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Easy Pumpkin Bread

October 30, 2013 //
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I could not get through the fall without posting about something or other involving pumpkin now could I?

I remember when, for about a month one fall during college, it was de rigueur in the shared house I lived in to make various versions of milkshakes with pumpkin pie. That’s right. Just toss a slice of pumpkin pie into the blender with your milk, ice cream, and whatever else you wanted whirling around in there. I was not a participant in this particular culinary extracurricular (I may have missed out), but I do like a) eating lots of pumpkin in things this time of year and b) a sense of adventure when it comes to new food combinations.

The following is a simple and not overly sweet recipe for loaf bread (or muffins if you’d prefer) that my mom shared with me earlier this month when I was visiting her in North Carolina. It does not involve pie or ice cream or a blender, but is super easy to make, can employ many substitutions to suit what you have on hand, and makes for a great breakfast spread with a thin layer of peanut butter (but that’s just me).

Instead of olive oil, which my mom’s recipe called for, I made it with coconut oil this time and it turned out great. For the 1/2 cup sugar (the original recipe called for 1 cup, I’ve reduced by half and it’s just right in my opinion), you could use honey, maple syrup, white sugar, brown sugar. This version I made with brown sugar. And as for the spices, up to you. This time I used pumpkin pie spice because it contains ginger and lemon peel in addition to nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. If you’re gluten free I imagine you could use a gf flour here. And next time I’d like to try chopped walnuts or dark chocolate chips. I can’t decide. (Maybe I should just throw it all in a blender.)

I brought the cake into work this morning and it got gobbled up pretty quickly. I managed to snap this pic of it before it was all gone.

[An aside: I’d love to try this recipe from Minimalist Baker for vegan pumpkin bread, with a pumpkin cashew frosting.]

Pumpkin Spice Bread

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar (could be brown sugar, maple syrup, etc.)
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp each allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon)
1/2 tsp salt
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 olive oil (or coconut oil)
1/4 c water
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 c chopped walnuts, optional (or chocolate chips, pecans, cranberries, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a loaf pan or muffin tins. Set aside.

Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate, large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently combine. (Add the nuts, chocolate chips, etc. at this point if you’re using.) Be careful not to over mix. Transfer to the loaf pan or muffin tins and bake for 45–50 minutes if using a loaf pan; less if muffins (my guess would be 20–25 minutes, just keep your eye on them). They’re done when a thin skewer or toothpick comes out clean. Rest in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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Categories Breakfast, Desserts, Fall, Milkshake

Spring Breakfast with Ramps—yes, please!

May 5, 2013 //
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What better way to celebrate spring than waking up early on a Saturday morning, going to your nearest farmers’ market, and buying up a big bundle of fragrant ramps?

I think because of their popularity the price of ramps have gone up since last year. Now, instead of $3 a bunch, which was about 1/4 pound, they are $15 per pound at the Fort Greene farmers’ market. C’est la vie. It’s one of those times I feel a wee bit silly as a New Yorker—paying for over-priced seasonal vegetables at the market, because, well, that’s the only way I can get them. Well, not the only way—last year my friend picked them wild upstate and I made this ramp butter. The year before I gave you a recipe for linguine with ramps.

This is the second weekend I’ve bought ramps at the market and I imagine they’ll be around for at least one more week, making it to next weekend’s market for perhaps the last time this year.

This year inspired in part by David Tanis’s article in the Times on fried eggs and ramps, I wanted to keep it simple. So last night I made bulgogi with whole sautéed ramps eaten in lettuce leaves with Sriracha and thinly sliced cucumbers. This morning for brunch I made a quick omelette with sautéed ramps, this time chopped up not whole, and a salty sheep’s milk cheese from Turkey (beyaz penir), similar to feta. Use the entire ramp—stem and leaf—just remember to clean the ramps thoroughly and chop off the roots.

Omelette with Ramps and Feta

Serves 2

4 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 pound ramps, cleaned and trimmed
2 ounces beyaz penir or feta, crumbled
salt and pepper
Sriracha, to serve
Cucumbers, thinly sliced, to serve

In a medium bowl, whisk four eggs with the milk. Add a little bit of salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a small oven-proof skillet.

Turn the broiler of your oven on (on low if you have the option).

Chop the stems of the ramps into small slices and set aside. Chop the green leafy tops into small ribbons. When the pan is hot toss in the chopped stems of the ramps and lower the heat, sauteéing for one or two minutes. Add the ribbons of leafy greens to the pan, sauté for another minute, then add the eggs. Sprinkle the crumbled cheese on top. Do not stir or scramble, just let the bottom of the eggs cook for about two minutes undisturbed.

Transfer the skillet carefully to your oven (or underside of your oven if that’s where your broiler is) and cook the top of the eggs for three to five minutes, until it just starts to brown and puff up. It’s quite a beautiful thing!

Serve with spicy Sriracha and sliced cucumbers.

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Categories Breakfast, Brooklyn, Farmer's Market, Feta, Ramps, Savory

Maple Walnut Scones

February 16, 2013 //
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You should really make these tomorrow morning. Wake up a little early, and sneak out of bed gently, quietly, without disturbing your loved one asleep next to you. You can grab the paper from your stoop and brew some coffee. (The paper’s particularly heavy this weekend—there’s a five-pound T style magazine.) Then in fifteen minutes throw together these buttery, not-too-sweet scones from Rose Bakery, and twenty minutes later pull them hot out of the oven. You will be loved.

I can’t count how many times I’ve made these scones from Rose Carrarini—owner of the popular bakery in Montmartre, Paris—since the cookbook Breakfast Lunch Tea came out in 2006, the first year I started working at Phaidon. I’ve tweaked the recipe over the years and most recently made these with chopped walnuts, pecans, and apricots. There would’ve been currants in this last batch too, had I not forgotten to add them at the last minute.

One thing I love about these scones—well, two actually—is not only are they so fast to prepare but they use one of my favorite ingredients, maple syrup, as the sweetener. I was in Vermont recently and refilled my stash, using it in my Brooklyn kitchen to sweeten everything from oatmeal to hot chocolate to scones.

You can play around with this recipe, leaving out the nuts, substituting walnuts with pecans, adding apricots or currants. I think pine nuts and apricots might be a nice combination too.

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Maple Walnut Scones
Makes 10 scones

2 1/4 c flour (you can use a combination of all-purpose, whole wheat etc.)
1/2 c rolled oats
1 heaping tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
4 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp milk
1/2 c nuts and dried fruit of your choice, optional (walnuts, pecans, currants, apricots, etc.)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 F and grease a baking sheet with butter.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

Add the butter to the bowl and using your fingers work it into the dry ingredients, until the dough resembles breadcrumbs.

In a separate, small bowl combine the milk and maple syrup. Make a well in the middle of the dough and pour in the milk-syrup mixture. Use a fork to mix it into the dry ingredients, then your hands to combine. Fold in the nuts and/or dried fruits if using. Do not over mix. If it is too dry add a little more milk, and if it is too wet add a little more flour.

Pat the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until it is about 1 1/4 inches thick. And using a round glass or 2-inch cutter, cut the dough into rounds and transfer to the greased baking sheet.

Glaze the tops with the beaten egg and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with your favorite jam.

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These beautiful roses are courtesy of my housemate’s father, Toby. Happy Valentine’s Day.

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Categories Breakfast, Cookbooks, Desserts, Winter
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