of yeast and have many a fine loaf of bread under my belt. (No, no, don't look - that's not polite!). But I am still searching for the perfect loaf. One that doesn't require 3 days to make. One that is reliable. And one that is delicious.

In my quest for the perfect loaf I'll try new recipes, use them for a while, and then tire of them. I'm still looking for the perfect recipe, but in the meantime, this one is pretty darn good. Tall, snowy loaves, easy to make, and a consistency that's good for toast, sandwiches, and just happy eating. And I love that it makes two loaves as my family will inhale a loaf of bread fresh from the oven and then say in an unhappy, bewildered voice, "Where's the bread? I can't make a sandwich without bread."

One of the most important aspects to yeast breadmaking is to treat your yeast with TLC (tender loving care). Be sure your yeast is not too old (check the date on the package, if that's how you buy your yeast. I buy mine in bulk because I go through a lot of yeast and I store it airtight in the refrigerator), as this will also adversely affect the happiness of the yeast. Old yeast gets tired and doesn't do the job. Yeast is fussy about three things: temperature, moisture, and it's food. To wake it up from it's slumber, you need to give it a warm bath (not too hot, not too cold) and then a snack. When it's tub is bubbly, you're good to go!

Honey White Bread
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F.- use a thermometer to check until you're familiar with what this feels like)
2 packages dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1-1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees F.)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1-1/2 Tbsp honey
2 extra-large egg yolks
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Place the water in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. If the bowl is cold, be sure the water temperature doesn't drop below 110 degrees. Add the yeast and sugar; stir and allow to dissolve for 5 minutes. You should see bubbles forming on the surface at this point.

Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of the flour, and the salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn't stick to the bowl. When the dough forms a ball that comes away from the bowl, switch to the dough hook attachment. Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour slowly as necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a rectangle as wide as your loaf pan and twice as long. Roll it up into a log the width of your bread pan, and pulling just a bit so that you don't get big air bubbles inside. Pinch together the ends and edges. Place each seam side down, in a prepared pan. Cover again with the damp towel and allow to rise again for an hour, until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with the egg white and bake the breads for 40 to 45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. You may need a sharp bread knife to keep hungry family at bay while it cools. Or just give in and have raggedy pieces of bread, dripping with butter. That's not such a bad thing, either.

Wowie

Did you hear that? Listen closely. Clickety-clack, tippity-tap. That's the sound of me tap-dancing for joy.

Why, you ask? Because I won, I won! I say that twice, because I won twice. And I'm so excited I can hardly sit still long enough to type this up.

Today I checked out one of my favorite blogs, Steamy Kitchen, and she listed the winner's of her vanilla bean give-away. I scrolled through the list to see if anyone I knew had one and, wow, that's my name there! I won! Thank you, thank you, Jaden. I will make many delicious vanilla treats and send vanilla scented blessings your way each time I bake.


Also, before I left for my trip in September I entered a contest in our local newspaper. I e-mailed in my entry, not expecting much, but just doing it for the fun of participating. I was blown away to receive an e-mail informing me that I was one of three winners! I won a copy of Nigella Lawson's new book, Nigella Express, a ticket to glide to the front of the line for a book signing, a bag of goodies, plus my recipe in the newspaper. Woo hoo!


Do I tell you all this to toot my own horn? Well....yes. But also to say how great it is to be involved in food blogging. Good things come to those who blog. So, if you've been lacking motivation, wondering why you started a blog, and why you should continue (yes, you know who you are), take heart and count all the blessings there are in the food blogging world. Great people, help with your menu planning, opportunities to stretch yourself and improve your skills, stories that make you smile, and every once in a while, prizes!

Unbirthday Surprise

One of the definite advantages of having a birthday during the non-summer months is that your friends are around to help you celebrate. Whether it's cupcakes in pre-school or the whole class singing the happy birthday song to you, there's a lot of attention to make you feel special on your special day.

In my jr. high (yes, that makes me an old timer - they're now called middle schools), there was a fun tradition for birthdays. Even though the administration lectured strictly about never giving out your locker combination, of course you shared it with your best friends. How else could they get in to borrow a hairbrush, lip gloss, feminine products, or, weirdly enough, a textbook?

Armed with the locker combination it was the job of the close circle of friends to decorate the birthday girl's locker on her day. They'd come to school early and stuff her locker to the brim with balloons, candy, and a banner, so when she opened her locker, it would all spill out and her everyone around her would yell, "Happy Birthday!"

I was always envious of these lucky birthday celebrities because, having a summer birthday, I knew that would never be my lot in life. Sunny birthdays - yes; birthday lockers- no.

