MOORESVILLE, NC — The past several months have kindled new interest in baking as Americans spend more time hunkering down at home to avoid the coronavirus. Buying a pumpkin for a jack-o'-lantern is one reason to visit pumpkin patches in Mooresville, but 2020 could also be the year to make pumpkin pies from scratch.
Sure, canned pumpkin will do the trick. It's healthy and packed with nutrients, and some of the top cooking websites say it stacks up well against the homemade pumpkin purée and saves busy cooks a ton of time.
But there's something soothing, meditative and cathartic about digging into the pumpkin with your hands and scooping out the stringy innards and seeds. The coronavirus culinary revolution reflects our collective hunger to take control of at least one thing in our upended lives. #StressBaking isn't just a social media hashtag.
Just dress for the occasion, and wear gloves if the sliminess is too much for you.
Carrigan Farms, LLC Address: 1261 Oak Ridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, (704) 664-1450. Attractions: Says Carrigan Farms, "Come pick your own pumpkin, right off the vine! Carrigan Farms' pumpkin patches are open the entire month of October with shuttles back and forth to the patch every day." Reservations required Hours: Monday through Friday: 10am, 10:30am, 11am, 11:30am 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm, and 4:30pm; Saturday and Sunday: Every 20 minutes between 9am and 4pm
Patterson Farm Address: 3060 Millbridge Road, China Grove, NC, (704) 857-5242 Attractions: Fall Fun on the Farm Weekends include a bee-themed corn maze, barnyard visits, pumpkin patch and more. Tickets may be purchased here. Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., Sunday: 12 p.m. until 6 p.m.
Howard Family Farm Address: 250 Crater Road, Harmony, (704) 539-4994 Attractions: Pick your pumpkin straight from the patch and wander through a corn maze Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Southern Living says small, round sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie or sweet pumpkins, are the best pumpkins for baking. The stem should be brown, but still firmly attached, and check for blemishes and bruising. And don't get hung up on the color. As a pumpkin matures, its flesh dulls.
JoyFoodSunshine was our first stop on the spin around the internet in search of classic homemade pumpkin pie recipes. It requires an investment in time — a little over two hours — but blogger Laura says on her website the 10-ingredient recipe "is the only pumpkin pie recipe you'll ever need" and that "literally everyone" who tries it falls in love with it.
"It's a beautiful blend of creamy, spicy sweet flavors that encompass all that is wonderful about fall," Laura says.
Everything about this pie is made from scratch, from the crust to the dollop of homemade whipped cream added after it's been plated. Laura tells you everything you need to know, from the tools you'll need to how to know when the pie is done.
Sheri B., whose from-scratch pumpkin pie recipe is featured on Food.com, says the roasted pumpkin can be puréed using a sieve, food mill, blender or food processor, but she likes to create the filling with a hand potato masher.
For some cooks, secret pumpkin pie ingredients make for an unforgettable dessert. New York City-based food and wine writer Mandy Naglich's recipe on Taste Of Home calls for cracked black pepper.
"The best way to preserve the spiciness of pumpkin spice is with freshly cracked black pepper," Naglich writes. "It adds a robust bite to the traditional spice mix, which comes across subtly in each mouthful of pumpkin pie."
The pepper won't make the pie "spicy," but guests may ask where you got the super-fresh spices, she says.
"Food Hussy" Heather Johnson touts the secret ingredient in her mom's pumpkin pie recipe. For years, Johnson's mother refused to share the recipe, but eventually gave it up to her blogger daughter: It's Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.
After you've gone to all the trouble of baking from-scratch pumpkin pies, you may decide using a can of pumpkin pie filling is easier. But it's a coronavirus quarantine memory, and hopefully a pleasant one, that you'll always have.
REDONDO BEACH, CA — The past several months have kindled new interest in baking as Americans spend more time hunkering down at home to avoid the coronavirus. Buying a pumpkin for a jack-o'-lantern is one reason to visit pumpkin patches in Redondo Beach, but 2020 could also be the year to make pumpkin pies from scratch.
Sure, canned pumpkin will do the trick. It's healthy and packed with nutrients, and some of the top cooking websites say it stacks up well against the homemade pumpkin purée and saves busy cooks a ton of time.
But there's something soothing, meditative and cathartic about digging into the pumpkin with your hands and scooping out the stringy innards and seeds. The coronavirus culinary revolution reflects our collective hunger to take control of at least one thing in our upended lives. #StressBaking isn't just a social media hashtag.
Just dress for the occasion, and wear gloves if the sliminess is too much for you.
Southern Living says small, round sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie or sweet pumpkins, are the best pumpkins for baking. The stem should be brown, but still firmly attached, and check for blemishes and bruising. And don't get hung up on the color. As a pumpkin matures, its flesh dulls.
JoyFoodSunshine was our first stop on the spin around the internet in search of classic homemade pumpkin pie recipes. It requires an investment in time — a little over two hours — but blogger Laura says on her website the 10-ingredient recipe "is the only pumpkin pie recipe you'll ever need" and that "literally everyone" who tries it falls in love with it.
"It's a beautiful blend of creamy, spicy sweet flavors that encompass all that is wonderful about fall," Laura says.
Everything about this pie is made from scratch, from the crust to the dollop of homemade whipped cream added after it's been plated. Laura tells you everything you need to know, from the tools you'll need to how to know when the pie is done.
