A Provincial Sort of Apple Cake

I kept seeing it everywhere. This recipe for, "Dorie Greenspan's Apple Cake." Always referred to as a 4-word title. There it was in our local paper, tied to her book review on Amazon.com, traveling the virtual airways by Twitter, Facebook, Blogs. Hard bound and in print on page 432 of her new cookbook, Around My French Table. And even on AM Northwest, there was Dorie Greenspan making her Apple Cake. My curiosity was piqued...and as I've shared before, I'm not one to bake much.

Before giving it much thought, I tossed out the following statement to the virtual world by means of my La Pomme de Portland Facebook page, "Feeling a little sad to have missed Dorie Greenspan at the Heathman last night but went to Powell's today and bought her new cookbook, Around My French Table. If I make the apple cake, anyone want to come over and try it out with me?? I can't eat a whole cake by myself....seriously."

The response was a resounding, "Yes."

Then, I started to panic....a little. "I know it's Dorie Greenspan and all but what if I make the cake and it's not something I would want to serve to other people?" So, after finally making it to the liquor store for dark rum, I whipped up a trial run of Dorie's apple cake (which, by the way, is called Marie-Helene's Apple Cake in her cookbook.) And, as I pulled away the sides of my springform pan to admire the final product, I thought to myself, "This looks like a cake that Dorie Greenspan would make. It's petite, sophisticated, elegant. And the rum....wow!....you can't miss it." I sliced it up and passed around pieces to the family. I wondered, for just a moment, if I should be worried as I saw my 11-year old all wide-eyed going back for seconds. He, like me, who doesn't usually like baked goods.

The next morning, I carried slices next door, where my neighbor and I analyzed this final product over cups of coffee. I was curious what she thought.... she being a baker and all. Delicious, absolutely, but we couldn't help chuckling as we wondered if this was more of a "5 o' clock" cake. Of course, that didn't prevent us from eating each rum-laden bite.

After leaving my neighbor's, I came to the conclusion that this cake truly looked and tasted like something darling, sophisticated Dorie would serve to guests in her home. The cake reminded me of her...based on the brief amount of time I've spent around her. But for me, someone who spent her most formative years on an island in the Puget Sound, I needed something a little more provincial.

I hauled out my over-stuffed recipe box and whipped up an Apple Cake recipe I had copied down years ago. Too much oil. I pulled out cookbook after cookbook searching for Apple Cake recipes. Too many add-ins. I combed the internet for apple cake, apple bread, apple crumb cake, apple anything. Too much sugar. Finally, in a fit of frustration, using 4 or 5 different recipes as guides, I whipped up my own apple cake.

With Corinne Bailey Rae's rendition of "River" playing in the background and the first flakes of the season gently falling outside, I sat down with a slice of my apple cake. As I tasted that first spice-laden bite, I thought, "Yes. Now, this is something I would serve guests." A bit rustic but still pretty with the dusting of powdered sugar on top. I would serve it warm, with a cup of tea and possibly even a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Funny how even the food we set down for friends and family can say something about us.

And in the spirit of setting down food for family and friends, I wish you a most wonderful Thanksgiving wherever you may be, whatever you may be serving.

Apple Cake with a Provincial Flair

This cake isn't overly sweet which is how I like my baked goods but if you tend to go for cakes and cookies on the sweeter side you could add up to another cup of sugar. For the apples, I used a mixture of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith but any baking apple would work fine. Also, I didn't put any nuts in this cake since I have a kiddo with nut allergies but if you aren't in that same situation I'm begging you to put walnuts or pecans in yours. I just know it would be fantastic and would round out the flavors.

2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c applesauce
4 c apples, diced and peeled (approx 3-4 med apples)
Optional: 1 c chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside

In a large bowl, cream together your butter and sugar. Add eggs, beating well after each addition. Stir in your vanilla and applesauce.

Slowly add your flour mixture to your butter mixture, bit by bit. Mix well to make sure all of the flour is absorbed. Fold in your apples (and your nuts). The mixture will seem to be heavy on the apples but not to worry.

Pour your mixture into your prepared Bundt pan and bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Then, invert onto rack and cool to room temperature. Once cool, sift a light dusting of powdered sugar onto the top.

Slice. Serve with a cup of tea and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, should you desire. Enjoy.



All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Some Exciting News to Share.....