Recently I saw a post about fabulous apple pie on Melinda's Online Diary. She used a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking (so I knew it had to be good!), but added quince cheese, something I'd never heard of. I left a comment asking if substituting tart apples would be OK. When she wrote back and asked for my address I had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to send me some quince cheese. Imagine someone so nice they'd send me some quince cheese just so I could make apple pie!

About a week later a box arrived. Not just quince cheese but a whole cornucopia of treats! I felt like I'd opened my birthday locker as all the wonderful gifts tumbled out onto my lap! I was surprised and overwhelmed at Melinda's generosity and thoughtfulness. Thank you, sweetie!

So, for this week's Pie Day, I had, of course, to take a shot at Melinda and Dorie's Apple and Quince Pie. It is delicious. If you want pie heaven, have a slice of this pie. Seriously.

Dorie's crust is tender and flaky and, if you follow her instructions for chill, chill, chill, it's easy to work with. I figured out why my old piecrust recipe always had me cursing and pulling my hair out. It didn't make enough. I'd have to roll it wafer thin to get it large enough to fill the pie plate and it would invariably tear, making me shriek out curses on the foul dough. Dorie's recipe yields a generous amount so you have enough to work with, plus extras if you want to get fancy and put cut-outs on your pie (I was not that fancy). Right now I have a small ball of dough in the refrigerator that I promised my daughter she could have for making her own tiny pie.

I've never had quince, so I didn't have a clue what quince cheese would be like. My daughter says it smells like apricots. It isn't a dairy cheese, but rather quince, lemon and sugar, adding a delightful, piquant zip to the pie mixture.

Because I'm lazy, I'll let you find the crust recipe on your own (Just buy the book. It's awesome and you need it. Trust me.) but I'll give you the recipe for the filling, with Melinda's adaptation.



Melinda and Dorie's Apple and Quince Pie

1 recipe Pie dough for double crust, chilled
4 lbs (about 6 very large) apples - I used 7
3/4 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 round quince cheese (optional)
2 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs (or dry bread crumbs)
2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

For the glaze (optional):

Milk or heavy cream
Decorating or granulated sugar

1- Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. I use this tool to streamline the job and the kids love to help.

2- In a large bowl toss together the apple slices with the sugar, lemon zest, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3- If using the quince cheese, nuke it for about 45 seconds in the microwave to soften it then add it into the apple mixture. Cover and let the mixture sit. Depending on your schedule you can let this sit as little as 5 minutes, or overnight. The quince seems to keep the apples from browning.

4- Pour off the accumulated juices into a small saucepan. Boil for about 3-5 minutes to thicken, then let cool completely.

5- Butter a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Preheat the oven to 425 deg. F.

6- Roll out half of the pie dough and lift it into the pie pan. Cover this with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator while you roll out the other half of the dough.

7- Place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of the crust and put the sliced apple mixture into the crust. Pat them into an even mound. Dot the apples with the bits of cold butter. Pour the cooled apple juices from the saucepan over the apple mound.

8- Lightly moisten the rim of the bottom crust with water and then place the top crust over the apples. Seal the edges by pinching or by pressing with a fork, trimming off the excess crust.

9- Using a sharp knife, cut 6 slits in the top crust. You can add cut-outs from the excess pie dough to fancy it up.

10- If desired, brush the top crust with a little milk or cream and sprinkle it with sugar. I used turbinado sugar and my pie came out looking freckled.

11- Bake pie for 15 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 375 deg. F. and bake the pie for another 50 to 60 minutes, or until the crust is gorgeously browned and the juices bubble up through the top crust. After about 40 minutes, if the crust looks like it's browning too quickly, cover the pie loosely with a foil tent.

12- Transfer the pie to a rack and let it rest until it is only just warm or until it reaches room temperature.

The most difficult part of making this pie is keeping hungry people from cutting into it while it's hot. It smells divine, but if you cut it fresh from the oven, you'll have a soupy mess. Let it cool and you'll be able to cut beautiful pie slices.

(If you'd like to make your own quince cheese, try this link.)

Another Birthday

My daughter just had a birthday. We all feel sorry for her. She can't help it that her birthday's wrong. Really, birthdays are supposed to be in the summer so you can have pool parties. Despite being born in the wrong (non-summer) season, she is a trooper and manages to have a good attitude about it.

This year we took her to the zoo for her birthday. As we walked across the parking lot, bundled up in coats, scarves, and gloves, she pointed out that as members in the non-summer, we got to park for free. Score! A savings of $4 right there just for having her birthday in November.