Sheri B., whose from-scratch pumpkin pie recipe is featured on Food.com, says the roasted pumpkin can be puréed using a sieve, food mill, blender or food processor, but she likes to create the filling with a hand potato masher.
For some cooks, secret pumpkin pie ingredients make for an unforgettable dessert. New York City-based food and wine writer Mandy Naglich's recipe on Taste Of Home calls for cracked black pepper.
"The best way to preserve the spiciness of pumpkin spice is with freshly cracked black pepper," Naglich writes. "It adds a robust bite to the traditional spice mix, which comes across subtly in each mouthful of pumpkin pie."
The pepper won't make the pie "spicy," but guests may ask where you got the super-fresh spices, she says.
"Food Hussy" Heather Johnson touts the secret ingredient in her mom's pumpkin pie recipe. For years, Johnson's mother refused to share the recipe, but eventually gave it up to her blogger daughter: It's Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.
After you've gone to all the trouble of baking from-scratch pumpkin pie, you may decide using a can of pumpkin pie filling is easier. But it's a coronavirus quarantine memory, and hopefully a pleasant one, that you'll always have.
HERNDON, VA — The past several months have kindled new interest in baking as Americans spend more time hunkering down at home to avoid the coronavirus. Buying a pumpkin for a jack-o'-lantern is one reason to visit pumpkin patches in Herndon, but 2020 could also be the year to make pumpkin pies from scratch.
Sure, canned pumpkin will do the trick. It's healthy and packed with nutrients, and some of the top cooking websites say it stacks up well against the homemade pumpkin purée and saves busy cooks a ton of time.
But there's something soothing, meditative and cathartic about digging into the pumpkin with your hands and scooping out the stringy innards and seeds. The coronavirus culinary revolution reflects our collective hunger to take control of at least one thing in our upended lives. #StressBaking isn't just a social media hashtag.
Just dress for the occasion, and wear gloves if the sliminess is too much for you.
Southern Living says small, round sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie or sweet pumpkins, are the best pumpkins for baking. The stem should be brown, but still firmly attached, and check for blemishes and bruising. And don't get hung up on the color. As a pumpkin matures, its flesh dulls.
JoyFoodSunshine was our first stop on the spin around the internet in search of classic homemade pumpkin pie recipes. It requires an investment in time — a little over two hours — but blogger Laura says on her website the 10-ingredient recipe "is the only pumpkin pie recipe you'll ever need" and that "literally everyone" who tries it falls in love with it.
"It's a beautiful blend of creamy, spicy sweet flavors that encompass all that is wonderful about fall," Laura says.
Everything about this pie is made from scratch, from the crust to the dollop of homemade whipped cream added after it's been plated. Laura tells you everything you need to know, from the tools you'll need to how to know when the pie is done.
Sheri B., whose from-scratch pumpkin pie recipe is featured on Food.com, says the roasted pumpkin can be puréed using a sieve, food mill, blender or food processor, but she likes to create the filling with a hand potato masher.
For some cooks, secret pumpkin pie ingredients make for an unforgettable dessert. New York City-based food and wine writer Mandy Naglich's recipe on Taste Of Home calls for cracked black pepper.
"The best way to preserve the spiciness of pumpkin spice is with freshly cracked black pepper," Naglich writes. "It adds a robust bite to the traditional spice mix, which comes across subtly in each mouthful of pumpkin pie."
The pepper won't make the pie "spicy," but guests may ask where you got the super-fresh spices, she says.
"Food Hussy" Heather Johnson touts the secret ingredient in her mom's pumpkin pie recipe. For years, Johnson's mother refused to share the recipe, but eventually gave it up to her blogger daughter: It's Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.
After you've gone to all the trouble of baking from-scratch pumpkin pies, you may decide using a can of pumpkin pie filling is easier. But it's a coronavirus quarantine memory, and hopefully a pleasant one, that you'll always have.
There are pasta fans, and then are full-blown pasta fanatics. The latter has an iPhone full of photos of perfectly plated spaghetti and the need to wax poetic after every single al dente bite during dinner — and we love them for it.
If you're looking for a thoughtful way to celebrate a carb devotee in your life, look no further than a gift that celebrates their No. 1 love: pasta. To get you started, we rounded up 24 items that will delight any pasta-lover, from delicate farfalle necklaces to perhaps surprisingly chic linguine art prints. And don't worry, no spaghetti-making skills required.
This roundup of Dallas restaurant news is brimming with all of our favorite new coronavirus-inspired routines: takeout, to go, and curbside pickup. But it's not all COVID-19. There's info about a new brunch, a new supper, new doughnuts, new coffee, and lots of new options to get your plant-based beef.
Here's what's happening in Dallas dining news:
Fajita Pete's, the fajita concept chain from Houston, has opened a new location in Dallas, in the Park Cities at 4441 Lovers Ln., in what was once a quick loan place and more recently a dry cleaning delivery chain called Mulberry's. Pete's, which opened a location in Carrollton in 2018, has a simple menu focusing on chicken, beef, or shrimp fajitas, plus quesadillas, chips, guacamole, and queso. They offer delivery and carryout options, with limited dine-in seating—perfect for the times we are in now, as they say.