I am so excited to give you all a sneak preview of a project I've been working on with my über-talented graphic design sister. We have put together a 2011 La Pomme de Portland Calendar. Each month features one of my food photos, many of them highlighting what is in season for that time of year. In the back is a quick little cheat sheet outlining what actually is in season for the different times of the year which we thought would be helpful since I get asked about that fairly often.

Most importantly though, all of the proceeds made from the sale of this calendar will go to the Oregon Food Bank and the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation. We will have this calendar available for purchase right after the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you'll keep this in mind as you're thinking of holiday gifts for family, friends, yourself, your boss, your co-workers, teachers, Christmas, Hanukkah.....

I also want to let you know how much I have appreciated all of the emails, the flickr, facebook and twitter messages, the phone calls and so on, with tips for roasting a turkey, whether to brine or not, and so on. I have to admit that the most intriguing method that was shared with me is to roast the turkey in a paper grocery sack. Very interesting....

However, I'm still undecided on what to do but I work best under pressure and it's not nearly close enough to Thanksgiving yet for me to kick it in to high gear. I still have at least 5-6 days.

Lately, I've been thinking, what if I get the turkey cut into pieces and cook it the same way I cook my Oregano Chicken? Seems like it would be nice and moist and flavorful. Wouldn't take as long to roast. You wouldn't have the same "Big Bird" presentation but we always carve ours up and stick it on a platter anyways.

A week from now, it will all be over, and I'll let you know how it went....following in my mother's and grandmother's shoes that is....with or without help from my sister, who, when I told her the other day that she had to help me with the turkey said, "Well, what do you want me to do? Hold your hand as you stick it in the oven?" Where is the respect for the eldest child?







If a video screen does not appear above this line, click here to be taken directly to the site.

Oh, and speaking of Oregano Chicken, should you like to see a live version of how to prepare that succulent dish, I whipped some up on AM Northwest Wednesday morning and above you'll find the video from my morning there.

Have a great weekend!!

Cheers,
Carrie




All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Oregano Chicken - A Simple Dish with a Regal Air

Maybe it's that we're finally getting into a rhythm two months into the school year. (Has it only been 2 months?) A "Limp-a-long Cassidy" kind of rhythm but a rhythm nonetheless. Maybe it's that the days are shorter. The kids are in bed earlier. The house is quieter. The rainy season has begun. I don't know. But on the sporadic occasion that the afternoon sun bursts through our windows and lays down a warm path of light across our floor, I look for him.

A month into our marriage, we were still in the stage where we were more than happy to appease each other's little obsessions. Such as me pretending to be a runner and him pretending to love furry little animals. So, somehow knowing that this stage wouldn't last forever, I dragged my new beau across town and pulled down off the curtains a little bundle of fur which we would bring home and have with us for the next 18 years. (As for the running, I dropped it shortly after and that was that.) Wanting to encourage any possible bonding between man and beast, I encouraged my sweetie to name our bundle of joy. He pronounced him, "Bruce." And Bruce, it was. Others came after him. Another cat. An 80-pound dog. But at the 18-year mark, Bruce was the only one still around.

He had this way of silently being everywhere. As if he could materialize out of thin air. One would sit down and out of nowhere he was curled up on your lap or trying his darndest to curl up on your chest and snuggle his head in the crook of your neck which could sometimes be a little awkward for guests. You wouldn't see him for hours and then, "boom" there he was waiting to curl up under the covers for a good night's sleep. Or eerily you would notice that one minute no one's there and the next minute there he was sitting ramrod tall right next to your keyboard as you typed away. Every now and then, stepping on the keyboard just to make sure you noticed him. And the lawn....oh, the lawn. It had never looked better since he moonlighted as a mole catcher. And catch moles he did. Always leaving his handiwork for us to admire on the front porch.

I tend to put out of my mind the fact that he could actually "fling poo." That he found it necessary to cough up a hairball, "Puss N' Boots" style wherever we might least suspect it but were sure to step in it. That he was known to howl like a coyote, over and over, for hours, especially middle of the night hours, when he didn't get his way. (Although, that howl saved his life when, in his old age, he lost his way home.) That he would run from one end of the house to the other like a cat gone mad during a full moon. And that he had a peculiar tick of sucking his paw that could be thought of as tender and sweet or as just plain weird depending on one's mood.