Another bonus of having a November birthday is this cake. When considering the options for her birthday cake there was the usual chocolate versus white debate. Then I happened upon a this wonderful cake on Peabody's site. Pumpkin spice cake? Oh yes!

And then I saw these beautiful cupcakes on Nook and Pantry. Maple cream cheese frosting? Oh, drool!

Combine the two fabulous fall flavor sensations and we had the perfect November birthday cake. I doubled the recipe that Peabody used so I had two 9-inch layers. I slathered the butterscotch walnut filling between them (yum, yum). For the frosting I wanted to be sure I had enough for a large cake so I cobbled together a recipe from various cookbooks.


Next time I make the frosting I think I'll leave out the butter. It didn't need it for taste, quantity, or consistency. I wanted a full maple flavor to the frosting and as I added the maple syrup (real maple syrup, so it was rather runny), it got softer and softer. I stopped adding maple syrup and dumped in some maple flavoring. If you wanted to play with amounts, you could probably make it wonderfully without the maple flavoring. I'll give you the recipe as I made it.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1- 8 oz brick of cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 lb (1 stick) of unsalted butter at room temp.
16 oz (about 4 cups) of confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp maple flavoring

With an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the sugar and carefully beat it in so you don't get a cloud of powdered sugar. I like to start this with a wooden spoon and once the sugar is mostly incorporated, use the mixer to cream it together. Add maple syrup and / or flavoring to taste. To achieve desired consistency, you may need to add a bit more powdered sugar. The frosting will firm up when it's chilled.

To assemble the cake, spread filling over the bottom layer, place the other layer on top, then frost the top and sides. I finished it with fall sprinkles and piped an edge around the top. The frosting was quite soft, though, so I had to hastily pop it into the fridge to chill before the piping slid off the edge.

Pie Time

My family has bad luck with TV shows. Whenever we find a show that we really like, it's doomed. It has only two possible choices. It either gets weird or it gets canceled.

A few examples (and snaps to you if you've even heard of these shows):

- Strange Luck - an offbeat, clever show with the premise of a man who is beset by luck, both good and bad. Whatever he does, nothing normal happens. Whenever he scratches a lotto ticket, he wins. But his car is consistently stolen, or broken into. Intriguing premise, clever writing, good characters. This show was nominated for an Emmy and canceled mid-season.

-Now and Again - take the brain of a family man killed in an accident and put it into the body of a government science experiment - superstrong, superfast. What happens? A mix of action, comedy, and romance and a wonderful show that's canceled after one season.

- Joan of Arcadia - the story of a high school girl who is visited by God. God appears to Joan in various human guises and gives her advice, direction, and tasks to perform. The family dynamics and realities of high school and life are unflinchingly real and are breathed to life by an incredibly talented cast and fabulous writers. Amazing can't-wait-for-next-week first season. Second season started well, then got weird, then got canceled.

This year we found a new favorite that is so wonderful that it's almost certain to get canceled. It is Pushing Daisies.. This is the tale of a young man with a gift / curse. He can bring people back to life with a touch. But if he touches them again, they're dead forever. He solves crimes by chatting with the deceased for 1 minute to discover who killed them. But when the deceased is his childhood sweetheart, he can't bring himself to return her to death. So they face life together, in love, but unable to touch. Each element of the show is carefully blended to bring a visually eye-popping, quirky mixture of humor and charm.

My daughters swoon over the wardrobe of the leading lady and I swoon because the hero's profession is pie-maker. In order to celebrate the show and make memories with our children, I'm making Wednesday Pie Day. My goal is to try a new pie each week. I will brush up on my pie-making skills, expand my baking repertoire (and our waistlines) and celebrate this wonderful show until it's canceled or gets weird.


My offering for Pie Day this week is a heavenly pie, aptly called Angel Pie. Instead of a traditional dough crust, chocolate mousse rests on a cloud of meringue dotted with walnuts. Laced with peppermint, the mousse is at the same time deeply chocolaty, yet cool and refreshing. Just heavenly!

My word of caution, though. It's not a company pie. Once you put the mousse on the meringue, the bottom of the pie gets seriously sticky and it's difficult to cut a slice without shattering the outer meringue rim. (Notice the lack of attractive cut piece of pie pictures?) But, trust me, even if you have to spoon out your pie, your family will not complain. And if they do, they don't deserve any of it!

Angel Pie
adapted from Perfect Pies

Meringue Shell:

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Chocolate Mousse:

1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp mint extract
1/8 tsp salt
9 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
2 cups cold whipping cream, divided
2 Tbsp sifted confectioners' sugar

1 3-oz bar bittersweet chocolate, curled

1- Preheat the oven to 275 deg. F. and butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

2- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, place the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp at a time, and continue beating until the meringue stands up in glossy stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted. Beat in the vanilla.