Hatchways Café at Victory Park is now serving supper. Like its breakfast, lunch, and grab-and-go options, the supper menu was developed by chef Keith Cedotal, who formerly ran the pastry program for Mirador, Americano, CBD Provisions, Sassetta, and Wheelhouse. The menu offers a wide selection of options, including vegan, vegetarian, and allergy-friendly fare. Keeping in mind that take-out is important, they developed the Supper menu so that everything would travels well. You can order online at hatchwayscafe.com and pick up inside the café or via Hatchways Café’s contactless curbside option.
Menu items include:
Mexican shrimp cocktail with tangy cocktail sauce, avocado, pico de gallo, and tajin-salt whole wheat tortilla chips
Vegan Caesar Salad with whole wheat croutons on little gem
Enchilada Casserole with roasted corn and peppers, white cheddar, cilantro, and avo de gallo
Thai Steak Quesadillas with roasted peanuts, cucumber salad, and peanut dipping sauce
Whole Wheat Parker House Rolls baked fresh daily, served with salted whipped butter
Sweet Potato Gratin with Benton’s bacon, parmesan panko, and light béchamel
Uchibā is bringing its Uncommon Ramen series back as a weekly curbside event. Every Monday beginning October 5, they'll showcase a different ramen, inspired by previous collaborations. Uncommon Ramen debuted in 2017 as a monthly pop-up featuring dishes created by renowned chefs from around the country in collaboration with Chef de Cuisine Alex Astranti. The schedule is as follows:
October - Tommy Lee's sesame tonkotsu, chicken chasu, pickled perilla leaves, egg ($15)
December - Don Angie's mortadella-cheese tonkotsu, chicken meatball, pickled mustard greens, ajitama egg ($17)
January 2021 - Chris Shepherd's Harissa-tahini tonkotsu, braised lamb, smoked beets, black lime, marinated egg ($17)
February 2021 - Aaron Franklin's pho broth, smoked beef, charred mushrooms, pickled red onion, marinated egg, herbs ($16)
March 2021 - John Tesar's beef broth, prime rib, charred onion, mayu, egg, pickled potato, horseradish ($18)
The Monday menus will also include a recurring vegetarian ramen with mushroom broth, grilled king trumpet, bean sprouts, pickled honshimeji, mapo oil, and egg; plus the Arabiki Dog, which will vary from month to month. Phone lines open at 3:30 pm every day. Reservations can be made online up to a week in advance. Pickup is beween 5-10 pm.
Zalat Pizza opens their ninth location on September 30 in Plano at 3909 W Parker Rd. This will function as another cloud kitchen, serving delivery via third party delivery apps or takeout through Zalat's website. It'll be open Monday–Saturday 11 am–12 am, Sunday 11 am–10 pm. Plano currently has two Zalat locations, in Downtown Plano and at Legacy and Independence.
Cotton Patch Cafe has introduced a Curbside To-Go alcohol program at the majority of its locations, so you can order beer and wine to accompany your to-go food orders. Certain locations will have half-gallon Southern Sippers starting at $20 to include margarita, red wine sangria, hurricane, and Southern sweet tea, including Granbury, Burleson, Frisco, Mansfield, Denton, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Lake Worth, North Richland Hills, Watauga, and Wylie.
Cotton Patch Cafe is also doing a Texas State Fare promotion through October 18, highlighting fried pickles, chicken tenders, and other dishes they say are synonymous with the State Fair of Texas.
Elm & Good, the restaurant at the Pittman Hotel in Deep Ellum, has launched brunch every Sunday from 10 am-3 pm. Menu iems include shrimp & grits, smoked brisket hash with red onion, piperade, Yukon gold potato, and piquillo vinaigrette, and a French-style omelette with parmesan, chives, Yukon gold hash browns, arugula, and lemon vinaigrette.
Perry's Steakhouse & Grille has a new Comfort Menu To-Go, available for curbside pickup daily featuring off-menu items in individual or family portions that include:
Roasted Lemon Chicken Oregenato ($35) – Airline chicken breast sous vide and roasted with lemon, oregano, leeks, shallots, fingerling potatoes and artichokes
Truffle Chicken Pot Pie ($29 or family-style serving for $89) – Chicken with black truffles, carrots, and peas, topped with a flaky crust.
Pork Lasagna ($25 or family-style serving for $89) – Seven-layered pork lasagna made with Perry's Famous Pork Chop, spinach ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and ratatouille-style vegetables, including zucchini, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and garlic
They've also launched Perry's Steakhouse Online Market, where you can order the Famous Pork Chop and other items delivered nationwide at shop.perryssteakhouse.com.
Fat Straws Bubble Tea Co. is offering three limited-edition boba doughnuts for the Moon Festival on October 1-3. The doughnuts will have boba mixed into the dough. The three flavors include: White Rabbit Milk Candy Boba, Ube Boba, and Pandan Coconut Boba. Pickup and delivery is available at www.fatstraws.co. Pre-order is available for half dozen or a dozen doughnuts. There are four locations including Richardson, Plano, and two in Dallas: Alpha Road by the Galleria, and Preston Road.
