Apple & Butternut Squash Crumble With Spiked Eggnog Custard

This delicious but simple dessert is quick to prepare but full of complex flavor and texture.  It is less sweet than the average southern dessert as to not cover the flavors of the apples and squash. But f you like a little more sweetness, try drizzling a berry compote or syrup on top before serving.

Filling:

1 1/4 lbs apples; peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

1 1/4 lbs butternut squash; peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

juice from one lemon

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs Alchemy Spice Wake & Bake Sweet Spice

1 tsp kosher salt

Method:

Soak the chopped apples and squash in a bowl of water and the lemon juice for at least one hour, and up to 24 hours. Drain the apples and squash in a colander, then place in a baking dish. Sprinkle with the sugar, spice blend, and salt, then stir to combine.

Crumble Topping:

2/3 cup Sonrisa Farm stone ground whole wheat flour

2/3 cup rolled oats

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbs Alchemy Spice Wake & Bake Sweet Spice

1/2 cup sugar

4 oz unsalted butter

Method: 

Stir together the dry ingredients, then rub in the butter until the mixture is like coarse breadcrumbs. Cover the apple and squash mixture with the crumble topping and bake at 350 degrees for about 60-90 minutes, or until the filling is soft and the topping is golden brown. Serve with warm spiked eggnog custard, fresh cream or ice cream.

Spiked Eggnog Custard:

2 cups milk, plus extra for thinning if necessary

freshly grated whole nutmeg

2 Tbs corn starch

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 oz rum or brandy

Method: 

Place 1 3/4 cup of milk and about 1/2 of a nutmeg (freshly grated)  in a saucepan and warm until just under a boil, stirring occasionally.

In a Medium sized jug, combine the corn starch with 1/4 cup of milk. Then add the egg yolks, sugar and salt to the corn starch mixture and whisk until smooth.

When the milk is hot (but not boiling, as boiling will cause the milk to scorch), pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk and whisk continuously. Pour in the rum or brandy and continue whisking until the custard thickens. Remove from heat and serve.  If you want a thinner custard, whisk in more milk while the custard is hot.

Sweet Potato Corn Dogs (plus doughnuts!) with Maple Siracha Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup dry cream of wheat (optional- can substitute more corn meal)

1/4 cup grits or stone ground corn meal

1 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup maple sugar (use cane sugar if you don't have granulated maple sugar)

1 1/2 lb sweet potato, baked until soft,  flesh scooped out and mashed (about 1 3/4 cups of mash)

1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 egg

4 tbs corn starch for dredging

About 16 regular sized hot dogs

Peanut oil (or your favorite high-heat oil) for deep frying

16 bamboo or wooden corn dog sticks (can use skewers cut to 6 or 7 inch lengths)

For the dipping sauce, combine:

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Several tablespoons of Siracha Hot Chili Sauce

Method:

Combine or sift together the dry ingredients. Set aside. In a stand mixer, whisk the mashed sweet potato, buttermilk, and egg until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and combine, but do not over-mix. The batter should be thick but loose enough to be slightly pourable. Add more buttermilk a little at a time if it is too dry. Let the batter rest while you assemble the hot dogs.

Heat enough oil in a deep, wide saucepan for deep frying the corn dogs. The oil will need to reach 375 degrees before frying.

Insert sticks into the ends of the hot dogs, pushing them in about half of the length of the hot dog. Place a few tablespoons of corn starch on a plate, then roll the hot dogs in the corn starch, dusting off the excess.

Fill a glass nearly to the top with batter.  When the oil is up to temperature, dip the hot dogs into the cup of batter until they are coated. Place the corn dogs into the hot oil and fry until dark golden brown.  Because of the sugars in the sweet potato and the batter, the breading will fry darker than typical cornbread batter.

Roll corn dogs in the hot oil at least once to make sure all sides cook evenly. When the batter is fully cooked, carefully remove them from the oil with tongs and place on absorbent paper towel. Serve hot.

When all of the corn dogs are finished cooking, any remaining batter can be made into doughnuts by dropping a teaspoon at a time into the hot oil. Scoop the cooked doughnuts out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon and place on absorbent paper towel. Sprinkle with sugar immediately.

Curried Radish Salad: Fresh or Fermented

Ingredients:

3-4 bunches of Easter Egg Radishes

1 bulb of fresh garlic (about 10 cloves)

1-2 fresh hot red chilies

Other root vegetables like carrots, turnips, etc.

3 Tbs canning or pickling salt

1 quart water

1 Tbs coriander seeds

1 Tbs fenugreek powder

1 Tbs turmeric powder

Method:

Combine the salt with one quart of water until the salt is completely dissolved.

Puree the chilies with the garlic and a little water until it forms a smooth paste.

Wash and trim the vegetables, removing the stem and root ends. With the grater or julienne attachment on a food processor, shred the radishes, carrots, and turnips.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl and cover with the salt brine.

Let the vegetables soak in the salt brine for about 30 minutes, then pour off about a cup or so of the brine and set aside. Then pour the vegetables into a colander and rinse well with cold water. Press out any excess moisture.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl and combine with the garlic and chili paste as well as the spices.  You may want to use disposable gloves while mixing, depending on the heat level of your chilies.