3- Gently spoon the meringue into the pie plate, building up the sides as high as possible. Sprinkle the walnuts over the bottom and sides. Bake for 1 hour. Peek in the oven after 15 minutes. If the meringue is sinking down the sides, gently push it into place with the back of a spoon. Turn off the oven when the meringue is dry and light toasty brown. Leave the meringue in the closed oven for 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

4- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and stir in the vanilla, mint extract, and salt. Remove from the heat and whisk in the melted chocolate. Pour into a medium-size bowl and set aside to cool.

5- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, with an electric mixer on high, whip 1-1/2 cups of the cream. Fold into the cooled chocolate mixture. Spoon the chocolate creme into the cooled meringue shell, mounding it in the center. Swirl the filling into peaks with the back of a spoon. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.

6- Right before serving, whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream with the confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Spoon the cream into the center of the pie, making peaks with the back of a spoon. (I skipped this step, as I ran out of cream.) Sprinkle the top of the pie generously with the chocolate curls. Store any leftover pie in the refrigerator.

Tag, I'm It

I've been tagged by Anne of Simply Anne's for a meme - 5 things.

5 Things in my room:

• My Bible


• A box of Kleenex


• Large pile of books to read


• Basket full of widowed socks who tragically lost their mates in the laundry


• Queen-sized quilt that I made and hand-quilted - it makes me happy to sleep under it because it's finally done, no longer a lurking unfinished project.

5 things in my bag:

• Kleenex (are you seeing a theme here? Yes, I have allergies.)


• Sunglasses


• Mints


• Lipstick


• Businesss cards

5 things in my wallet:

• Pictures of my kids


• Punch card for the bread store


• Blood donor card


• Costco card


• Very little actual cash

5 things I've always wanted to do:

• Go to Paris


• Sing back-up with a band


• Be a ballerina


• Take a history tour vacation across the country


• Learn to make good pastries

5 things I'm currently into:

• Quilting


• Pie making (more on this in another post)


• Bread making (I'm trying to figure out sourdough and why every cookbook has a radically different recipe for starter)


• Listening to online sermons from Mars Hill Church


• Wedding planning

There, wasn't that fun? I'm not going to tag anyone in specific, but if you've missed out on this one, consider yourself tagged and post your 5 things.

Fall Fun Day

When my big kids were little we had a fall tradition. We'd take a day off from schooling (easy to do when I'm the teacher) and have Fall Fun Day. We'd go for a walk and talk about all the signs of fall that we saw. The prettiest leaves were picked up and carried home. We used the leaves for crayon rubbing pictures or made place mats out of them. Then we'd drink mugs of hot cider, read fall stories, and make caramel apples. It wasn't a day of hard learning, but hopefully it made some fun memories that they'll carry through life. And someday when they have kids of their own, they'll think, as the leaves start to turn, "Hey, we should go on a walk and then have some hot spiced cider."

One of the foods that seems very fallish to me is pears. I've not done a lot with pears, though, because I seem to either get pears that are crispy or pears that are mealy. Either way is not good. But on a recent Trader Joe's expedition I picked up a 4-pack of lovely Bartlett pears that turned out to be just perfect. Juicy, flavorful, and delicious. We'd consumed two before I remembered the recipe. The one I'd ripped out of a magazine years ago. The one I'd been wanting to make but never seemed to have all the ingredients at the same time. I pulled it out, praying that two pears would be enough. It was, and I had everything else on the list. Well, almost everything. I didn't have non-fat sour cream, so I used non-fat plain yogurt. They have a similar taste, consistency, and basically serve the same purpose in baked goods. Plus it makes me happier to use yogurt than fake food.

Amazingly, this beautiful little cake is not laden with humongous amounts of calories. It has a light, delicate crumb to go with its gentle pear flavor. It's a perfect cake to pop in the oven when you've got friends coming over for coffee. Or make it with your kids and start a new fall tradition.


Pear Cake with Pine Nuts
adapted from Cooking Light

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 salt
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup 1% milk
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg
2 cups thinly sliced, peeled pear

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

2- Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, stir well with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Remove 1/3 cup flour mixture, place in a small bowl. Stir in pine nuts and cinnamon, set aside.

3- Combine the flour mixture with the next 7 ingredients (yogurt through egg) in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Pour the batter into prepared cake pan. Arrange the pear slices evenly over the batter. Sprinkle with pine nut mixture. Bake at 350 deg. for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 8 slices.