Sides

Cranberry-Ginger-Red Onion Chutney

Not even 5 days past Halloween and I am already focusing on things to make for Thanksgiving. Every year I make a variation on the usually “cranberry sauce” and this year is no different. In that I added Ginger and Red onion and made more of a chutney than a plain sauce. There are cloves and cinnamon in there too, and orange juice, so a whole lot of flavors. It’s lovely though: tart and sweet and savory and complex. The best part about it: you can make it up to three weeks in advance, keep refrigerated in jars (like you would “freezer jam) and it’s lovely and fresh on Thanksgiving Day.
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4. November 2016
Breakfast/Brunch

Salted Caramel-Glazed Pumpkin Donuts

So what does one do on the morning after Halloween? One sneaks over to the neighbors, steals their pumpkin, hacks it to pieces, roasts and the purees it, and then makes … these lovely doughnuts. I guess that means I could call them Dead Jack-o-Lantern Donuts, but that’s not very appetizing sounding.

PS: the neighbor’s Jack-o-Latern is still on their porch. I may be a pumpkin murderer, but I’m not a thief!
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1. November 2016
Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Banana Pecan Crunch Muffins

Sunday Morning Breakfast: Seriously the easiest muffins ever. Bananas, pecans, a bit of oatmeal crumble. On the breakfast table, all warm and delightful, in under an hour (under 45 minutes if you hurry a bit).

So, in reference to the photo that looks like claws are coming to steal the muffins: my parents have this decorative metal lobster hanging on the porch railing, with the claws just above railing level. I thought that it was funny in a halloween like way, to have the clws coming up from the deal to steal my Banana Pecan Crunch Muffins. Nom. Happy Halloween. 🙂
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30. October 2016
Desserts, Sweet Snacks

“Hasselback-style” Apple Custard Tart

Look! Another apple pie! Are you surprised? There must be about 20 on this here site. I love apple pie.

And I love this whole “hassleback” cut. I usually do it of course with potatoes (like here), but it also works with apples and even cucumbers! I thought it was a lovely presentation with the pie, and the apples peeking out. Also, it’s fall so there are some pretty leaves. Lovely.
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29. October 2016
Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Hazelnut-Rosemary Caramel Tart

This is a bit of a twist on a Pecan Pie. It has the same sort of filling (melted butter, eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar), but instead of using pecans, I used toasted hazelnuts and I added a twist: I steeped some fresh rosemary (from my ever dwindling herbs in my porch garden — the next frost and they will all be gone) in the melted butter for 20 minutes, to give it an interesting, and in my opinion, lovely harvest flavor. I suppose that you could use other nuts as well — cashews maybe? — if you weren’t up for using hazelnuts but still wanted something different than your standard pecan pie. Serve at room temp, maybe with a bit of whipped cream to cut the richness.
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28. October 2016