Auntie E's Pumpkin Cheesecake

This recipe is a little healthier for you. I combine sugar that are low glycemic with the refine. By doing this it levels out the sugar rush one can get. Adding  the Sour cream also help in the process. Sour cream is a better choice  having less of an impact on the glucose levels then Milk or cream does.

Balancing the spices to create that Pumpkin pie taste is a tricky thing. Not enough and it taste bland. Too much and it overpowering. So I worked hard to get that perfect blend.

The Vanilla Beans mixed with the flour allow all the flavors to come together smoothly. The small amount of flour help with the thickening and stabilizes of the cheese cake. Like the magic ingredient.
Make this the day before as it set up nicely given  eight hours. It's a very light cheese cake.
I hope you enjoy the recipe, let me know how you like it. Auntie E

Auntie E's Pumpkin Cheese Cake

The Crust:

In the mixer put all ingredients at once.

4 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
1 Cup of Flour
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Coconut Palm Sugar ( I use Wholesome Organic )

Mix in mixer for about 3minutes until it forms a smooth ball.

Spread on bottom and up the sides (about 3/4) of a Spring form 10" pan. Use your hand it is easier to work with.
Set aside.

The Filling:

24 oz  of Cream Cheese- regular not low fat. At room temp.
3/4 cup Maple Sugar (you can get this at Trader Joe's or online*)
3/4 cup Fine Sugar
15oz can pure pumpkin ( I use Libby, but make sure is is only Puree Pumpkin)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon each of : Ground Ginger, Ground Nutmeg and Ground Cloves.
1 teaspoon Saigon Ground Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Flour
a pinch of Vanilla Beans
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Prep for the filling:

• Mix the flour and vanilla bean together and set aside.
• Mix the spices together and set aside.
• Mix the sugars together and set aside.

Mixing the filling:

Cream the cream cheese together until creamy, about 4 minutes. gradually add in the sugar mixture at 1/4 cup at a time. Beating well after each addition.
Add the puree pumpkin to the mixture  beat well
Blend and the Spice Mixture
Add the sour cream. Blend well, stirring to make sure all the ingredients are blend from bottom and side.
 Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Ending with the Yolk.
Stir in the Flour Mixture , blend well
add the Vanilla extract, stir.

Pour into Crust lined Spring form pan. Place Pan on a sheet pan and bake at 350 F for 1 hour.
Turn off oven and open oven door and let cool for 30 minutes.
Cover top with plastic wrap and chill for 8 hours. (Best if made the day before.)

copyright 2015 by "Auntie E Cookbook/M Dubros"

*Maple Sugar has 11 calories compared to Sugar which has 15( per teaspoon). Total Carbohydrate 2.7 g compared to sugars 4. The Maple sugar I use is from SugarBush Farms.

Fall Time Recipes- Pecan Banana Bread

I have always love Banana Bread. Finding a good recipe can be a challenge. Some time the baking over cooks the outside and the middle is raw. Cooking with the Bananas is also tricky when are they ripe enough.

I have a great recipe, On thing I do is wait for the bananas to ripen, til the peel have dark spots then I put them in the refigerator and wait til the peels are black. That makes then just ripe enough. If you buy the ripen ones at the store (sometime they are reduce to sell) they will ripen for use in a couple days.

With the flour I found using a scale and measuring by grams produce a better bread. Sometimes the cups can be packed too dense or not enough, this causes a heavier or gooier bread. So do invest in a measure scale. I use one from  Taylor*. It is very easy to use and I can add every ingredient and stir together.

 Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit . or 325 Fahrenheit . for convection oven.
Butter and Flour a  9x5  Bread/loaf pan.

  Wet  Ingredients
6 Tablespoons of  room temp unsalted Butter ( real butter here)
1 cup of  Fine Sugar
3 Riped Bananas (see instruction above on ripening)
3 beaten large eggs.
1/2 cup Butter Milk (you can use the no fat one)
 1 Tablepoon  Vanilla Paste or a good Mexican vanilla extract)

Cream the butter and sugar together  in a Kitchen aid ( or standup mixer) with paddle til creamy. Stop and scape down the side and botton . Making sure the mixure is creammed.

