Spicy Cheddar Souffle in Mini Pumpkins

Posted on October 24, 2012 by carolyn

Photo by SummerTomato

Pair with 2009 Praxis Merlot Alexander Valley
Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 tiny pumpkins ( mini-size)
4 large eggs
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 ounces spicy cheddar cheese
salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place uncut pumpkins in large shallow dish and add 1/4 inch of water; cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until tender. Let cool.

Reheat oven to 375 degrees F. With a paring knife, remove tops from pumpkins. Remove and discard seeds, then scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shell.

Place four cups of pumpkin flesh in mixing bowl. Separate eggs, stirring yolks into pumpkin flesh and placing whites in separate bowl. Stir flour and baking powder into pumpkin mixture, then stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Whip egg whites into stiff peaks. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Spoon souffle mixture into pumpkin shells. Place on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until puffed and set.

Pumpkin Fondue

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Localista

A beautiful roasted outside, pairs with the tender pumpkin flesh inside for a velvety experience as you scoop it out with toasted baguette and pair with the Eric Ross Pinot Noir and the Foggy Valley Pinot Noir. Serve with crusty bread for dipping and scooping or provide spoons for scooping the baked flesh from the shell. – Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 medium to medium-large orange pumpkin or 4 small individual pumpkins
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves minced or grated garlic
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère (6 oz)
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Emmental (6 oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large baguette, cut into 1⁄2 inch slices.
3⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
One 9-oz package frozen,artichoke hearts, thawed and
pressed dry
2 Tbsp shredded basil
Steamed rice or crusty bread for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.

Toast baguette slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet in oven until tops are crisp about 7 minutes.

Slice the top off the pumpkin and reserve it. Hollow out the core and discard all the fibers and seeds. Make sure the pumpkin sits securely upright by cutting away enough from the bottom to make it flat. Season inside of pumpkin with 1/2 tsp salt and blend oil and garlic and rub into the interior of the pumpkin.

Whisk together cream, broth, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl. Mix together cheeses in another bowl.

Put a layer of toasted bread in bottom of pumpkin, then cover with about 1 cup cheese and about 1/2 cup cream mixture. Continue layering bread, cheese, and cream mixture until pumpkin is filled to about 1/2 inch from top, using all of cream mixture. (You may have some bread and cheese left over.)

Cover pumpkin with top and put in an oiled small roast- ing pan. Brush outside of pumpkin all over with olive oil. Bake until pumpkin is tender and filling is puffed, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Fish Stew Served in a Whole Pumpkin

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Tod Hill

Tod Hill – Locals Wine Club member….and friend

Climate change be damned, there is nothing like a drought-on-the-horizon mid December day in Sonoma County. Yesterday I awoke to brilliant sunshine, frost on my roof and all three dogs under the covers. By mid day, I was sweating in the garden pulling beets, clipping kale, picking the last of the serrano peppers, and wondering if I needed sun block. By sunset, I was lighting a fire and contemplating a stew for dinner. No time for slow-braised short ribs or coq au vin. A sea food stew would have to do. I remembered a fish stew served in a whole pumpkin that I had at a hole-in-the-wall Brazilian restaurant on Valencia & 24th back in the 80s. A tropical stew for a cold winter’s night that came hours after a what felt like a warm summer day. Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

The pumpkins

Slice the tops off of two sugar pie pumpkins (the small ones about the size of a softball or grapefruit)
Scoop out the seeds
Bake at 350 for one hour; then turn off the oven and allow the pumpkins to sit in the oven for up to an hour more

The stew

Dice, separately:
2 red, ripe Serrano peppers
1 shallot
1/2 of a fennel bulb (about 1/2 cup)
1 leek
1 large carrots
1/2 lb Crimini or white mushrooms

Directions:

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot
Add the pepper, shallot, and fennel and saute for about 3-4 min until soft
Add the leek and carrots and saute for about 3-4 min until soft
Add the crimini mushrooms and 1 cup dry white wine, cover and let cook until the mushrooms have released their juices
Chop into 1/2 inch cubes: approximately 8 oz. snapper or other flaky white fish
Add the fish along with 1 cup water, cook until the fish dissolves
In the mean time, rinse and mix together 1/2 lb selections of other seafood (I used bay scallops, tiger prawns and calamari). Squeeze the juice of one lime over the fish along with 1/2 cup white wine, salt & pepper, 1/2 cup chopped italian parsley and 1 one diced Serrano pepper. Let sit while the snapper dissolves.
10 min before serving, add the fish to the stew, bring to a simmer, lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 min
Place the pumpkins into plates or soup bowls, ladle the stew into the pumpkins, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and enjoy.

So what wine should we pair with this creation? A Praxis Viognier to capture the tropical mood? A Saracina Sauvignon Blanc to meet the citrus notes? Nope, I chose the Eric Ross 2009 Pinot Noir. Red wine with fish? A Pinot with spicy sea food? No problem. The fennel and mushroom based stock met the earthy tones of the Pinot perfectly. And the fruitier notes mingled with the sweetness of the pumpkin and the shellfish provided a perfect counterpoint to the spice of the Serranos. Fish and white wine pairing orthodoxy be damned.