It is all festive and fall-ish around here.  The clocks have turned back an hour now in the U.S. (we did it over in this part of the world almost two weeks ago) and it is getting dark earlier and earlier.  The leaves are a million shades of color and there are more of them on the ground than on the trees.  We made it through Halloween and that means we are nearly to my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.  But first, today is Guy Fawkes Day.  Say what?

I know I had the same reaction. Here is a little ditty to jog your memory…

Remember, remember, the fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot
We see no reason
Why Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot ….

So, basically the upshot is that on this day 410 years ago a guy named Guy Fawkes (and that IS where we get the term ‘guy’ that we use today) tried to blow up Westminster on the opening of Parliament in an attempt to assassinate the King and his ministers.  G-Fawk led a group of Catholic activist who were tired of being persecuted by the Protestant Regime. The plot was foiled (Guy and his men were executed) and every year since then the British have celebrated the day by blowing off fireworks and having bon fires.  As a way to say “In your face dude (or rather “guy”) if we want explosives we’ll do them ourselves!”  And indeed they do!  They even sell them at the neighborhood Tesco at 2 for 1!

And so tonight whilst the rest of London is out partying and pyromania-ing, I’ll be home comforting my pretty pit Stella (dogs don’t’ like fireworks, hello) and making something nice and pumpkin-y.  Lest we forget that Americans celebrate the last Thursday in November as a way to give thanks for having food, family and friends as well as to honor our history.  When the Pilgrims left England and sailed to the New Land it was only for the help of strangers, the Native American Indians, that they were able to survive.  Not that it is a somber holiday, but it is reverential.  We save the hoopla and fireworks displays for our Independence Day which is July 4, 1776.  It is still amazing to me that the U.S. is such a baby country in comparison to this part of the world.

I’ve already shared with you a pumpkin cheesecake recipe and a pumpkin pancake recipe which are both beyond delish.  And last week I shared a super tasty smashing pumpkin penne pasta recipe as well.  Note to yourselves, all of these can be enjoyed through the year my friends!  But this recipe, for pumpkin bread pudding, will seriously make you want to freaking go out and have a bon fire, like, tonight. Then you can use it to make smoke signals to say, “Hey, guys, come on over to my pad and eat the best tasting dessert you’ve ever had in your entire lives.  Now that is something we can really celebrate.”  Well, maybe that is too long for a smoke signal message.  In fact it is probably too long for a twitter 140 character message.  But the recipe is so quick and easy you have that to look forward to!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Serves 6

For the bread pudding:

2 cups (500 ml) Single Cream

1 15 oz (425 g) can of pure pumpkin puree (or fresh)

2 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 ½ tsp Vanilla extract

10 cups (10 oz) ½ in. size cubes of white yeast or brioche bread

*optional ½ cup golden raisins or pecans

For the caramel sauce:

1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar

½ cup (4 oz) unsalted butter

½ cup (4 oz) double cream

 

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/350F/Gas mark 4

 

2. Whisk the single cream, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, eggs, spices and vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in the bread. Stir in the raisins or pecans if using. Transfer mixture to an 11×7 inch glass baking dish. Let stand for 15 minutes. Then bake for approx. 40 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit for few minutes before slicing.

 

3. Meanwhile make the caramel sauce. Whisk the brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Whisk in the cream and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

 

4. Serve pudding warm with a dusting of icing sugar and the caramel sauce. You can add vanilla ice cream as well for an extra indulgence!

In the pic above, I made the pudding in the large tray but used a round cutter (usually used for scones) to make the single serving size.  Totally not necessary, as you can just use a spatula to serve a portion.  I was just trying to be fancy.  But defo make sure you douse it in the caramel sauce.  And if you are like me you will be transported into a caramel coma! Vanilla Ice Cream is super nice with it too, especially if you can make homemade like I did! MMMMmmm!

Remember to savor the flavor! Or savour the flavour, as you would do in this part of the world. Especially cuz it’s a British holiday I’d better defer on the spelling.  Which by the way, most holidays are for something that has been accomplished, not something that wasn’t.   And this holiday is for something that wasn’t.  Does that make sense?   Well, you will surely accomplish making this pumpkin bread pudding and eating it all!  Then you will be thanking me like a Pilgrim!

Pump up the pumpkin!

