Forum Replies Created
-
On Friday afternoon, I roasted the white pumpkin that I bought a few weeks ago at the farmers’ market. It has a paler interior than typical pumpkins, and the puree looks like applesauce with a very pale, yellow color. I’ll try baking with it and see how the flavor is.
For Friday dinner, I adapted a recipe from About Farm Fresh To You: Delicata Squash, Kale and Shitake Rice Pilaf. Here's the link:
http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/recipes/209/delicata-squash--kale-and-shiitake-rice-pilaf
I made enough changes to make it a different recipe. I deleted the cumin and chili powder. I used the ubiquitous white mushrooms, and I used a yellow onion. I also used powdered sage rather than fresh. I cooked my rice in the rice cooker in homemade chicken stock, then mixed everything together at the end. It tastes good and has a nice appearance on the plate. The roasted delicata squash does not have much flavor, but the presentation is nice. I think that the recipe would also be good with roasted butternut squash.
I will have to look for 2% cheese when we are in different areas.
The dairy fat issue is confusing--and I'm not convinced that it has been settled. In the past, I mostly did low-fat dairy because I used so much butter in my baking, and I hoped to offset it somewhat. I did switch from non-fat to 1% milk a couple of years ago and will not change back. My issue is that I had such a high LDL cholesterol number that the doctor tried to put me on Lipitor, and I asked for time to try lifestyle change, which the CMA (they never let you talk to the doctor), after communicating with the doctor, said I could try for three months until they re-test me. All she said was low-fat diet and exercise--no help--and I was also judged Vitamin D and calcium deficient, so I need more dairy in addition to supplements. I consulted a friend's daughter who has her M.A. in Dietetics and recently became a P.A. (She became a P.A. to help people BEFORE they are in negative health situations.) She said to focus on keeping saturated fat to less than 11g per day, so that is what I am doing, and to include exercise. I'm also eating more beans and have increased fruit and vegetables. I've kept eggs. I use more canola oil and more olive oil. Low-fat cheese gives me flexibility in how I stay below 11g. I've cut out almost all butter, although I may make an exception for a rare pie. As 1 Tbs. butter = 7g saturated fat, a single scone would put me close to the limit, and pie, oh, my.
The new food plan (and exercise) is for lowering cholesterol, but I have lost about 8 pounds in the twelve weeks since I began it, and pants have a better fit now.
KAF has a yeasted ginger pumpkin bread, which is slightly sweet, that I made about a month ago, substituting in some white whole wheat flour and oil for the butter. It's good as a sweet bread. We had it along with breakfast and as an accompaniment at tea time.
Stella's pumpkin yeast bread recipe is very good for chicken sandwiches. I think it would be great with ham or with most cheeses.
I've been using an adaptation of my Buttermilk Pie Crust for all my pies. I'm not sure if I've changed the recipe that I posted. It works well for blind baking, and I've used it for pumpkin pie.
For a single crust, I bake in an Emile Henry 9-inch ceramic pie plate (not one with a ruffled edge--what the heck were they thinking?!), which is a deep dish, I use 1 2/3 cup pastry flour and 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1 1/2 Tbs. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2/3 cup cold butter, and 1/3 cup buttermilk. I mix the dry ingredients, and cut in the butter. I then add the liquid all at once, and use a pastry fork, then a bowl scraper to bring it together.
I used to make the recipe with half butter and half Crisco. Then, one day, I was distracted by my husband and accidentally used all butter for the fat. The crust was wonderful, and I've never looked back.
After the dough has a couple of hours in the refrigerator, I roll it out to 12-inches. I roll on parchment paper, with a wide piece of saran over the top, and I use pie wands. To transfer it to the pie plate, I flip it over and peel off the parchment, put my hand under the saran, and move the dough to the pie plate and carefully fit it in (saran still on top). I carefully pull off the saran once the dough is fit into the pie dish, and I fold over the edges around the rim and make a fluted edge. (The extra dough will help it hold its shape. I set the plastic over it, then refrigerate it for 40 minutes, and then for 20 minutes, I freeze it--if I have a freezer in which it will fit. Sometimes if it is cold enough outside, it sits there!
I line the pie shell with a double thickness of foil, or I have some commercial coffee filters, and I use one of those. I fill with beans--ideally, fill the entire pie shell. (Beans can be used over and over again.) DO NOT USE CERAMIC OR METAL PIE WEIGHTS. These get too hot. I bake for 21 minutes at 375F on the middle rack, or until the dough sides are light, dry, and firm. I then remove the foil, carefully, and return the pie shell to the oven.
If the intended filling for the pie requires no baking, bake another 15-20 min. If the filling will need 20 minutes or less, bake an additional 7 minutes. If the filling will need more than 20 minutes, bake for 14 minutes.
OK, that is what I do. The article that Mike posted, with a suggested baking temperature of 350F is interesting, and if someone tries it, I'd be interested in knowing how it works.
I do want to bake a pumpkin pie this year, and right not, I'd love to do an apple one. However, I'm dismayed when I calculate the saturated fat in the crust, and with only my husband and I to eat it, it's a problem. I thought about trying an oil crust, but I don't think that I would find it satisfactory.
There is a chance that we may be "under construction" by Thanksgiving. Our new contractor says he is on schedule to start in later November. We meet with him later this week to see when that might be. We have a smaller, functioning kitchen in the apt. over the garage, where we will be living during the renovation, so we will have Thanksgiving dinner, but it will be on the everyday dishes.