Smoothie King has a new Vegan Mixed Berry Smoothie, which they're saying is "the perfect meal replacement to help guests remain committed to plant-based living." One might think that a smoothie would be automatically vegan but some of them contain dairy. The Vegan Mixed Berry offers a new twist with the addition of Califia Farms Oat Milk, a non-dairy alternative which they'll substitute into any smoothie on the menu. It also contains whole strawberries, wild blueberries, raspberries, banana, super grains, Sunwarrior organic plant-based protein, apple blueberry juice blend, and pear juice blend. That's actually pretty good. It has 13 grams of protein and half the recommended daily fiber in a 20-ounce serving.
Vestals Catering, the Dallas catering company, has launched customizable meal kits with an instructional video that they say is perfect for team bonding. "By watching the instructional video, employees will learn to create specialty crafted cocktails that they can enjoy virtually with fellow team members." If that's not enough bonding, Vestals can arrange for a live group video call with chef Jordan Swim while everyone cooks together. To order, email catering@vestalscatering.com or call 972-803-3806.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is bringing back Carne Asada. Available from late 2019 to early 2020, Carne Asada was Chipotle's fastest-selling new protein launch in history. It's grilled in small batches, seasoned, hand cut into tender slices, and finished with lime and hand-chopped cilantro. So many hands. The premium steak option will also return to the menu in Canada and make its debut in France. But who cares about them, this is Dallas we're talking about. They're saying it's a limited-edition item, but aren't specifying end date, other than they will "continue to explore options to add the protein option as a permanent menu item in the future." In other words, if it sells, it stays.
Kung Fu Tea is releasing a seasonal Pumpkin Spice Series on October 5 with three special coffee drinks available at select locations:
Pumpkin Slush - Slushy swirl of pumpkin spice and milk.
Pumpkin Spice Latte - Pumpkin spice paired with Lactaid milk and cinnamon. Available hot or cold.
Pumpkin Coffee - Creamy blend of pumpkin spice, milk, and bold espresso. Available hot or cold.
Corner Bakery launched two new menu items featuring meatballs made with Beyond Beef. These plant-based meatballs are hand-crafted - again with the hands - and combine Beyond Beef with herbs, garlic, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs. Corner Bakery tested these Beyond Meat menu items in December 2019 at five locations in Los Angeles. Now they go nationwide. The menu items are:
Beyond Meat has also introduced Beyond Meatballs that are pre-rolled and perfectly seasoned, is available at Target, Walmart, and Sprouts.
Impossible Burger, the other plant-based meat, is rolling out at Target stores across the United States, either fresh or frozen in the meat aisle in 12-ounce packages.
The SPCA of Texas is hosting "Dine to Donate," a month-lon progam in October in which supporters can dine-in or take-out at participating restaurants and a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to the SPCA of Texas. to find out which locations are participating and on which dates, visit www.spca.org/dine2donate. Generous participating restaurants so far include Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Azucar Ice Cream, and Panera Bread.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Here’s a super-easy soft taco recipe from the South Dakota Beef Industry Council ... lots of flavor the whole family can enjoy.
First, take 2 or 3 Flat Iron steaks and cut them lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4 inch strips; set aside. Now for the marinade: in a small bowl combine a half cup of Italian dressing with a quarter cup of fresh lime juice. Then add a tablespoon of honey and 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin. Finally, throw in a teaspoon of chili powder. Mix thoroughly then pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the beef and turn to coat. Marinate 30 minutes to 2 hours.
When ready to cook the meat, discard the marinade and fry in a skillet over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side until done. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
To assemble the tacos, place some of the meat on a 5″ flour tortilla. Then top with Pico de Gallo (can be store bought) that you will mix with 1/4 c of Taco sauce and 1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice. Top with Mexican Blend cheese and enjoy!
NOVATO, CA — For your coronavirus stress baking, head to a pumpkin patch near Novato and make a perfect from-scratch pumpkin pie.
The past several months have kindled new interest in baking as Americans spend more time hunkering down at home to avoid the coronavirus. Buying a pumpkin for a jack-o'-lantern is one reason to visit pumpkin patches in the Bay Area, but 2020 could also be the year to make pumpkin pies from scratch.
Sure, canned pumpkin will do the trick. It's healthy and packed with nutrients, and some of the top cooking websites say it stacks up well against the homemade pumpkin purée and saves busy cooks a ton of time.
But there's something soothing, meditative and cathartic about digging into the pumpkin with your hands and scooping out the stringy innards and seeds. The coronavirus culinary revolution reflects our collective hunger to take control of at least one thing in our upended lives. #StressBaking isn't just a social media hashtag.
Just dress for the occasion, and wear gloves if the sliminess is too much for you.
The first thing you need to do is head to a pumpkin patch near Novato, such as Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch, which opens Thursday and is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Southern Living says small, round sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie or sweet pumpkins, are the best pumpkins for baking. The stem should be brown, but still firmly attached, and check for blemishes and bruising. And don't get hung up on the color. As a pumpkin matures, its flesh dulls.
JoyFoodSunshine was our first stop on the spin around the internet in search of classic homemade pumpkin pie recipes. It requires an investment in time — a little over two hours — but blogger Laura says on her website the 10-ingredient recipe "is the only pumpkin pie recipe you'll ever need" and that "literally everyone" who tries it falls in love with it.
"It's a beautiful blend of creamy, spicy sweet flavors that encompass all that is wonderful about fall," Laura says.