YDP

ps. In no way am I being disparaging of this country’s national holiday.  I have great respect for the United Kingdom.  In fact if you look at its size relative to its influence in the world, it is actually astounding.  English might well be considered the global language as it is spoken literally everywhere!  And a recent visit to the Greenwich Observatory reminded me that even our time keeping has been impacted by the genius of the British.  So maybe because they don’t have an Independence Day like the U.S. or a St. Patrick’s Day like the Irish, this is their one day to kinda go a bit bonkers and have a some of fun (or craic as the Irish say).

Though I had been baking for years, I actually never attempted a meringue roulade until I was a student at the Ballymaloe Cookery School.  I know this sounds selfish, but since it wouldn’t be my first choice of desserts, I just didn’t have an interest in making it.  But because it was part of the curriculum of our course, I didn’t just make it, I went all out!  In fact I made a special Irish Coffee flavored version complete with a Whiskey Whipped Cream and shamrock shaped meringue details.  And it was so well received I chose to remake it for my final exam “pudding” at the end of the course.

My Hubby happens to be a massive fan of my roulades and the one I make for him is the version with fresh cream and berries.  Sometimes I like to mix through some lemon curd with the whipped cream to give it a nice tangy taste.   Though the recipe is meant for 6-8 people, it can often get polished off by the two of us (mostly him) without much effort.  It is so light and yet the outside of the meringue has a crunchy texture which practically melts in your mouth like cotton candy (also known as candy floss in this part of the world).

The recipe instructions are actually not that difficult at all.  But I found that many of my cookery students admitted they had mixed results when making any type of meringue (for instance a Pavlova) previous to my class.  I  think there are a couple of main points that must be adhered to in order for the efforts to lead to success.  First is to start with a spotlessly clean bowl.  Sounds simple.  Then there is the issue of making sure the egg whites are separated properly so no egg shell or egg yolks have managed to find their way in.  Right, makes sense. Lastly beating the egg whites and sugar until they have become stiff peaks is the key before putting it in the baking tin.  If it isn’t beaten enough, then while it is baking it will totally flop.  So this step really takes patience.

The issue of patience reminds me of my dear Hubby.  While he himself admits that patience is a virtue that is not necessarily his strong suit, he sure showed a bountiful amount of it while waiting for me.  I suppose I gave him what is known in American style football as the Stiff Arm.  Not a step I recommend in a recipe, or more specifically a recipe for a relationship. But as a single mom of two teenagers, maybe it was a subconscious mommy maneuver.  I didn’t want to upset their boat anymore than it had been with the divorce of their parents.  So the stiff arm was solid and went on for years!  And I mean years.

Once we finally got married there was a period I felt really badly about what I had put him through.  But I don’t like to live with regrets and so I began to look at our situation a bit differently.  I realized that things happen for a reason and at a certain time. There was a silver lining to it all. Or maybe we could say, a bronze lining.  Why?  Well, if you are really up on your stiff arm trivia, you’ll know that the Heisman Trophy (awarded every year to a college football player) is made from bronze. The statue is of a football player posed in a stiff arm tactic.

Just like making the perfect meringue, once the egg whites and sugar are beaten until a stiff peak, there is also a nice shiny gloss to it.  A sort of alchemy takes place.  The two, become one.  And that is exactly what happened in my relationship with my Hubby.  Our marriage is actually better for it and all we went through to get here.  All of his patience and all of my stiff arming helped whittle away negatives and forge a better and stronger bond.  It was a gamble as it could have flopped like a bad meringue.  But it paid off and we are both grateful for the sweet but tangy, light but crunchy result!

Meringue Roulade with Lemon Curd Cream and Berries

 

Serves 6

 

4 egg whites

225 g (8 oz) caster sugar

150 ml (5oz) double cream lightly whipped

150 ml (1/4 pint) lemon curd

300g (11 oz) fresh mixed berries

icing sugar for dusting

mint leaves for decoration

 

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/350F/Gas mark 4

 

2. Line the swiss roll tin with foil, folding the sides up to make a frame 4 cm (1 ½ in) high and squeezing the corners together. Brush lightly with vegetable oil.