A couple of nights ago, as I prepared our family dinner of herbed chicken simmered in wine and served along roasted potatoes, I looked for him. I expected him to be silently standing nearby, regally sniffing the air around him like some upper crust feline and secretly hoping that one little morsel of that chicken might fall to the floor. And it's true, he may have silently left his spot by my side and gone directly to the front door where he purposely coughed up a hairball "just because" but that doesn't matter. I miss that furry feline. His presence.

And don't you think it's true that whether it's a person or a hairball coughing cat, when they are gone, we don't think of the good or the bad but simply their presence? And I definitely miss the presence of that howling, paw sucking, poo flinging, furry feline.


Bruce went to the Happy Hunting Grounds in April where I'm sure he is happily keeping the lush grounds mole free. It's strange though how I miss him most now. Now that the house is quieter.


A Quick Question for You Before the Recipe:

My kind and generous mother has been tirelessly preparing our Thanksgiving turkey, gravy and stuffing  almost every year since, well, since I was born which is to say....a long, long time. Whether the crowd was 5 of us or 20 of us, she would selflessly prepare the dinner's main attraction and for that, I and many others are so grateful. Well, now that she has two daughters of "a certain age" (little brother gets a free pass this year since he has a newborn on his hands), the time for the passing of the torch has come. And the torch has landed squarely in my lap. (Funny how the eldest child has to do everything!) (Ahh....just kiddin' sister.) So, I have been researching turkey preparations and I'm intrigued by the brining method. What do you think? Do you brine? What do you like in your brine? Or is it a lot of extra mess? If you don't brine, do you have a special rub you like? If you don't mind sharing your thoughts with me, I would be grateful. Trying to follow in the footsteps of my grandmother and mother....well, let's just say..."Pressure's on!"

Oregano Chicken Simmered in White Wine
Inspired by Rosemary Chicken, Saveur 

Now, that the holidays are looking us square in the face, I'm assuming most of us have thought of the main meal....the Grandaddy meal....but what about the other nights? Are your guests only there for the Thanksgiving extravaganza or will they need to be fed other evenings as well? Well, this is a dish I love to serve to guests. (Although, be forewarned, if you drink the wine that you'll be cooking with while cooking, it can lead to lots of animated chatting and loud laughing which will ensure that the dinner won't actually hit the table until 8pm or later.) This isn't a dish you prepare in advance or leave in a crock pot all day, but it is one that has only a few ingredients, minimal prep and sits in the oven for 45 minutes while you drink wine and chat clean up the kitchen and prepare the side dishes. I use a variety of chicken pieces...always with the bone-in and skin-on. This makes for a much moister meat and it's easier on the pocket-book. You can always take off the skin once it's done cooking if you'd prefer not to eat it. If you don't have fresh oregano handy, you could always use rosemary or thyme. And as a testimonial to this dish, the last time I made it my 5-year old said to me, "Mawm, you prob'ly won't be too surprised when I say this to you, but that dinner was so delicious."


Ingredients:

A medley of skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces - ex: 2 drumsticks, 3 whole legs and 1 breast
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup flour
3 tbsp olive oil
1 c dry white wine (I usually use King Estate Pinot Gris or Erath Pinot Gris)
4 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed from stem, stem discarded (I haven't tried it but you could probably substitute 1 tsp or so of dried oregano)
3 bay leaves
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Generously sprinkle your chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Put your flour on a plate and then, dredge your chicken pieces through it, coating them evenly and completely with the flour and then, shaking off the excess.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot, one that can move from stove to oven, on your stove over medium heat. Pour in your olive oil to heat. Then, add your chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes then, carefully flip your pieces over and cook for another 5 minutes.

Slowly and carefully pour in your white wine. Add your oregano and bay leaves. Allow wine to reduce for about 2 minutes. Then, pour in 1 1/2 c of water, put the lid on your pot and put the whole concoction in the oven for 45 minutes.

At this point, I usually cut up some potatoes - fingerling, red potatoes, etc. - toss them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and sometimes some rosemary, and put them in the oven along with the chicken when there is about 25-30 minutes left of cooking time. Then, all I have to do is cut open some bagged lettuce whip together a little green salad or steam some broccoli and we have a meal.

