Fancy Shmancy for Fall AND Warm Ratatouille

Hello everyone! Today is a two for the price of one kinda post...I was home too late to post yesterday, so I'll bring you savory and sweet today! Woot woot. First, SWEET. Here are a few recipes for fall that are super duper fancy, but not too tricky...these are worth the effort.

Caramelized Pumpkin Trifle 
Rori Spinelli

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• *Pumpkin Bread or one 1 1/2 -pound loaf of gingerbread, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• *Candied Pumpkin
• Softly whipped cream, for garnish
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger, for garnish
• Mint sprigs, for garnish

*Recipes below as well.

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in 1/3 cup of the half-and-half. In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1 2/3 cups of half-and-half with the sugar mixture and the cinnamon. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the pudding thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer the pudding to a bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled.
2. Arrange one-third of the Pumpkin Bread slices in a large glass bowl, overlapping them slightly. Spread one-third of the cinnamon pudding evenly on top. Top with one-third of the Candied Pumpkin with its syrup. Repeat the layering process two times. Garnish the trifle with a few dollops of whipped cream, the candied ginger and mint sprigs.

MAKE AHEAD The pudding can be refrigerated overnight.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup fresh or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with wax paper. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and baking powder.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat for 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in the pumpkin puree. Stir the vanilla into the milk. Beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions at low speed, alternating with the milk mixture.
3. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool.

Candied Pumpkin

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups diced ( 1/2 inch) sugar pumpkin or butternut squash
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the pumpkin and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Stir in the maple syrup, ginger and cinnamon and remove from the heat. Let cool and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Apple Pithivier

Joanne Chang Flour, too

Ingredients

Vanilla Apple Butter

• 6 apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, halved, cored, and roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp/55 g unsalted butter
• 1 cup/200 g granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 batch Puff Pastry dough
• 1 cup/240 ml Frangipane
• 1 large egg

Special equipment: rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, rolling pin, bench scraper (optional), offset spatula (optional), pastry brush

Directions

1. To make the apple butter: In a large saucepan, combine the apples, butter, sugar, and salt. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds directly into the pan (save the pods for adding to a canister of granulated sugar for vanilla sugar). Place over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the apples break down and the mixture thickens and turns golden brown. The mixture will release a lot of water at first and bubble a lot and then it will slowly start to caramelize and get a bit darker; there may still be some pieces of whole apple, which is fine. Remove from the heat and let cool. (The apple butter can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.)
2. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. On a well-floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a rectangle about 24 in/61 cm wide and 12 in/30.5 cm from top to bottom. The dough may seem pretty tough and difficult to roll out at first. Don't be afraid to be firm with the dough as you roll it into the rectangle, flip it upside down, turn it side to side, pound it with the rolling pin to flatten it. Use a chef's knife to trim away any rough edges. Then, using the knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough in half vertically. You should have two 12-in/30.5-cm squares.
3. Set one square aside and place the other square on the prepared baking sheet. In the center of the square, draw an 8-in/20-cm circle with your finger or lightly with a paring knife (without cutting all the way through). Using the offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the frangipane evenly on the pastry, filling just the circle. Top the frangipane with an even layer of the apple butter.
4. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Using the pastry brush, brush some of the egg over the pastry around the circle.
5. Again on a well-floured surface, roll the second puff pastry square so that it is slightly larger than 12-in/30.5-cm square. Drape the second square directly over the top of the first square. Using your fingers, press firmly all around the edges of the pastry to seal the two squares together. There will be a big mound in the center where the frangipane and apple butter are. Again, using your fingers, press firmly all around the circle; you want to enclose the frangipane and apple butter as much as you can within the circle.
6. With a small paring knife, cut a scalloped petal pattern around the edge of the puff pastry to create a circle with a total of six or seven petals. Discard the puff pastry scraps (or save them for a quick treat: sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and bake until golden. Refrigerate the pastry for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days to allow the puff to chill and relax. (If chilling for longer than 30 minutes, cover the pastry with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. At this point, you can also wrap the unbaked pastry well with plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 2 weeks.)
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, and place a rack in the center of the oven.
8. Using the pastry brush, brush the entire top of the pastry, including the petals, with the remaining egg wash. Poke a hole in middle of the circular mound at the center of the pithivier and then, starting from the center of this hole, use the tip of the paring knife to trace a curved sun-ray pattern into the mound, spacing the rays 1/2 to 1 in/12 mm to 2.5 cm apart and covering the entire mound with the curved rays. You should have eighteen to twenty-four rays. Don't cut all the way through the puff; just lightly score the dough with the tip of the knife. Trace a crosshatch pattern on the petals.
9. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the dough is entirely golden brown and baked through. Look at the sides of the pithivier where the puff pastry has puffed up to make sure the sides are also golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the filling to cool. This pastry is best served the same day, but you can hold it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and then refresh it in a 300°F/150°C oven for 5 to 8 minutes before serving.

Noooow, for the savory. I must be on a ratatouille kick. This time I made a family favorite, healthy, easy, and delicious. Ellie Krieger has some really flavorful recipes that are low calorie/fat. She's definitely worth checking out! I used mahi mahi for this dish - it was on sale and really yummy. You choose what you like! There are no rules when it's going in your belly.

Ratatouille with Red Snapper
Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into small dice (about 3 cups)
• 1 medium onion, cut into small dice (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 cloves minced garlic (about 2 teaspoons)
• 2 medium zucchini (1 pound total), trimmed, cut into small dice (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each dried rosemary and dried marjoram)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
• 4 (5-ounce) fillets red snapper, skin on
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons rosemary (or other herb) infused olive oil, optional

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring, until eggplant has softened but not completely lost its shape, about 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant from skillet. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and zucchini to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is soft, about 6 to 7 minutes. Return eggplant to pan and add tomatoes, herbs de Provence, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer approximately 10 minutes. Season with additional salt, to taste. Stir in basil and remove from heat.
2. To cook fish, preheat broiler. Sprinkle fillets with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Combine the remaining tablespoon olive oil with the lemon juice and brush on fillets. Broil until fish is cooked and firm, about 7 minutes.
3. Mound 1 cup ratatouille on 4 plates; top each mound with 1 fish fillet and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon herb infused oil, if using. Garnish with additional basil.

Lizzy Bee's Note: In Ellie's book, she serves this with herb goat cheese crostini - broil slices of baguette rubbed with garlic and topped with herb goat cheese until warm and crispy.

Happy baking AND cooking!