Everything about this pie is made from scratch, from the crust to the dollop of homemade whipped cream added after it's been plated. Laura tells you everything you need to know, from the tools you'll need to how to know when the pie is done.
Sheri B., whose from-scratch pumpkin pie recipe is featured on Food.com, says the roasted pumpkin can be puréed using a sieve, food mill, blender or food processor, but she likes to create the filling with a hand potato masher.
For some cooks, secret pumpkin pie ingredients make for an unforgettable dessert. New York City-based food and wine writer Mandy Naglich's recipe on Taste Of Home calls for cracked black pepper.
"The best way to preserve the spiciness of pumpkin spice is with freshly cracked black pepper," Naglich writes. "It adds a robust bite to the traditional spice mix, which comes across subtly in each mouthful of pumpkin pie."
The pepper won't make the pie "spicy," but guests may ask where you got the super-fresh spices, she says.
"Food Hussy" Heather Johnson touts the secret ingredient in her mom's pumpkin pie recipe. For years, Johnson's mother refused to share the recipe, but eventually gave it up to her blogger daughter: It's Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.
After you've gone to all the trouble of baking from-scratch pumpkin pie, you may decide using a can of pumpkin pie filling is easier. But it's a coronavirus quarantine memory, and hopefully a pleasant one, that you'll always have.
LEESBURG, VA — The past several months have kindled new interest in baking as Americans spend more time hunkering down at home to avoid the coronavirus. Buying a pumpkin for a jack-o'-lantern is one reason to visit pumpkin patches in the Leesburg area, but 2020 could also be the year to make pumpkin pies from scratch.
Sure, canned pumpkin will do the trick. It's healthy and packed with nutrients, and some of the top cooking websites say it stacks up well against the homemade pumpkin purée and saves busy cooks a ton of time.
But there's something soothing, meditative and cathartic about digging into the pumpkin with your hands and scooping out the stringy innards and seeds. The coronavirus culinary revolution reflects our collective hunger to take control of at least one thing in our upended lives.
#StressBaking isn't just a social media hashtag.
Just dress for the occasion, and wear gloves if the sliminess is too much for you.
The first thing you need to do is head to one of the pumpkin patches around Leesburg. Here are some of them:
Southern Living says small, round sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie or sweet pumpkins, are the best pumpkins for baking. The stem should be brown, but still firmly attached, and check for blemishes and bruising. And don't get hung up on the color. As a pumpkin matures, its flesh dulls.
JoyFoodSunshine was our first stop on the spin around the internet in search of classic homemade pumpkin pie recipes. It requires an investment in time — a little over two hours — but blogger Laura says on her website the 10-ingredient recipe "is the only pumpkin pie recipe you'll ever need" and that "literally everyone" who tries it falls in love with it.
"It's a beautiful blend of creamy, spicy sweet flavors that encompass all that is wonderful about fall," Laura says.
Everything about this pie is made from scratch, from the crust to the dollop of homemade whipped cream added after it's been plated. Laura tells you everything you need to know, from the tools you'll need to how to know when the pie is done.
Sheri B., whose from-scratch pumpkin pie recipe is featured on Food.com, says the roasted pumpkin can be puréed using a sieve, food mill, blender or food processor, but she likes to create the filling with a hand potato masher.
For some cooks, secret pumpkin pie ingredients make for an unforgettable dessert. New York City-based food and wine writer Mandy Naglich's recipe on Taste Of Home calls for cracked black pepper.
"The best way to preserve the spiciness of pumpkin spice is with freshly cracked black pepper," Naglich writes. "It adds a robust bite to the traditional spice mix, which comes across subtly in each mouthful of pumpkin pie."
The pepper won't make the pie "spicy," but guests may ask where you got the super-fresh spices, she says.
"Food Hussy" Heather Johnson touts the secret ingredient in her mom's pumpkin pie recipe. For years, Johnson's mother refused to share the recipe, but eventually gave it up to her blogger daughter: It's Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.
After you've gone to all the trouble of baking from-scratch pumpkin pies, you may decide using a can of pumpkin pie filling is easier. But it's a coronavirus quarantine memory, and hopefully a pleasant one, that you'll always have.
SAN DIEGO, CA — For your coronavirus stress baking, head to a pumpkin patch in San Diego County and make a perfect from-scratch pumpkin pie.
The past several months have kindled new interest in baking as Americans spend more time hunkering down at home to avoid the coronavirus. Buying a pumpkin for a jack-o'-lantern is one reason to visit pumpkin patches in the county, but 2020 could also be the year to make pumpkin pies from scratch.
Sure, canned pumpkin will do the trick. It's healthy and packed with nutrients, and some of the top cooking websites say it stacks up well against the homemade pumpkin purée and saves busy cooks a ton of time.
But there's something soothing, meditative and cathartic about digging into the pumpkin with your hands and scooping out the stringy innards and seeds. The coronavirus culinary revolution reflects our collective hunger to take control of at least one thing in our upended lives. #StressBaking isn't just a social media hashtag.
Just dress for the occasion, and wear gloves if the sliminess is too much for you.
Address: 15954 Woods Valley Road, Valley Center
Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 19-Oct. 31
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Admission: admission is free; $5 parking per car on weekends in October (cash only)
Admission: $14.50 per child on weekdays and $16.50 per child on Saturdays; children under 2 are free; $8.50 per adult (14 and older) on weekdays and $10.50 per adult on Saturdays. All tickets, including tickets for the wagon ride, must be purchased online prior to arrival. No tickets will be sold on-site.