When the timer goes off, take the lid off your pot and allow the skin to crisp for another 5 minutes. Then, carefully take your chicken out of the pot, put on a platter, tent with foil and set aside. To the juices left in the pan, squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lemon (more if you like things really "lemony") and stir it up a bit. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Add a ladle and have people spoon this heavenly "au jus" over their chicken and potatoes. If you didn't want to monkey around with preparing the potatoes, you could also serve this with rice which would also soak up all of the delicious "au jus" beautifully. However you decide to go....enjoy.

Yield: 5 or so chicken pieces - This recipe can easily be doubled to serve more people.



All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Baked Minestrone to Evoke Memories Long Since Passed

I had been forewarned about the hairpin turns but what I hadn't been prepared for was the splendor of the canyon ablaze in reds and golds. The tiniest of the three of us had somehow managed to wedge herself in the "back" as we headed south in the cherry red sports car. The beauty of the Smith River Canyon in deep fall zipping past our windows. Each one of us was feeling a bit homesick as the holidays approached. So, our driver was taking us home. One of those "college weekends at home." To her home. Dolly and Kenny quietly crooning in the background...her Christmas album that always has top bidding as the first one to play each year. The three of us talking about this and that. Nothing much. Heading deeper and deeper into the dense forest.

Funny how our memories work. Only the keenest among us remembering everything. Most of us only remembering fleeting moments within moments. But sometimes those brief but remembered bits of time passed leave an indelible mark on us. We carry those bits around with us throughout our lives. Over time, we jostle those memories around in our heads. And they evolve. Take on different shapes. The sharpest details tend to fall by the wayside. Details no longer of importance. And the edges begin to soften. But one thing never changes....when. We can never change when those memories actually occurred and what they taught us about ourselves or others who surrounded us at that time in our lives.

Seeing as my college "mode-of-transportation" was a bike, I was quite thrilled to have spent the past 5 hours riding shotgun in the cherry red sports car and only felt a tinge of guilt as our tiny friend unravelled herself from the back of the two-seater car after pulling into the driveway. Here we were. At the childhood home of our dear friend. Our first time visiting. We entered her gracious home and for the rest of the weekend, we were treated to glimpses into her childhood. Into bits and pieces that made her who she is. Her bedroom with the canopy bed. The bathroom she shared with her sisters. The white carpeting in the living room. The restored Victorian where they spent numerous special occasions. Her family's place of business. The bay. The barn in her backyard. Her mother. Her father.

Sometimes I wonder if you can truly know a person without knowing her family. Her hometown. All the places and people that touched her during those most impressionable years of childhood.

We sat around that large wooden table in her family room. Talking. Petting her dog (or was it dogs?) that reminded me of my family dog. Her mother, who had been just out of our vision in the kitchen, was now setting down bowls of minestrone in front of us. The warm and comforting smell causing my stomach to growl. And looking down into the bowl, I had to smile. Dancing around in my soup were black olives. The same black olives, back at my home, we would have put on our fingers like puppets. The same black olives my grandmother would have set out with sweet pickles and celery topped with cream cheese and paprika at Thanksgiving. And suddenly, surrounded by my dear friend's family, in her childhood home, eating a simple meal of minestrone soup, I didn't feel so homesick anymore. And no matter how many details fall off the edge of the memories from that weekend, I'll never forget the warmth. And it's those same feelings of warmth and family that define my dear friend to me. A friend whom I'm still fortunate enough to have in my life.

Baked Minestrone
by Linda Macdonald

I make this soup every fall. Sometimes a couple times during fall. So easy. So delicious. And, my favorite part are those simple black olives. I am not sure what the "baked" in the title of the recipe is meant to imply, but I am not one to argue with the creator of such a scrumptious dish. Now, Linda's instructions have you precooking your pasta before putting it in. I'm guessing that is to help prevent it from getting too soggy. I am always too lazy to do this step since it means washing another pot so I just throw my pasta in to cook in the broth about 15 minutes before I want to serve it. I also use 2 32-oz boxes of beef broth and omit the water since I don't want to waste the leftover broth. I will then add in some water if the stew has simmered down quite a bit and more liquid is needed. But however you do it, I hope you'll make a batch this stew and experience your own feelings of warmth and family as we approach the holidays.

Ingredients:

2 lbs stew meat, cubed
1 c onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (I used Herbes de Provence because it's what I had on hand.)
OR 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp pepper

3 15-oz cans beef broth

2 c water

1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes, plus juice

1 1/2 c zucchini (approx 2)

1 c carrots

1 15-oz can kidney beans, plus juice
1 15-oz can medium, black olives, plus juice
1 c shell noodle, pre-cooked
parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Generously salt and pepper your stew meat. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium to medium-high heat. Brown your meat - possibly in two batches to prevent it from "stewing".

