Brioche...to be continued.

I was not able to start my brioche dough over the weekend, and thus won't be able to bake tomorrow.  I did, however make a bunch of other stuff, that my family gobbled up with enthusiasm.  Most of it was standard family fare: Ham, mashed potatoes, roast chicken, blah blah blah...  But I did make a pumpkin pie that was pretty interesting.  I made it with fresh pumpkin, not necessarily because I think fresh pumpkin is so superior to canned, but because I have a substance abuse problem:  Roasted pumpkin seeds.  They are the stuff of autumn dreams.  Crunchy, salty, earthy, and habit forming.  I have to tell myself to stop eating them, when my lips are drying out from the salt.  This batch I seasoned with Old Bay seasoning (bawlmr, hun), paprika, and the standard salt and olive oil.  They were crazy good!  

Now back to the pie.

It was a recipe I got from the Epicurious app on my iPhone (which I highly recommend, it has tons of recipes, makes shopping lists and everything.)  It was a pretty standard Pumpkin Pie recipe, in most respects, but it was made in a tart pan, (which I ignored, and made in a standard 9 inch pie plate) and instead of adding sugar, you make caramel and mix that in with the pumpkin and spices.  When I saw that, I said "What? CARAMEL pumpkin pie?...oh I am making this asap."  As someone who loves most things slightly burnt, this was right up my alley.  It turned out GREAT.  My Mom and I were discussing the difference in flavor with the cooked sugar, and we decided it was a very nice mellow and rich sweetness.  I think I will use this method with other pies and cakes.  Ideas like that kill me! It's so simple, but I would have never thought of doing that!

I also made a salad with roasted beets and goat cheese, that I could've bathed in.  I used the greens from the grocery store that are labeled "Fresh Herb Salad."  It had arugula, swiss chard, radicchio, spinach, cilantro and parsley. I made a balsamic vinaigrette, and crumbled some goat cheese over the top.  GORGEOUS.

So I will start my brioche "sponge" tomorrow, or tuesday, and will update when I do.  

As I've said before, please share your favorite recipes, and if you want to stay updated, be sure to become a follower of the blog.  

Thanks for all the support, so far.  This is proving to be extremely fun, and rewarding already!

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

For pastry

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

For filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin (not pie filling; a scant 2 cups)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Make dough:
Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.)

Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all of dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round, then fit into quiche pan and trim excess dough flush with rim of pan. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Bake pie shell:
Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights. Put quiche pan on a baking sheet and bake pie shell until side is set and edge is pale golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shell until bottom is golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.

Make filling while shell cools:
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 3- to 3 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, washing down side of pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in cold water and gently swirling pan (do not stir), until mixture is a deep golden caramel, about 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to moderate and carefully add 1 cup cream (mixture will bubble vigorously), stirring until caramel is dissolved. Stir in remaining cup cream and bring just to a simmer.

Whisk together pumpkin purée, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in hot cream mixture, then add eggs, whisking until combined well. Pour filling into cooled crust and bake until puffed 1 1/2 inches from edge and center is just set, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. (Pie will continue to set as it cools.) Remove side of pan before serving.