Suga's Butternut Squash Bisque

I absolutely love the butternut squash soup at our favorite restaurant.  I can't get enough of it as it's on their seasonal menu making for a small window of opportunity.  I decided to try and duplicate it on my own.  It's not exact, but pretty darn close if I may say so myself.  This bisque has a delicate sweetness to it; not savory like the Curried Butternut Squash soup I posted last year.

Ingredients:

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, pulp removed and cut into 1" chunks
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
2 small apples, cored, peeled and quartered
1 small sweet onion, skin removed and quartered
1 rib of celery, strings removed and cut into 4 pieces
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups apple cider
1 tsp. Kosher salt
2/3 cup of pure maple syrup
1/3 c packed brown sugar
3 T unsalted butter
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 - 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (more or less depending on desired consistency)
Greek yogurt or sour cream
Ground cinnamon

In a dutch oven add the first 9 ingredients.  Cook until all vegetables are fork tender.  In small batches place in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Add back to the pot.  You can also use an immersion blender for this step.

Once you have processed all the vegetables and have a smooth base, add maple syrup, brown sugar, butter and spices.  Simmer on stove on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and making sure not to burn it.  You may want to put a mesh pot guard over the top as the bisque is thick and tends to splatter.  Splatters are very hot!!  Do not use the lid to the dutch oven as it will heat up the soup too much.  Stir in heavy cream until blended.

To serve, ladle into soup bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.  You can also use candied pecans or pepitas if you have on hand.

Apple Cider Sangria

Very easy to prepare and oh so refreshing.  Just the drink you want to serve this time of year at a dinner party or Halloween gathering.  I recently hosted a Soup Night, and this was a real hit and paired perfectly with the menu.

Ingredients:

1/2 Gallon of good Apple Cider
1/3 Bottle Red Apple Schnapps
2  3" cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
2 red sweet apples (like Cortland), cored and cut into medium size chunks (feel free to add halved grapes, orange slices, maraschino cherries)
1/2 bottle Prosecco or white wine of your choice
Dried apple slices, optional

Best prepared 1 - 2 days before serving so the apples and liquid can marry.

Using a 1-gallon glass container, add the cider, Schnapps, cinnamon sticks, cloves & apple chunks (if using other fruits, add them at this time). Cover and refrigerate.  Just before serving, remove the cloves and add the Presecco or wine of your choice.  Fill wine glasses with ice and pour the Sangria over.  If you happen to have dried apple slices, one attached to the rim of the glass makes a perfect garnish.

Enjoy!

Autumn Apple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

 Topping

3 medium apples

4 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoons boiled cider or thawed apple juice concentrate

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup light corn syrup

Cake

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoons boiled cider or thawed apple juice concentrate

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped

·          

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13"x9" cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment, and grease the parchment.

Peeling and slice the apples into 1/4" thick wedges.

Place the apples in rows along the pan.

Prepare the topping by heating the butter, sugar, boiled cider, cinnamon, and corn syrup together over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour 1/2 cup of the syrup mixture into the prepared pan, and set the rest aside.

To make the cake: Beat the oil, brown sugar, boiled cider, eggs, spices, and salt together for 2 minutes at medium speed

Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir it into the batter.

Add the chopped apple, and mix until just blended.

Drop scoops of the batter atop the apples in the pan, gently spreading to cover.

Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, and run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate, bottom side up. Scrape out any sauce that remains in the pan, and spread it over the cake.

Reheat the reserved topping. If butter starts to separate as you reheat, add water by the teaspoon and stir until the butter rejoins the rest of the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the cake. Serve cake warm or at room temperature. Recipe adapted from KAF.

Sugar Pumpkin Mum Pots

Great Fall decoration for door prizes, to enhance a dinner table or make individual pumpkins for each guest with their name written on the leaf as place cards.

Supplies:

1 Sugar Pumpkin
Pumpkin Carving knife or other small sharp knife
Pumpkin flesh removal scoop or big spoon
Drill with 1/4" drill bit
Assorted Mum stems
Silk leaves (optional)
Sharpie w fine pt. (optional)

With a sharp knife cut a circle 1" below the stem of the pumpkin, make cuts at an inward angle so the top does not fall into the pumpkin when replaced.
Using a scoop or large spoon, remove all of the flesh inside (reserve pumpkin seeds for roasting later. See my recipe for Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds).
Drill 5 evenly spaced holes around and through the pumpkin about 1" down from opening.