Add bananas , eggs, Buttermilk and vanilla. blend til well mixed about 3-5 minutes. Stop and scrape as needed. Be sure to scrape bottom.

Dry Ingredients
 2 cups of unbleached Flour ( 315 grams)
 1 teaspoon each of Baking Soda and Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

put all Dry ingredients in a bowl and stir together.
Add to  Wet ingredients and mix on low til  flour is incorparated. Then Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.

Fold in ( mixer on 1) 3/4 cups chopped Pecans.

Put into prepared 5x9 bread/loaf pan.  be sure to not to fill the pan more than 2/3 full. if you have extra use a smaller 4x6 pan to bake the rest.( It will bake for about 35 minutes in the small pan).

 For the 5x9 pan bake for  about 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Start ckecking at the 50 minute time.  Test by inserting a cake tester or clean knife, it should come out clean.

remove and remove from pan, cool on wired rack. Enjoy

copyright 2015 by "Auntie E Cookbook/M Dubros"  

*digital Taylor measuring cup

Fall Foods- Bartlett Pear Strudel

I love this time of year. October Fest and the Seasons Weather all makes me feel great. Perhaps it's because I was born this time of year. Whatever it is Fall foods are one of my favorites.

Recently I came across a Strudel Recipe. Years ago we lived on a farm.  We had a Bartlett pear tree. This was the time of the year it produced pears. I put up lots of pears all October long. So I thought I would share a Bartlett Pear Strudel recipe was you. This is the first all the Fall Recipes for 2012.

I hope to bring you some healthier New twist to some old fashion favorites. Join in the fun and add the links to your Fall favorites in my Comments.
This recipe mixes Agave syrup with regular sugars. This is a good way to use low glycemic index sweeteners.  Using the two  helps with the controlling of the spikes in the insulin level.  Which help in the desire to eat more sweets.

Bartlett Pear Strudel

You will Need:
Filling:
5 Bartlett Pears
3 Tablespoon unsalted Butter
1/2 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Tablespoon cider
5 teaspoon Maple flavored agave syrup
2 tablespoon light brown sugar

Dough:
One 11oz package  pie dough mix (I use Pillsbury)
1/3 cup of Cider
1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie Spice

Spice mixture:  Mix together,
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon raw sugar crystals

Egg Wash:
1 eggs beaten Plus 1 teaspoon skim milk-mix together


Dough:
Mix the dough mix with cider and spice.
Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator. 

Pear mixture:
Core and peel the pears and cut in 1 inch pieces
Melt butter in large fry pan reduce heat to medium low
add pears and spice cook for about 2 minutes
Add cider and cover reduce to simmer about 10 minutes.
Add in agave and continue to simmer for 15 to 20 more minutes until soften.
Stir in Brown sugar and set aside to cool.


Remove Dough from frig.
Roll out to 1/4 inch 9x13rectangle (I like to roll it on a silicon mat)
Place  Pear mixture in the Middle of rectangle long ways
fold the side farthest way over the pears. Now fold the other side( closet to you) over the dough and pears (if you used a silicon mat this is very easy to do). Now place it on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, seam side down.

Brush the top with Egg wash mixture ( egg and skim milk)
sprinkle with Spice mixture.
make about 5 slits on top

Put in a 400 Fahrenheit degree oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, You want to make sure the dough is cooked through.

Cool 10 minutes before cutting. Can be served warm or cold.

Coffee time with Auntie E- Chili Time Recipe

Well, I'm at my Dad's this week. We are having Thanksgiving at his home in Virginia Beach, Va. and I am cooking up a storm! Oh yes I am having my morning coffee here, with Peppermint cream in it. Getting in the Holiday spirit. We will not be having a Holiday Flare Thursday post this week, Enjoy a great Thanksgiving Meal and Day with your family and Friends. You can still link up a add those recipes by clicking on the color coded names above.
For today I will share with you a recipe I showed cased on Food Trip on Friday.