 

3. Place the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl (stainless steel is best) and whisk until soft peaks form

 

4. Add the caster sugar all at once and whisk at full speed for about 4-5 minutes until stiff peaks form.

 

5. Smooth the meringue into the prepared tin with a palette knife and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until faintly browned and firm to the touch.

 

6. Allow the meringue to cool for a few minutes, then turn out onto a sheet of foil bigger than the roulade (or a clean tea towel) that has been dusted with icing sugar. Carefully remove the foil on the base and allow to cool completely.

 

7. Make the filling by combining the cream and lemon curd. Spread over the cooled meringue. Cover the cream with the fruit.

 

8. Roll the meringue away from you, using the foil (or tea towel) to help guide and keep the shape of the roulade.

 

9. Transfer to a serving dish and dust with more icing sugar and decorate with berries and mint leaves.

So while these day I regularly use some stiff peak moves, I have officially retired my stiff arm maneuver!

Roulade Roulove,

YDP

Did you ever hear of that popular band from the 90’s called Smashing Pumpkins?  I actually saw them in concert.  I took my then ten year old son to see them.  In fact as I have mentioned on here before, I have taken my kids to many a music concert. Great memories!  What is not a great memory is the time I once smashed a pumpkin. Maybe I learned about food fights from my parents.  But it was during a time my ex husband and I were estranged.  I had already found out about his numerous infidelities and though he wasn’t living in the house with us at the time, he and I had an argument outside the back door. The kids were asleep and I was holding back emotion so as not to waken them.  As well it was the night before Halloween and I wanted to make sure they were well rested.  When the ex finally left, I went over to a pumpkin that I had carved (luckily not anywhere near the ones the kids had carved) and picked it up and totally smashed it to smithereens.  If you read yesterday’s post you know how much I love my pumpkins.  And I am all about peace and harmony.  I avoid conflict at every turn. But I have to say, I felt such a sense of release and relief by letting that thing fly and come crashing down to obliteration! It was therapeutic I guess you could say.

Though I cleaned it all up, also a therapeutic part of the process, the next morning my son noticed a few remnants strewn about the driveway. I had to be honest and admitted to him what I had done, but not the details of the fight.  But he laughed which put me more at ease. Then I laughed too thinking about how it was quite literally a smashing pumpkin affair.

Well, enough about that, now on to why you are really here.  For a recipe!  And this one is quite possible the best tasting surprise you will eat.  It is perfect before a night out trick or treating, and it super easy to make.  If you can’t find the pumpkin puree in the tin/can then you can make it yourself while you are still able to find pumpkins in the shops.  Here is a link on how to roast them.  Otherwise, butternut squash is usually available all year and you can substitute that as well. This is a super recipe to make up for a festive buffet as the colors are on point for Autumn…so BOO-tiful

Pumpkin Pasta

Serves 6

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta (or gluten free if you desire)

1 tin (15 OZ) pumpkin puree

3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and grated

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

½ cup cream (can use a non dairy substitute if you prefer)

2 cups (16 oz) chicken stock (can use veg stock if you want it to be a veggie dish)

1 tsp hot sauce, to taste if you like a bit of heat

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

2 pinches ground cinnamon

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste

7-8 leaves of fresh sage, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (if desired)

1/2 cup cooked and crumbled parma ham (if desired) for garnish

Sea Salt/Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. On the stove top bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, until al dente, then drain out the water, reserving some of the liquid. You may or may not need it to thin out your sauce if it is too thick.

 

2. For the sauce, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic until soft, about 3 mins. Add the chicken stock along with the pumpkin. Stir and then add the cream. Season the sauce to taste with the hot sauce, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt/pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 5-6 mins or until the sauce thickens a bit.

 

3. To serve, toss the pasta with the sauce. Add the sliced sage and grated cheese. Top with a pine nuts and parma ham (if using) and a sage leaf for garnish!

Keep in mind that pumpkin is super healthy and can and should be eaten all year long.  Not just around Halloween!  It is loaded with fiber (great for digestion) and packed with vitamins such as vitamin A, which super charges your vision.  Helpful when you are out trick-or-treating on that spooky 31st night!

Love all you little pumpkins!

YDP

P.S. So what are you waiting for? Make it TONIGHT!

