What To Do With Your Suzie's Farm CSA Pumpkin

Pumpking, like most other winter squash is delish when roasted, but getting it cut into pieces can be a nightmare.

Here is the trick, boil or mircowave your pumpkin (or squash) for 10 minutes. This will cook the oustside just enought to make them easy to cut but not cooked all the way through.

Or make pumpkin puree- place whole pumpkin in a large pot of boiling water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is just cooked. Peel and seed pumpkin. Them roast or micorwave till tender.Place pumpkin into a food processor and puree till smooth. THis puree can then be made into soups, pies, ravioli and so much more.

 

 

 

Last night I had an amzaing class at Great New, the class show cased Suzie's Farm's CSA box.

Featuring these amazing vegetables:

Lettuce
Kale
Sunflower Greens
Cherry Tomatoes
Mixed Hot Peppers
Sweet Pepper
Squash
Cilantro
Salad Mix
Onions
Pumpkin - Winter Luxury or Long Island Cheese (edible)

 

Here is one of the recipes I made in class, enjoy!!

Pumpkin and Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta

Serves 6 to 8

1                 Vanilla bean

1 cup          Milk
1 tbsp         Agar agar flakes or 1 tsp agar agar powder
½ cup         Dark or light agave syrup
1 cup          Plain Greek yogurt
1 cup          Pumpkin puree (made from winter luxury, squash, or sweet potato will also work)*
¼ cup         Orange juice
¼ tsp          Pumpkin pie spice

 Split vanilla bean down the length of the bean, using the back of a small knife,  scrape seeds from the pod, reserve seeds and pot.

Add milk, vanilla bean, vanilla seeds and agar agar in a medium saucepan; bring to a scald over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve agar agar.
Remove from heat add agave syrup and stir combine agave; steep for 10 minutes.
Remove vanilla bean from steeped milk.
In a small bowl whisk together pumpkin puree and orange juice.
Add steeped milk, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree mixture, and pumpkin pie spice; to a blender and blend till smooth.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Divide mixture among custard cups.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
Run a knife around edges of each panna cotta to loosen. Set each cup in shallow bowl of hot water for 10 seconds. Immediately invert onto plate and serve.

*Pumpkin Puree- place whole pumpkin in a large pot of boiling water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is cooked. Peel and seed pumpkin. Place pumpkin into a food processor and puree till smooth.

 

 

Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

Honey cake is a Rosh Hashanah tradition, wishing you a “Sweet New Year”. This holiday honey cake is easy to make, beautiful and delicious to eat.

Unlike some of the more traditional recipes, I use coconut oil instead of margarine or vegetable oil. I find it produces a much more flavorful cake. Also I glaze my cake with an apricot glaze (this helps to ensure a moist cake) and garnish with sliced almonds (creating a beautiful looking cake).

 

This recipe was part of a recent Rosh Hashanah cooking class I taught at Great News Cooking School, the full menus was; Salmon and White Fish Gefilte Fish with Herb Sauce, Citrus Brined Roasted Chicken, Tzimmes (traditional sweet stew), Saffron Rice. All proceeds from the class where donated to Jewish Family Services Adoption Alliance Program. I will be teaching another class Jewish Holiday cooking class for Hanukkah (with proceeds donated to JFS) Monday, December 3 (from 6 to 9 pm) at Great News.

 

 

Honey Cake

Makes 1 (10-inch) Bundt cake

 

Non-stick baking spay (like bakers joy or the Trader Joes brand)

Cakes
2 ½ cups    All-purpose flour
2 tsp           Baking powder
½ tsp          Baking soda
½ tsp          Kosher salt
¼ tsp          Ground nutmeg
3 large        Eggs
1 cup          Sugar
1 ¼ cups    Liquid coconut oil
1 cup          Local honey of your choice (except buckwheat)
¼ cup         Dissolved instant espresso (following package instructions)
¼ cup         Orange juice
¼ cup         Amaretto
2 tsp           Orange zest
¼ tsp          Lemon zest

Glaze

¼ cup         Amaretto

¼ cup         Apricot preserves
3 tbsp         Water

Garnish
½ cup         Toasted sliced almonds (optional)

 

Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously spray a 10 inch bundt pan, including center tube, with baking spray.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

In an electric mixer whisk eggs; slowing add in sugar. Whisking till almost completely incorporated. Then coconut oil, and follow with honey, espresso, orange juice, and Amaretto. Whisking until completely incorporated. Fold in orange and lemon lest by hand.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the honey mixture, then stir with the whisk until the batter is smooth.

Pour batter into pan and bake in oven until springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes.

Loosen cake from the pan with a thin rubber spatula, then invert cake onto the rack and cool completely.

For glaze:

Heat preserves, Amaretto and water in a small sauce pan over low heat until preserves are dissolved, about 3 minutes.

Let glaze stand, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, but still pourable.

Transfer cake to a cake plate and slowly pour the  glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If desired, sprinkle the top of the cake with almonds.

Spend a night under the ripe full moon with farmer Laurel Mehl for an intimate farm tour and dinner.

Nestled on a seemingly standard suburban block lies a completely organic and biologically diverse urban farm.

 

The farm plays host to a tribe of goats, ducks, chickens, fruit orchards, and a large variety of heirloom fruits and vegetables, all beyond organic and free range.

 

For $65 per person you receive, includes two craft cocktails, a five course vegetarian meal featuring the tantalizing creations of Chef Jenn Felmley and desert by confectioner Nikki Stout. The evening will also include a farm tour, heirloom seed showcase and craft cocktail demo.

 

Look for daily menu updates on the Coral Tree Farm's Facebook Page. To reserve your tickets please call Carris Rhodes at 760.688.8275 or email carrisrhodes@gmail.com.

 

Seating is VERY limited.

 

To secure your spot payments must be made in full no later than 3 days before the event.

Feel free to call or email with any questions.
http://www.facebook.com/events/444088235629646/#!/events/444088235629646/