PECAN PUMPKIN BUTTER-CHEESECAKE MUFFINS

Here's a great recipe using my spiced pecan and pumpkin butter.  These muffins are light, full of flavor and luscious.  A real fall treat.  If you decide to make these with plain pumpkin puree, you'll have to make major adjustments with seasonings and sweeteners.

Pecan Pumpkin Butter-Cheesecake Muffins
Rating:  9.5 out of 10


Filling:
8 oz. Neufchatel cheese (or regular cream cheese)
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cornstarch

Muffins:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur, and it's so light I really think the entire 1-1/2 cups of flour could be whole-wheat)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup oil (or melted butter if you prefer)
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/4 cups Pecan Pumpkin Butter
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Have all ingredients at room temperature before starting. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin tins, or spray with flour-added non-stick cooking spray. For coated pans, spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

In medium bowl, with electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat till combined. Stir in cornstarch.  Refrigerate while you prepare the muffin batter.

Measure flour by first aerating it with a whisk, then lightly spooning into measuring cup and leveling off with a spatual or knife.  Do not just dip the measuring cup into the flour, as this is one of the major causes of heavy muffins -- too much compacted flour.

In large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon till well combined. Set aside. In medium mixing bowl, whisk oil, sugar, eggs, pumpkin butter and flavorings till well combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquids all at once, stirring just till barely combined. Do not over mix, as this is the other major reason for heavy muffins -- too much mixing. Batter will be thick.

Spoon a few tablespoons of batter into prepared muffin cups. Spoon some cream cheese batter on top (about 1 heaping tablespoonful), then top with more muffin batter. The photo below shows the progression, from right to left.  I guess I was thinking Chinese.  You can also swirl the cream cheese batter if you prefer.

 Place muffins in oven and bake for about 18-22 minutes for dark or coated pans, longer for shiny pans. Check for doneness with toothpick. When it returns with just a few crumbs, take the muffins out and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the muffins should release easily and should be placed on a rack to finish cooling. Yield: 12 standard muffins.

HELEN WITTY'S SPICED PECAN & PUMPKIN BUTTER

Helen Witty has written several books, all of which are highly rated. This recipe is from "The Good Stuff Cookbook," and it's available new and used through amazon.com. Williams Sonoma sells a 13.5 oz. jar of pecan pumpkin butter for $10.00 made by Muirhead Foods, Ringoes, NJ, and has developed recipes for the product. When I was in the Williams Sonoma Knoxville store, they were giving out samples of a cake made with it, plus the recipe. The cake was delicious. When I got home, I searched the internet and came up with this recipe. There are some who think that Muirhead's inspiration for their pecan pumpkin butter came from Hellen Witty's recipe.

This recipe is a bit more involved than some other, simpler pumpkin butter recipes, but the texture and flavor are superior.  In my estimation, it's entirely worth the extra effort.

Helen Witty's Spiced Pecan & Pumpkin Butter, Adapted
Rating:  10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
zest of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon cut in wide strips with sharp knife

4 cups cooked fresh pumpkin and/or butternut squash (or 4 cups canned pumpkin + 1/4 cup water)

1-3/4 cup sugar 

3 Tbsp. strained fresh orange juice

3 Tbsp. strained fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. molasses

2-1/2 tsp. cinnamon 

1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Peel the orange and lemon with a sharp knife in the widest, longest strips you can without the white part underneath (the pith). If you do cut some of the pith with the peel, scrape it off, because it is bitter and will ruin the preserve. Simmer the strips in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Do not boil the water. Drain, then mince the peels to a fine pulp. (I tried automating this by using my mini-blender, but it only took it down so far and left me with some chunks. So I still had to hand chop to get this down to a fine pulp. This is the hardest part of this recipe, and it's really not that hard if you have a sharp chopping knife. Measure out 1 Tbsp. of the pulp and discard or save the rest for something else.

In a 3-1/2 quart or larger heavy pot, combine all ingredients and mix well over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to combine ingredients, then lower heat to medium. Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring often, or till liquid stops forming when you stop stirring. Mixture should be very thick. Taste it. Adjust spices and sweetness if necessary, remembering that flavors will strengthen as it stands and cools. Stir in 1/3 cup toasted and finely chopped peacans or walnuts and cook for a few more minutes. Spoon into jars and seal.

Note: DO NOT TRY TO WATERBATH THIS!  It is not considered safe to do so. You can freeze it or refrigerate it. It will keep about 3 weeks in the fridge, longer in the freezer. If you give it as gifts, be sure you tell the recipient it must be refrigerated or frozen.

CRISPY COCONUT SHRIMP and ORANGE MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE

Guy and I love the Outback's Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp, so when I found myself with frozen shrimp that needed to be consumed, I decided to try and find a copycat recipe. The Southern Living 2005 Category Winner recipe for Crisco was "Crispy Coconut Chicken Dippers with Wowee Maui Mustard." Since chicken and shrimp are mostly interchangeable, I thought I would try this recipe using shrimp instead of chicken. If you're averse to fried things, then skip this, but the recipe is great and the shrimp were every bit as good as the Outback's. I made my own dipping sauce, because I didn't have the ingredients for the Wowee Maui Mustard recipe (pineapple, red pepper jelly and whole grain mustard).

Crispy Coconut Shrimp and Orange Mustard Dipping Sauce

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup orange marmalade

1 Tbsp. bold and spicy mustard

1 lb. fresh or frozen large shrimp (jumbo are even better)

Vegetable oil for frying

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground dried ginger

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup lime-flavored seltzer water (I used lemon-lime)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (I used Panko and crushed them fine)

DIRECTIONS: Prepare dipping sauce by mixing together the marmalade and the mustard in a small dish. Set aside. Shuck and devein shrimp and rinse in cold water. Set aside. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches in 3-quart deep pot or frying appliance. (If you have a candy thermometer, use it to monitor the temperature of the oil. It should be 350 degrees F. , no higher, so it's best to use medium heat, not high).