Add in your onions, garlic and Italian seasonings and cook another 3-4 minutes until the onions are starting to soften.

Add in your broth, water, tomatoes, zucchini and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.

Add your kidney beans, black olives (and pasta, if you did not pre-cook it) and cook at a high simmer for another 15 minutes. If you pre-cooked your pasta, add it to the mixture right before serving.

Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Ladle into shallow soup bowls. Top with parmesan cheese. Serve with some crusty bread and Caesar salad on the side. Enjoy....

Yield: One big pot full


All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

AM Northwest is in MY Kitchin' and We're Making "Soup on Monday"

When the kind, sweet people at AM Northwest asked if they could film a cooking segment in my kitchen, my first thought was, "Oh no, now I really am going to have to clean out that pantry." There's not much you can't find in my pantry. I like to keep my kitchen well-stocked with staples. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes not. But regardless of which way you look at it, that tiny little closet was much in need of an overhaul. I could even see the eyes widen of one of my dearest friends when I told her of this opportunity and then, she glanced at my pantry. She, a former, professional organizer, kindly gave me some helpful tips. "Okay, you're going to need to pull everything out of there. Wipe it all down. And then, only put back in what you're actually going to use." I was grateful for her advice.

But, in true Carrie Minns procrastination fashion, the day before an actual, TV camera would set forth in my kitchen...I decided to clean the fridge first. "This won't take long. I'll get to the pantry in a little bit." Armed with a soapy scrubber and a sharp knife for chipping off "who knows what" on the side door, I went to work making the fridge shine.

Pleased with my work there, I headed toward the pantry but then, found myself drawn to the drawers of school paperwork that had not been sorted through in at least 2 years. My thinking was that, "I must clean out these drawers because what if I need to move items from the pantry into these drawers? What would I do then? There would be no room."

The sun was on her downward arc, my littlest one was following my every movement, people would be clamoring for dinner soon and I was starting to lose steam. I stood at the door of the pantry and stared. I half-heartedly took down some items from one shelf. Spruced them up. Put them back. Managed to do that same process with one more shelf. Swept the floor and then, decided, "Good enough." I turned and headed to the kitchen table where the 5-year old was waiting to challenge me in yet another titillating game of Candy Land.

A few weeks ago, my friend Fran asked me what I thought when I saw myself on the TV. "Do you find little things that you want to change? Are you overly critical of yourself?" And I told her honestly, "The older I get, the easier I am on myself." Somewhere along the way I realized that I'm just doing my best. Not perfectly by any means, but just like everyone else, I'm going about life the best way I know how. Years ago, I would have stayed up until 2 in the morning to clean out that pantry but now, I've realized that I do what I can. The pantry will always be there, but the 5-year old waiting to "whoop" me in Candy Land, won't.


If a video screen does not appear above this line, click here to be taken directly to the site.
And hey, check out that fridge, lookin' good...

To further expound on the TV segment, I do try my best to meal plan every week. I look at the schedule ahead and see how much time I have to cook on any given night. I consider what is in-season. Then, I write down some idea for dinner Monday-Thursday and Sunday, whether scribbled on a post-it note or put down officially in my planner. Friday is our family pizza night (and my night off.) Saturday, I'm never sure what will end up happening or whether I'll find something at the farmer's market that morning so I usually leave it up in the air. Sundays are our true "Family Dinner" night. I always plan to make something a little more special and the kids rotate having to partner with me to make that meal. I get to have some company and they get to learn some cooking skills. Then, it's back to cleaning out the fridge, for "Soup on Monday."

Here's a link to an actual recipe that mimics the soup I made on the segment: Rainy Day Vegetable Soup


And, if you want to look further into meal planning, here are two websites dedicated to meal planning.
My friend, Jane Maynard, plans weekly at: This Week For Dinner
And my friend, Tricia Callahan, plans monthly at: Once a Month Mom


One last thing, if you'd like an incredibly beautiful reminder of all the bounty that this season has to offer for meal planning, check out this desk top calendar which currently graces the screen of my computer:
November Calendar by Shanna Murray and Jen Causey


Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!