You can eat the salad fresh as it is, or as a fresh chutney or condiment with sandwiches, soups, or proteins.  It is highly flavored as a fresh salad, but if you choose to ferment the salad, then the spicy flavors will mellow as it becomes more sour through fermentation.

To ferment the salad, pack tightly into a quart jar, being careful to press out air bubbles with each inch or two that you scoop into the jar. Leave about two inches of head space in the jar, then pour a little of the leftover soaking brine over the top. Wipe the inside of the jar mouth with a clean cloth to remove any exposed vegetables or spice paste. Cover with the lid and ring, then leave the jar out at room temperature (not in direct sunlight) for several days, and up to several weeks. Check every day or so to make sure the vegetables are submerged in the brine and not exposed to air. Bubbles should form in the jar when the fermentation process is active.

When the salad is sour enough to your taste, pour off any extra brine, then refrigerate.

Soul Food Long Beans

Towards the end of the fall season beans and greens can sometimes have a more fibrous texture as the plants respond to the change in weather. Comfort-food cooking methods that have more liquid and a longer cooking time are great for late-season vegetables like these. It may not be trendy to boil vegetables, but some of the traditional methods of braising or simmering greens and beans come from centuries of eating seasonally and finding ways to enjoy everything the crops have to offer. Braising or boiling does not have to be bland. If you are looking for the right spice blend to give some kick to your late season greens and beans, the ladies at Seasonest in Atlanta have developed a line of seasoning blends made from fresh, organic, non-GMO, gluten-free ingredients. The Soul Food blend was perfected by their father who wanted more of the traditional flavors without the additives, preservatives, and sodium commonly found in seasoning blends.  Their line of all-natural seasoning and spice blends are available at many Whole Foods and Fresh Market locations in Georgia and South Carolina, as well as the Chattanooga Market, or online through the Seasonest website.

Ingredients:

1 lb Asian long green beans

1/4 lb bacon

1 Tbs Seasonest Soul Food seasoning

2 cups water

Pickled banana peppers and soft boiled or poached eggs for garnish (optional)

Method:

Trim the long beans to your desired length, then set aside. Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces then fry it in a heavy bottomed braising skillet or saucepan large enough to hold the volume of the beans. When the bacon is cooked, drain off any excess fat (but leave enough for sauteing the beans). Then add the beans and seasoning and saute for a few minutes. Add the water and cover the pan with a lid. Let the liquid come to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the beans are as tender as you like them.

Add more seasoning and salt to taste, then serve with pickled banana peppers and a soft boiled egg.

Burmese-Style Stuffed Butternut Squash Curry

This recipe has traveled around the world through many hands. Pumpkin curries are popular in much of Asia, and can be found with a variety of ingredients and flavors. The dark green skinned kabocha squash is the most common "pumpkin" used in these recipes, but butternut squash works quite well. The small ones are especially well suited for serving single portions stuffed inside the squash. The particular recipe and method listed below came from a Swiss friend named Jerome Gauthey who has spent a year or so working at an orphanage for refugee children in Thailand. And it was his friend and co-worker from Burma who shared the meal with the staff and children whenever there were occasions for celebration. It's a simple recipe that makes use of fresh winter squash, onion, loads of garlic, and a common Thai seasoning blend called Ros Dee. It's hard to know exactly what is in the seasoning packet, but it's essentially pork bouillon, salt, garlic powder, and various umami flavor enhancers.  Ros Dee may be available at your local Asian market, but a good substitute could be homemade pork or chicken broth and plenty of salt. And don't be afraid to assemble your own flavors. Many pumpkin curry recipes also use turmeric, ginger, kafir lime leaves and coconut milk for a sweeter taste.

Ingredients:

6-8 small butternut squash

2 lbs boneless chicken thighs

3 stalks fresh lemongrass

1 large onion

6-8 cloves of fresh garlic

Salt

Oil

Green and red Thai chilies (to taste), plus one small red or yellow onion

*Ros Dee Seasoning, or use pork or chicken broth

 

*Ros Dee Pork Seasoning

Method:

Mince the small onion and about 6-8 Thai chilies. Combine in a bowl with some salt and mash with a mortar & pestle to release their oils and combine the flavors. Set aside.

Cut the neck end of the squash away from the bulbous end, then carefully peel the squash and remove the seeds. The seeded bulb end will be used as bowls for the curry, and can be decorated by cutting slits or designs into them with a sharp knife.

Place the squash "bowls" on a parchment-lined baking dish and set aside. Chop the remaining stem-ends of the squash into bite sized chunks,  cut the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces, slice the large yellow onion into wedges, and mince the garlic. Trim the lemongrass, using the white root ends for the curry. Cut into 3-4 inch pieces.

In a heavy bottomed stock pot, cook the chicken on medium-high heat with a little oil until it is almost cooked through. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook while stirring until the onions are tender.  Stir in the squash chunks, Ros Dee Seasoning and 1 cup of water (or broth) and lemongrass. Cover and simmer until the squash is tender, but not mushy.

Season to taste with salt and more Ros Dee, garlic or chopped chilies.

Scoop the chicken and squash mixture into the squash "bowls" and return to the baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until the squash bowls are fork tender.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice and onion and chili garnish.