Turkey Maple Chili

Ingredients:

Meat :
1.5 Lb of Turkey Maple Sausage
½ cup diced Red onion
1½ tsp of Smoked Paprika
1 tsp cumin

*Group #2*
1 (14.5 oz) can Turkey Broth
⅓ cup diced roasted Red peppers
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp Smoke Paprika
¼ cup thick Ketchup
1.5 oz of Pure Maple Syrup.
1 can(14.5 oz) can Hunts diced Tomatoes with diced Green pepper,celery and onion

1.Meat prep:
In a skillet brown sausage and red onion. Add 1 ½ teaspoon of smoked Paprika and 1 teaspoon of cumin. Continue to cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Set aside.

2. Group#2
In a 2.5 litter of 11 cup stockpot add the *Group #2* ingredients. Stir well... Bring to the boil.

3. Add the meat to the stockpot. Return to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and simmer for 30 minute to 60 min. The longer the time the more intense the taste.

Copyright2010"Auntie E's CookBook/M Dubros"
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Roasting Root Vegetables

Roasting Root Vegetables can be a great way to get your family to try Fall vegetables. I attended a class on cooking root vegetables last Sunday. I like to roast vegetables from time to time. One thing I learned is that they taste their best after the first cold night temps. That is because the cold forces the sugar out of the vegetable. Therefore they are harvested in the fall months.

The Instructor roasted beets. I never had them that way. Not really a beet eater either. My Mother liked to Pickles them, but I just didn't care for them. So, while at the class I tried the Roasted Beets and to my surprise I like them.

So I thought I would post the technique of roasting Beets.

First off, Beet stain everything! so use disposable gloves when peels them. peel them over a trash can or use a metal bowl. Do not use a cutting board to chop them. Unless you have, like me, a Red cutting board.
After peeling the outer skin. Place a piece for aluminum foil on a cookie sheet . Cut the beets into small chunks on top the the foil.(use the foil as your cutting board).
Now cut 2 more pieces of foil and place the cut beets in the foil on top off the 2 layers. what you are doing is making a roasting pan out of the foil. As I stated before you want to keep from touching the beets due to the dye. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to the beets and toss them with your still gloved hands.
remove your gloves and dispose them.

Now preheat oven to 425F. Place the foil pouch on the middle rack and roast for about 45 minutes.

Schwabischer Zwiebelkuchen

When I lived in Germany I really loved this time of year when the Zwiebelkuchen was made. An onion pie that is a seasonal dish. Usually during the New Wine Seasons; Early Spring and the Fall. Since Fall is my favorite time of the year,I think of it as a Fall Food. Having a piece with a glass of new wine is a joy.
My recipe id made to sever a large group of people. Therefore I make it in the 11x15 inch jelly roll pan. This is not a quick cook dish. The time from start to finish is about 2 hours. However it is worth it this time a year. After all it's a Seasonal dish.

Schwabischer Zwiebelkuchen

The Crust.
2 packages of yeast
10(oz) skim milk
1/8 teaspoon Sugar
2 Tablespoon Flour

• mix together and place in a warm place for 20 minutes.

The fillings:

Onion filling:
10 medium size onions.
10 oz Hickory smoked think sliced Bacon
1 Tablespoon Caraway Seeds.

• Slice the onions thin- I use a mandolin. You want the onion to be in thin rings.
• Place the onions in a large bowl add Caraway seed and toss.
  

• Dice the Raw Bacon.

In a large skillet placed on Medium high heat add the bacon cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the onion mixture on the top of bacon cook for about 2 minutes more. Then stir from bottom to top frequently until the onion are transparent in color. Set aside.

Quark filling:
16 oz of Quark (German style cheese)**
4 eggs
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

• Mix together and refrigerate

Line a middle placed oven rack with Foil and preheat to 435 degrees Fahrenheit(225 Celsius).