Since yesterday was a bank holiday in Ireland and many of my snapchat friends over there were feeling down today, I thought a treat was in order!  So I took them along with me on a visit to the famous London biscuit bakery Biscuiteers.  It was an all day affair doing what I love doing best:  Making people happy and making desserts!  Cookies, icing, sugar and fun are the best way to brighten up anyone’s day.  And with Halloween coming up in a few days, this was just the thing to get in the festive mood!

Though you can find the Biscuiteers Cookies for sale online and even at U.K. stores such as Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and The Conran Shop, it is far more pleasurable to go into one of their own boutiques.  They have two branches, one in Notting Hill and one on Northcote Road.  With the charmingly elegant black and white decor the colorful cookies stand out that bit more.  And there are loads of baking equipment essentials such as cookie cutters on sale for foodie enthusiasts like me.  When you pay for a class you get a 10% off discount on items purchased on the day you attend. Whoo hoo!

However, the best part of going to the boutiques is the amazing customer service.  There is such a lovely warmth about the staff and it is particularly evident when there are classes or impromptu icing cafe sessions happening.  The staff goes above and beyond to assist and instruct eager cookie decorators.  This really helps to calm the nerves, especially for those that are a bit on the perfectionist side, expecting to perfectly ice a cookie in 2 minutes flat!  But it is wonderful to see the metamorphosis from start to finish.  From a naked cookie to a beautifully decorated colorful creation!  Our teacher for the day, Michelle, was beyond patient and she just so happens to be an amazing artist herself.  She makes it all look so easy, but I know its not.

When you take a course at Biscuiteers, all of their expert artists guide you through the step by step instructions from making and baking the cookie dough, to learning the different icing techniques.  The real trick is getting the basic icing recipe down. The mixture of icing sugar, Merriwhite  (powdered egg whites), and water is beaten to the perfect consistency where it just has a bend on the end of the spatula.  Then you add the color (which can be gel or powder) and place it in the piping bag for the “line icing” which you use to make the outlines on your cookies.  It is important to hold back a little bit of the icing in the bowl.  Then you add water to that icing that’s left over to create a “runny icing”.  In this way you make sure you have a color match for both the line and runny icings.  You use plastic squeeze bottles as the container for the runny icing since it is easier to manage in order to” flood” the inside of the cookie.

Once you have decorated the cookies they need to be baked to help set the icing.  The oven temp is quite low (50 C) and they stay in for about one hour. You can add more detail to the cookie after this stage.  And the sky is the limit in terms of creativity.  This is such a nice stress relieving activity.  I can see why many corporates, hen parties and school outings are booking in for these sessions.

As if the fun wasn’t enough, you get to take home the cookies that you have made on the day in a lovely tin case.   You just have to attach your cookies to a cushy cardboard base (with the help of a dot of icing instead of glue) and arrange inside the gorg keepsake container.  As well, the apron you have used, is now yours!  Hello!  I’m loving this!  Plus you get a gift voucher for future use.  Right,  I’m on it !

During the day long class we were treated to an unlimited supply of teas or coffees (I had the best cappuccino since I moved to London) and a slice of one of their gorgeous cakes. Yes they make cakes and chocolates as well as their famous biscuits.  I had the white chocolate passionfruit cake and it was so fresh, moist, tender and tasty!  I was in heaven!

Since there is only my husband and myself in the house and I made eighteen cookies I decided to create a contest for my snapchat followers.  They had to send me a snap of themselves doing their best impression of me (which would include one or all of the following: Bad singing, bad dancing but good recipes and possibly an American accent) and I would award the winner later in the evening.  Well it was a hard choice as there were so many great entries.  But since I had so many cookies anyway, I decided to award three winners!  Since I take snapchat along on many foodie adventures and they can’t taste or smell the goodies it can almost be torturous.  So, this is a great pressie for the lucky three then!

If you’ve been following for a while you know that my pretty pit Stella plays a big part in all YDP activities (where allowed).  So she was quite curious about my Biscuiteers adventure. She loves a treat, and might have even eaten a bit in spite of it being in a kitty cat shape!  But I wasn’t sure how dog friendly the ingredients are.  So I think when I do a follow up assessment of the course I might suggest they actually include doggie biscuits to their menu. I know there would surely be one happy customer!

Decorated with Love,

YDP

P.S. If you are new to the blog you are very welcome!  And if you are on snapchat you might like to follow along there as well (user name:  blissbakery)