Fill with water and replace top.
Trim leaves from stems of Mums and cut to fit through the holes and well into the water.
If you want to add a message or use as place settings at a dinner party, write on the silk leaves with a fine point Sharpie.  Attack to pumpkin with a straight pin.  Hot glue will come loose unless you are using artificial pumpkins.

Spiced Cakelets with Maple Buttercream

Ingredients:

1/3 c butter, softened
2/3 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 c flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c sour cream
brown food coloring
orange food coloring
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted

NordicWare Harvest Pan

Heat oven to 350*F. Grease and flour pan; set aside. In medium bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs. Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; blend on low speed 1 minute. Add sour cream and mix on medium speed until well blended. Divide batter into 4 equal parts. Divide first portion of batter among walnut-shaped well in pan. To second portion of batter, add 1 or 2 drops of brown food coloring; mix well. Divide this portion of batter among acorn-shaped wells. To third portion of batter, add 1 or 2 drops of orange food coloring; mix well. Divide this portion of batter among pumpkin-shaped wells. To last portion of batter, add melted bittersweet chocolate; mix well. Divide batter among pine cone-shaped wells. Bake for 10-15 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert pan onto cooling rack and cool completely. If desired, shapes can be sandwiched together or acorn tops can be dipped in milted chocolate and rolled in finely chopped nuts.  Makes 24 cakelets.

**This recipe can be found on the inside of the label for the Nordic Ware Harvest Pan.

Maple Butter Cream

6 T butter, room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 c sifted confectioners' sugar
1 T pure maple flavoring
1-2 T milk

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Add sugar and maple flavoring.  Add milk little at a time until desired consistency.

Whoopie!

Painted Pumpkins Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I purchased a small decorated pumpkin last year, and when I was putting up my Fall decorations I came a cross it.  I loved the look of it; the colors were great and I found myself admiring it and wishing I had bought more.  Lucky for me I'm a crafter, and what I can't buy I make!  I had one white vinyl pumpkin already waiting for something wonderful in my craft studio.  I also purchased 3 small sugar pumpkins from the local produce stand.

I decided to rely on my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint yet again and painted one Paris Grey, another Paris Grey with a dab of Aubusson Blue, another with Paris Grey and a dab of Duck Egg Blue and the last just Duck Egg Blue.  I shaded areas with mixtures of these colors; added some highlights and stippled darker variations here and there.  Then I began stippling on some acrylic colors such as gold, green, burgundy and even a little lavender!  

I then loosened up some Burnt Sienna with a little water.  With a toothbrush between my thumb and forefinger I speckled the pumpkins in different areas. I also loosened the gold paint and rather than add speckles I tapped the toothbrush over the pumpkins for larger splatters.  

After arranging them on a display stand, I added some glittered leaves to bring it all together.  Love!!

The display stand shown here is featured in a previous post.

The painter of pumpkins (and other things),

Autumn Campfire Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Maple Butter Cream

I've been contemplating a recipe using a secret ingredient for the last 2-3 years now, and today I made it a reality.  I call this my Autumn Campfire Cupcake.  Let me first say that I will not be sharing the recipe for this outrageous creation now.  I have other plans for it first.  But what I will share with you is how awesome the combo of sweet and salty work in this cupcake.

I'm going to torture you with teases.  Firstly, the cupcake is comprised of very warm flavors with an ingredient that you might find very surprising; 2 ingredients actually.  I removed a hole from the center of each and stuffed it with a wonderful rich and nutty filling, topped it with a vanilla bean maple butter cream, a drizzle of maple sugar and a pinch of crispy thick bacon crumbles.

When you bite into this cupcake, you can the almost smell the campfire burning and imagine the flames reaching higher and higher.  The flavor is very complex as there are many things going on here.  But they all work very well together.  Believe me, your taste buds will be forever thankful.

So, you heard it here first.  If you come across an Autumn Campfire Cupcakes recipe in your internet travels, unless it's linked to me, it's an impostor.

Now who's got a really scary story to share?

Put another log on the fire and pass me a cupcake!