Activities: petting corral, play area and playground, Cottonseed Mountain, sand pile with toy trucks and tractors, pedal cart/tricycle race track, giant slides, wagon ride
Southern Living says small, round sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie or sweet pumpkins, are the best pumpkins for baking. The stem should be brown, but still firmly attached, and check for blemishes and bruising. And don't get hung up on the color. As a pumpkin matures, its flesh dulls.
JoyFoodSunshine was our first stop on the spin around the internet in search of classic homemade pumpkin pie recipes. It requires an investment in time — a little over two hours — but blogger Laura says on her website the 10-ingredient recipe "is the only pumpkin pie recipe you'll ever need" and that "literally everyone" who tries it falls in love with it.
"It's a beautiful blend of creamy, spicy sweet flavors that encompass all that is wonderful about fall," Laura says.
Everything about this pie is made from scratch, from the crust to the dollop of homemade whipped cream added after it's been plated. Laura tells you everything you need to know, from the tools you'll need to how to know when the pie is done.
Sheri B., whose from-scratch pumpkin pie recipe is featured on Food.com, says the roasted pumpkin can be puréed using a sieve, food mill, blender or food processor, but she likes to create the filling with a hand potato masher.
For some cooks, secret pumpkin pie ingredients make for an unforgettable dessert. New York City-based food and wine writer Mandy Naglich's recipe on Taste Of Home calls for cracked black pepper.
"The best way to preserve the spiciness of pumpkin spice is with freshly cracked black pepper," Naglich writes. "It adds a robust bite to the traditional spice mix, which comes across subtly in each mouthful of pumpkin pie."
The pepper won't make the pie "spicy," but guests may ask where you got the super-fresh spices, she says.
"Food Hussy" Heather Johnson touts the secret ingredient in her mom's pumpkin pie recipe. For years, Johnson's mother refused to share the recipe, but eventually gave it up to her blogger daughter: It's Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.
After you've gone to all the trouble of baking from-scratch pumpkin pie, you may decide using a can of pumpkin pie filling is easier. But it's a coronavirus quarantine memory, and hopefully a pleasant one, that you'll always have.
Solomonov arrived at the tasting with some ingredients that Pat’s otherwise would not stock. He got beef cooking on the grill and added shakes of the Ararat spice blend from New York’s La Boite, which combines Urfa pepper, Spanish paprika, and fenugreek. He assembled a chopped salad of tomato and cucumber, added shipka peppers, put everything on the rolls, and spooned on thick tehina.
For South Floridians, grilling up a home-cookedmeal isn’t relegated to just the summer months. Next time you throw a steak over the coals, try adding an extra touch of flavor with this Smoky Bacon, Chive and Shallot Butter.
INGREDIENTS
• 4 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, divided
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 3 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Salt and ground pepper to taste
PREPARATION
In small sauté pan, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally until browned and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. Cut 1 stick butter into pieces. Add pieces to drippings and cook, stirring often, until butter foams and browns, about 5-8 minutes. Strain mixture into medium bowl. Stir in minced shallot.
Allow bacon fat-butter mixture to cool 30 minutes, or until it reaches room temperature. Add remaining stick butter to bacon fat mixture. Using hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Add chives, vinegar and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.Place butter mixture in refrigerator and allow to firm slightly. Butter can be made up to three days in advance. Remove from refrigerator one hour prior to serving to allow butter to soften. Find more summer meal inspiration at omahasteaks.com.
Salt Bae is leaving Boston soon and that should end the crowds of celebrity hounds who'd turned Arlington Street in Park Square into a potential superspreader spot in the eight days his steak place was open before the city shut it down, Salt Bae's local lawyer and two of his sub-Baes told the Boston Licensing Board today.
Nusret, 100 Arlington St., will remain shut until at least Thursday, when the licensing board considers lifting the shutdown and liquor-license suspension it ordered Saturday after repeated complaints from residents - and a citation from licensing detectives - about a lack of social distancing and mask wearing both outside and inside the restaurant. The restaurant was also given a $300 ticket by an ISD health inspector for violating city and state social-distancing guidelines.
"When we are hearing really egregious and serious complaints about public-health violations, it is our responsibility to address them," board Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce said in one of three hearings on the restaurant today. She emphasized the board was not even considering the Instagram posts by the Bae himself, just testimony from police officers, an ISD inspector and nearby residents.
Joyce said officials decided to shut the place Saturday afternoon as both a public-health threat and because city resources were being drained by having to deal with so many complaints to various city departments over the past week about conditions there.
"We aren't making any excuses, we should have done a better job," Ufuk Soyturk, a Nusret corporate executive, told the board.
The Bae himself did not attend the hearing, unlike the opening of the restaurant, but his Boston manager, Ali Avci said that both he and the Bae are really torn up by what happened; the Bae is "very, very upset by these situations." Avci said neither he nor his boss have gotten more than an hour of sleep in the past three days.
"We cannot hide from the fact that the chef is an international celebrity," attorney Dennis Quilty said. "It was a perfect storm, if you will, of his celebrity causing a lot of this traffic outside."
