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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Perfectly Unusual Desserts for Fall

Happy Wednesday everyone! We're slowly tapering off of our "post-Rosh Hashanah feeding frenzy," finally eschewing the honey cake and looking ahead (to birthday cakes of course). Before we get to those cakes, we need to take a slight detour and enjoy some delicious recipes for unique fall desserts. Usually we think of apple pies, pumpkin (anything), and sometimes even pears. Today we'll look at some of those flavors, but using them in refreshing new ways.

Maple-Bourbon Banana Pudding Cake
Grace Parisi

Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup superfine sugar
  • 1 overripe banana, mashed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a deep, 2-quart baking or soufflĂ© dish, melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk in the superfine sugar and banana, mashing until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the egg and milk.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk into the baking dish until combined (the batter will be pretty loose).
  3. In a microwave-safe cup, heat the maple syrup, light brown sugar and 1/2 cup of hot water at high power until hot, 1 minute. Add the bourbon. Drizzle the syrup mixture over the batter; it will seep to the bottom. Do not stir. Scatter the pecans on top.
  4. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, until the cake is golden. Let cool for 5 minutes, then scoop into bowls and serve with ice cream.


Vanilla-and-Cider Panna Cottas with Spiced Ginger Cookies
Shawn McClain

Ingredients


INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 plump vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped
  • 3 cinnamon sticks, cracked
  • 4 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin (from 2 envelopes)
  • 3 cups apple cider
  • Spiced Ginger Cookies, for serving
Directions
  1. In a large saucepan, combine the milk with the cream, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the vanilla beans and seeds and cinnamon sticks and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and return it to the saucepan.
  2. In a small bowl, sprinkle 3 teaspoons of the gelatin over 1/4 cup of cold water and let stand until softened, about 2 minutes. Scrape the gelatin into the saucepan and whisk until dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher and pour about 1/2 cup into each of 12 small glasses. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours.
  3. In a clean saucepan, boil the cider with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of gelatin over 1 tablespoon of water and let stand until softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk the gelatin into the cider mixture until dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher and let cool completely (but don't let the gelatin set), about 30 minutes. Gently pour 2 tablespoons of the cider into each panna cotta over an inverted spoon and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Serve with the Spiced Ginger Cookies.
MAKE AHEAD: The panna cottas can be covered tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.



Kabocha Squash Cake with Brown Sugar Cream
Will Goldfarb

Ingredients
Brown sugar cream:
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 3 large egg whites
Cakes:
  • 2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled seeded kabocha squash (from one 3-pound squash)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lager (mild-flavored beer)
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
For brown sugar cream:
  1. Place 1 tablespoon water in cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes to soften.
  2. Stir cream and sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add egg whites and whisk until mixture thickens, about 12 minutes (do not boil). Add gelatin mixture; whisk until dissolved. Strain into large clean bowl. Chill until cold. Cover and chill overnight.
For cakes:
  1. Combine squash and milk in heavy small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Partially cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Drain squash. Place in processor and blend until smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray six 3/4cup ramekins with nonstick spray. Place 1/2 cup squash puree in large bowl (reserve remaining puree for another use). Add sugar, oil, beer, and egg to puree and beat to blend. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt over; beat to blend. Divide batter among prepared ramekins.
  3. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool cakes in ramekins. Turn out onto plates. Beat brown sugar cream to firm peaks; spoon alongside cakes.

Happy baking!

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