The Crust-- Continued:

3 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

• sift together

• Cut in 4 Tablespoon Unsalted butter.
• Add the yeast mixture and mix. form a soft ball
• rolling out on floured surface to 11x15 inch rectangle

Melt about 2 tablespoon of unsalted butter.

• brush 11x15 jelly roll pan bottom and side with half of the melted butter.

• Place the floured side dough in the prepared pan

• sprinkle some flour on the top and with small roller, roll out the go up the sides of the pan.( I use my double wood roller from my gadgets)
• Brush the whole dough with remaining butter.

Add the Onion filling and spread evenly.
Add the Quark filling on top and lightly spread evenly.

Place on the foiled lined oven rack and bake for 40 minutes.

• At the 20 minute point, shield the edges with the foil. Just pull the foil around the edges and cover to prevent crust from browning anymore.

• continue cooking until the top is lightly browned.

This will serve about 24 people. I like it warm.

** you can use Creme Fraiche in place of the Quark




copyright 2009"Auntie E's CookBook/M Dubros"

Fall Foods- German Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin is really consider a round orange winter squash. I like pumpkin a lot. In Germany soups are big in the Fall. Just picture yourself; snuggled in a blanket with a mug a Soup in hand. You could be at a football game or Bonfire sipping that cup of soup. This is the wonderful time of year and this soup does well in a thermos on the go. It can be served hot or cold. I prefer it Warm just enough to sip. The name I gave it is for my favorite memories in German, love of Pumpkin and fall soups.

German Pumpkin Soup.

1(15oz) can 100% pure Pumpkin
1/2 cup finely diced Sweet Onion
1 Tablespoon Freshly grated Ginger
1 small clove garlic- Pressed or minced.
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
A Nip of Grounds Cloves
A Smidgen of Ground fresh nutmeg
1 cup Orange Juice
2 cups Vegetable broth (heated to a boil)
2 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup

-In a 12 cup (2.5 liter) soup pot on medium high heat add oil, when heated a little add onion , ginger, and garlic. cook and stir til onions are transparent in color. about 2 to 3 minutes.
-Add Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmeg stirring well for about 1 minute.
-Add Orange juice stir well bring to a boil.
-Add Pumpkin and stir well,
-Add Broth and bring to a simmer(Bubbling around the sides of pan). Turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
-Add Maple Syrup and stir.

Serve Warm, Will serve 6 to 8 people.

I serve it with a little Quark(European- style cheese) on top (As in photo). You can use sour cream in place however the flavor is differently not the same. If you can find Quark try it. Appel Farms out of WA is the brand I use.

Lisa over at Stop and Smell the Chocolate is having a Fall Fruits Festival week. Today it is Pumpkin Day. For more Pumpkin recipes Stop over at Lisa's.

Fall Foods-Cream of Turkey Soup

With the Fall comes home cooked soups.This is the easiest Cream soup I have made. Cooking time is approximately 30 minutes.
Sorry no photo, everyone just finished it off before I could get one. I will differently make it again and get a photo to post.





2 turkey cutlets, diced and cooked in a little olive oil- cover and set aside in warm place.(150 degree oven is ideal or a warming drawer set at Medium )
4 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
4 tablespoon Flour
3 cups turkey broth
2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup mash potatoes
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika

On top of stove on Medium high heat. melt butter in 10-1/2 cup(25litter) soup pot.
Add flour to melted butter, stir constantly until light golden in color. (this is a Rue)
slowly add Turkey Broth to Rue. Stirring til all is added and it is smooth.
Cook on Medium heat til thickened. about 10-15 minutes. stirring occasionally
Add 2 cups of Milk and salt and white pepper. stir and continue to cook when it just starts to boil reduce heat to low. Add Mashed potatoes stir til well blended.
Add Sweet Hungarian Paprika- stir well
Add diced turkey
Continue to cook on low, stirring occasionally- til just beginning to boil around edges. (this is called simmering).
simmer for about 10 minutes. then Serve.