While vegetable oil is heating, whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Combine coconut and breadcrumbs in a separate large shallow dish (I used a paper plate). Dip shrimp, one at a time, first in wet mixture, then in coconut/breadcrumb mixture. Set the shrimp on a paper towel or paper plate as you get them breaded and ready to fry. When all shrimp are breaded, begin to drop them in to the hot oil, one at a time, being careful not to splash yourself with the hot oil. (A fry basket would be a big help here.) As shrimp go in, the oil will bubble up considerably, and that's why you need a deep pot. Fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce.

HERBED WINTER SQUASH

I never liked squash very much. Every time I tasted it, it was smothered in sugar. Then, one time when I was in St. Lucia, we were invited to someone's home for dinner. (Guy commuted to St. Lucia for 10 years as a subcontractor to Cable & Wireless, so he knew just about everyone who worked on the island for C&W). This person served us herbed winter squash, and it was delicious. I never did ask her for the recipe, I just tried to make it myself when I got home. The photo at the top shows it cooked in the Corningware Grab-it bowl. As you can see, there's not much there -- it's hard to cook for one. Guy is not a vegetable eater. He still thinks corn and french fries count as vegetables. Following is a recipe for 2-4 people, depending on appetites:

Herbed Winter Squash


INGREDIENTS: 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh onion
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 cups roasted butternut squash and/or pumpkin (see my previous post on
roasted pumpkin and butternut squash)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or oregano (or a mixture)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS: In 1-1/2 quart saute' pan, over medium-low heat, cook onion until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute or so, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the cooked squash and seasonings and cook till heated through, or transfer to an oven-proof dish and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.

Note: If you do not have any roasted squash in your freezer, then wash and peel a butternut squash and cut it into small cubes. Toss it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast it in the oven at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes, or till it is cooked through and begins to brown. (Alternately, you can halve the squash, remove the seeds, and place cut side down on tinfoil, and roast at 400 for about 1 hour or till it tests done when pierced with a fork. Then you can scoop the flesh out or cut it into pieces after removing the skin, as you prefer.) Either method works -- just remember to cut the salt and pepper if you use the first method. Roasting the squash is, in my opinion, better than boiling it, because roasting deepens the flavor. But, in fairness, you can also boil the squash if you prefer.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Since I went to all the trouble to roast the pumpkins and the butternut squashes, I decided I would roast some of the seeds. So I took some of the pumpkin seeds and some of the butternut squash seeds, tossed them with about 2 tsp. olive oil, sea salt and pepper and roasted them in the oven at 400 degrees F. They took about 20 minutes and are a nice crunchy snack. I stored them in a glass jar and put them in the pantry.

GRILLED CORNISH GAME HEN

I'm really not crazy about Cornish game hens, but at least they're not chicken. They're just too fatty for me to really like. But cooked this way, I could grow to be a fan. When you use a vertical roaster, the hen is very moist and tender; it cooks very quickly and all the fat drips into the drip pan. Although I like to season food, all you really need for this is salt and pepper. The hen bastes itself as it cooks. You can find these vertical roasters in kitchen stores if you don't have one already. They're not the same as the beer roasters, so be sure you buy the right one. You can use them in your oven or on your grill. The top picture shows the hen after I took it off the grill. I placed it in the microwave (turned off) while I prepared the veggie side dish. BTW, I buy these Cornish hens in Wal-Mart's freezer section, 2 to a pack for about $5.50. Since they are individually frozen, I can take out one at a time. One hen feeds both of us with some meat left over, since we're not very big eaters. I've also cut them in half and grilled them, adding BBQ sauce for the last 5 minutes.

Grilled Cornish Game Hen

INGREDIENTS: 1 Cornish game hen, frozen or fresh
salt and pepper to taste
vertical roaster

DIRECTIONS: If hen is frozen, thaw overnight in fridge. When ready to cook, remove packaging and salt hen liberally inside and out with kosher salt or table salt. Let hen sit for 5 minutes, then with hands, scrub the salt into all parts of the hen. Rinse with cold water until all salt is removed and let hen drain well. Dry cavity with clean paper towels. Salt and pepper inside and outside of hen, and place on vertical roaster. Cook on hot grill (400-425 degrees F if yours has a thermometer) for about 45 minutes, or till juices run clear when hen is pierced in thigh. (Or use an instant read thermometer stuck in thigh.) Let hen rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Wash hands well with hot soapy water after handling poultry, and also scrub sink with cleanser and bleach. Yield: 1-2 servings

GRILLED MARINATED SALMON

Here's an easy recipe for salmon marinade that gives the fish a nice flavor:

Grilled Marinated Salmon

INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup honey
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. crushed fresh garlic
1-1/2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2-3 fresh salmon fillets or steaks
DIRECTIONS: Mix all ingredients in a medium resealable plastic bag. Massage to combine well. Add fish and massage again to cover fish well. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes or up to 1 hour, no longer. Remove fish from marinade and place on hot grill (400-450 degrees F.) Depending on thickness, salmon should take no longer than about 8 minutes. It should be pink in center (rare) and will continue to cook as it stands. I like to spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray and cook the salmon on that. Clean up is easier because the skin doesn't stick to the grill grates. However, as you can see, there are no appetizing grill marks when cooked this way. If you care about that, just grill the salmon, skin side up, for a minute or so or until a nice grill mark shows, then flip it over and put it on the tinfoil to finish cooking. Any leftover salmon makes a great lunch the next day (salmon salad, or green salad with salmon or salmon sandwich)