Soyturk and Quilty said the celebrity hounds will soon no longer have a reason to flock to Arlington Street: The Bae, also known as Nusret Gökçe, plans to decamp from Boston soon, to sprinkle salt on steaks at his other 21 restaurants.
That can't happen fast enough for several nearby residents, who testified about conditions both on Arlington Street and inside the restaurant on the first few opening nights.
Nancy Morrisroe of Bay Village said she went to take a look after her daughter came home Saturday night to report that Salt Bae himself was outside the restaurant doing selfies. She told the board he was still doing that when she walked by - in particular with "the ladies."
"The entire sidewalk was just jam packed with people taking selfies and chatting and whatnot," Brian Boisvert, who lives on Piedmont Street, told the board. "It was chaos, absolute chaos, that whole weekend frankly."
Steve Coyle, who lives in the building that houses the restaurant, agreed with their accounts about the sidewalk conditions. Inside the restaurant, he said, " it was pandemonium." He said at one point he saw a maskless Salt Bae mingling with guests inside. Coyle did not go inside himself, but the restaurant has large picture windows overlooking Arlington Street - one with a rendering of the chef in his Internet-famous sprinkling position.
Quilty and Avci said their Open Table-based reservations system ensured the restaurant inside was not packed. Avci denied that tables were jammed together - he said he and his staff had an actual tape measure to ensure chairs at one table were no closer than six feet to the chairs at another. Outside, markers were placed every 12 feet to ensure distancing, he said.
Under questioning from Quilty, BPD Det. Eddie Hernandez acknowledged that Avci and three or four staffers came outside and tried to get people without reservations to leave at the height of the crowding around 8:45 p.m. that Saturday.
"He attempted to try to bring the line into compliance, but it never really happened," Hernandez said.
Avci said the first opening was intended to be a "soft" one and that the restaurant did no advertising and that he did not post anything on social media. However, he acknowledged that Salt Bae himself did post on social media, even after all the restaurant's seats were reserved.
Also up for discussion today: A citation issued by licensing detectives for blocked fire exits - a front exit blocked by a table at which two guests were sitting and a kitchen exit partially blocked by some trash and a bucket. Detectives acknowledged that restaurant staff quickly moved both the table and the items in front of the rear exit.
Quilty formally protested this past weekend's shutdown, saying his client never had the chance to try to object beforehand and that the official notice of a hearing about it only showed up yesterday, less than 24 hours before today's hearing.
Joyce acknowledged his objection, but said officials had no choice but to end what they considered a threat to public health and safety.
The Italians are a nation of mycophiles, pouring into woods and forests in their thousands each autumn on the hunt for chiodini, gallinacci and, most prized of all,porcini, to saute, preserve or, as here, turn into a richly flavoured sauce. As well as having an earthy character that comes from a life spent largely underground, mushrooms are high in monosodium glutamate, the same thing that gives parmesan and ripe tomatoes their intensely savoury quality, which makes them an ideal base for a meat-free ragu. But do you need to be out foraging at dawn for the best results, or can you achieve fungi nirvana with supermarket produce?
The mushrooms
The Venetian refugee Giacomo Castelvetro wrote in his 1614 treatise The Fruit, Herbs and Vegetables of Italy that although wild mushrooms are “as abundant here in England as they are in Italy … few people seem to know much about them”. Plus ça change, as they don’t say in Rome. At this time of year, wild mushrooms are available in specialist greengrocers and online, but most English-language recipes acknowledge the fact that readers are unlikely to be able to get hold of them for all but the briefest window, so helpfully suggest substitutes.
Porcini power: Marcella Hazan’s white mushroom-based pasta packs a surprising punch. Photograph: All thumbnail pictures by Felicity Cloake
The late Marcella Hazan, the grande dame of Italian food writing in the US, writes in Marcella Cucina that “when working with cultivated mushrooms, I try to find methods that will excite from them flavour reminiscent of boletus [porcini]”. One of them, from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen, involves using a mixture of white mushrooms and dried porcini, while a later development combines white mushrooms and fresh shiitake, on the basis that “the exchange of flavour that takes place between the two varieties produces such a remarkable evocation of the aroma that one looks for in boletus that, as long as I have shiitake, I am more peacefully resigned to the absence of fresh porcini from American markets”.
Indeed, it is remarkable how much flavour one can coach into a standard white mushroom, not only by adding dried porcini and, more importantly, their soaking liquid, but also by evaporating most of the liquid (mushrooms are 80% to 90% water) in a hot frying pan to concentrate their flavour. Better still in terms of flavour and texture are the chestnut mushrooms used by Anna Del Conte and the America’s Test Kitchen team, although my testers prefer the dried porcini in Hazan’s first recipe to her shiitake version, for their depth of flavour and their texture.
That old chestnut: Anna Del Conte goes for chestnut mushrooms in her take on the classic.
Angela Hartnett’s mushroom ragu, from her book Cucina, uses dried mushrooms alone, but while it packs a fairly intense punch, we miss the juiciness of fresh funghi – and not everyone is keen on the consistency of rehydrated mushrooms.
A clever way of getting the flavour without any of the textural risk is to grind the dried porcini to a “magical mushroom dust” before use, as Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage suggest in their new book, Flavour. This can then be made into a seriously flavourful paste, but have a taste before use; if your porcini were gritty to start with, you may want to strain the paste, although generally I don’t bother. If you don’t have the means, or patience, to grind dried mushrooms, soak them in the equivalent volume of warm water for 20 minutes, then chop and add the mushrooms and their soaking water to the pan instead.