All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread to Acknowledge That Autumn has Truly Arrived

"No. I don't want you. Get back in your closet. I don't care if you used to be my favorite. I'm not ready for you!!" I heard myself wailing those words last week, like a toddler having a tantrum.

With a sigh, I said good-bye to the sun and braced myself for the 7 straight days of wind and rain as forecasted by my weather page. Autumn has always been my most cherished season of the year. But not this go around. Maybe it's because our summer here in the Northwest didn't really start until the beginning of August. Maybe it's because due to the ages of my children, we can actually have fun on our summer vacations nowadays. Maybe it's because I'm still hoping those little green peppers are going to grow bigger and turn red. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and it takes me longer to recover from the previous school year and hence, I wasn't quite ready for this school year to start. And since I'm still not recovered from the previous school year, how am I possibly going to get through the impending holiday season? Whatever the problem, I was not ready to usher in my favorite season of the year with open arms.

But, autumn is here whether I'm ready for it or not. Funny how that works. So, I tried to drum up some seasonal spirit and put a sprinkling of fall decor around the house. A string of lights. I spent an afternoon raking the leaves off my front lawn. Breathing in that cool, crisp air. I turned on the heat and pulled out my favorite pink wool sweater to wear in the evenings. After school one day, to the surprise and delight of my children, I set down mugs of hot apple cider topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Saturday morning found me, huddled under umbrellas, with my mother and father. A fleece blanket draped over our laps. Hooting and hollering as my 11-year old and his football team fought their way into the playoffs. And so, you could say, I was going through the motions to embrace the season upon me. But it was after the football game, during a seemingly "non-moment", that I found myself unable to resist autumns charms.

There, sprinkled on the deck of the parking lot, was a kaleidoscope of color. Leaves in all shades of crimson. And the shear beauty of those leaves laying there in the rain against the stark contrast of the pavement made me catch me breath.

Smiling, I hopped into the car and drove up through the fog toward home. Into the kitchen, I went. Bowls and mixers making all kinds of racket. Vince Guaraldi coming through loud and clear on my speakers. My sweetie passing through and casually tossing out the comment, "Do you ever stop producing?" And me, singularly focused on baking a loaf of pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. It was time to properly welcome in autumn.

So here I sit, after the frenzy of the holiday weekend and the baking extravaganza. Warm in my favorite wool sweater. A cup of tea and a plate of crumbs from the slice of pumpkin bread I had for breakfast next to me. A sick child upstairs. My voters pamphlet in front of me. All thoughts of going back to bed, long since silenced. Out the window, brilliant reds and yellows played out against a backdrop of creamy, white fog. And me thinking, "Okay, okay, I'm glad you're here my favorite friend."


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Pumpkin Bread, The Joy of Cooking

So, yes, as I mentioned above I had a bee in my bonnet about needing to make pumpkin bread over the weekend. I combed the internet high and low, pulled out cookbook after cookbook, searching for the perfect pumpkin bread recipe but every time I found one, the recipe would call for at least 3 CUPS of sugar, if not more. I just couldn't, in my right mind, add 3 cups of sugar to a single loaf of bread. So, in a last ditch attempt, I pulled out a ladder and hauled down Irma's masterpiece, The Joy of Cooking, from the highest point in my kitchen in a last ditch attempt to find a recipe. There it was on page 774. And only a bit more than 1 cup of sugar needed. In my effort to try to "healthify" (I just made that word up) my recipes, I did throw in some whole wheat pastry flour and since one of my guys is allergic to nuts, instead of the handful of walnuts I would have like to have used, I tossed in some chocolate chips to spice it up a bit. I found it to be incredibly delicious, all warm, straight from the oven, but left to sit a day or two, the flavors mellow and mingle giving it an even richer flavor.

Ingredients:

1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar plus 1/3 c packed light or dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c dark chocolate chips (or walnuts or raisins or all three.)


Directions:

Bring out all of your ingredients so they can be warming to room temperature. Next, position a rack in the middle of your oven and then, preheat to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. (I used butter.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine your milk and vanilla. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat your butter until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add in your sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes. Next, beat in your eggs, one at a time. Add your pumpkin puree and beat on low speed just until blended.

Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 parts, beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Fold in your chocolate chips.

Pour into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let your loaf cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes before taking out of the pan and allowing to cool completely. Enjoy.

Yield: One loaf.

All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010