Rich: America’s Test Kitchen swears by the addition of cream.
The aromatics
Every recipe I try starts off by sauteing chopped onion (or shallots, in the case of ATK, as it will henceforth be known), with Del Conte and Hartnett then adding diced carrot and celery to create a soffritto, a base that gives their sauces depth and substance. Del Conte doesn’t add garlic, but it goes so well with mushrooms that, like Hazan, Hartnett, Valentina Harris and ATK, I am sold. The peppery flavour of Hartnett and ATK’s thyme is also popular, but rosemary feels as if it has the potential to overpower the mushrooms.
Ottolenghi and Belfrage, whose recipe is for a meatless ragu rather than a mushroom sauce, stir in cumin and rose harissa, which lend an earthy spice and gentle heat that works very well, especially with the addition of lentils and pearl barley to bulk it out. If you are after a vegetarian pasta sauce to give a ragù bolognese a run for its money, this is it.
Umami boosters
Earthy: Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage’s mushroom pasta has incredible depth.
The dishes that prove the most popular enhance the mushroom’s umami with other ingredients that are naturally rich in the stuff – often tomatoes, be they fresh, tinned or pureed. We tend towards the tinned variety, because, once reduced, as in Hazan’s recipe, they seem to supply a certain sweetness that works very well with the savoury mushrooms.
We are also big fans of Hazan’s anchovies, which melt into the sauce while packing a real saline punch, but I would prefer to keep this sauce vegetarian, so I am not going to use them in my final dish. If you like the sound of it, check out the recipe for penne col sugo di funghi coltivati in Marcella’s Italian Kitchen.
Intense: Angela Hartnett’s mushroom pasta.
Ottolenghi and Belfrage add white miso and soy sauce, serious umami bombs that, like Marmite, are well worth deploying in many meat-free situations. In this case, though, the porcini paste renders them unnecessary. Do bear them in mind if you taste yours and find it underpowered, however; simply stir in to taste.
The liquid
The chicken stock in the ATK recipe will add umami, too, as will the white wine used by Del Conte, Hartnett and Hazan, especially if you go for something particularly savoury, such as fino sherry. Again, the porcini broth means there is no need for stock, but wine always adds complexity – and is also nice to drink while you are cooking, if you are that way inclined, so for me it makes the cut.
ATK takes a different tack from the other recipes and uses cream rather than tomatoes, which makes for a rich, garlicky dish in which the mushrooms are just one of many savoury elements, along with liberal amounts of parmesan. If this is the kind of sauce you are looking for, I strongly recommend it.
Even if you go down the tomato and porcini route, however, it cries out for a dash of olive oil and a dusting of grated cheese (more umami) at the end.
The pasta
First, though, you will need to select a pasta (this sauce would also work with polenta). Penne is the most popular choice, suggested by Del Conte and Hazan, with the latter also mentioning garganelli or radiatori. ATK recommends campanelli or farfalle, while Harris suggests pappardelle, tagliatelle or fettuccine; Ottolenghi and Belfrage don’t specify, but the picture in their book seems to show their ragu tossed with fresh tagliatelle, which is also the choice of The Silver Spoon. Clearly, it is a matter of preference, but such a chunky sauce seems lost on penne and radiatori, where the openings are too small to allow much ingress. I prefer longer shapes – tagliatelle or pappardelle – and fresh, too, to match the richness of the sauce. But use whatever you have handy: the sauce is the star here.
Perfect pasta ai funghi
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 2 (easily doubled)
20g dried porcini
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (or 1 extra tbsp olive oil) ½ onion, peeled and finely diced ½ carrot, diced ½ stick celery, diced 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked 250g chestnut mushrooms, cut into thin, roughly ½cm-thick slices 100g chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp dry sherry or white wine
200g pasta (I like fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle here) Extra-virgin olive oil and finely grated parmesan, to serve (both optional)
Blitz the porcini to a powder in a spice grinder or food processor, then stir into a bowl filled with 100ml hot water, to make a paste. Leave to infuse.
Heat the oil and butter in a wide pan over a medium-low heat and fry the onion until golden and translucent.
Add the carrot and celery, fry until softened, stirring regularly, then add the garlic and thyme and fry for another 30 seconds.
Turn up the heat, add the fresh mushrooms and fry, stirring regularly, until they have slumped, browned and no longer give off steam. Add the sherry or wine, sizzle until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and the porcini paste (taste it first: if it is unpleasantly gritty, dilute it slightly, then strain) and stir well.
Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat, cover and leave to cook gently for about 10 minutes, until thick.
In the meantime, cook the pasta in plenty of well-salted boiling water, according to the packet instructions.
Season the sauce to taste, then drain the pasta, saving a little of the water. Put the pasta into the pan with the sauce and toss well to coat, adding a splash or two of the reserved cooking water if the sauce seems too thick to coat the pasta evenly. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve with grated parmesan or similar.
•Pasta ai funghi: which mushrooms do you favour and how do you prepare them? And why don’t we make more of them in the UK?
The Link Lonk
The Link Lonk
The Link Lonk
The Link Lonk
