It's the Great Pumpkin, Snoopy! - Pumpkin Puppy Puffs

It's time again for a puppy treat.  Mainly because I had to figure out something else that I could feed multiple treats in a day for obedience training. Nothing too major, he is only 3 months old after all.  But I am teaching him to wipe his paws on the door mat, and he is a good boy and allows me to file down his nails (he's still a little small for actual toenail clippers).  The other treats were just a bit too big, and if feed him more than 2 a day, they can cause some irregularity issues from the flax seeds.  Like I said, he is only a 3 month old puppy.  LOL

So keeping in the spirit of delicious treats that contain NO junk.  I present a little pumpkin "meringue" treat that can be piped as small as you like.  (I got 68 treats)  The Gelatin in this recipe serves two purposes.  Not only is it great for your dogs coat and nails (just like humans) but it helps to stabilize the "merignue" since it contains absolutely NO sugar.  The lemon juice is important for this reason as well.  Normally one can use Cream of Tarter to acidify the egg whites, allowing for a more stable meringue and greater height.  The only problem is that Cream of Tarter is a "Grape" product, from the wine industry... NEVER EVER feed Grapes, Raisins or Grape Seed oil to your dog.  They are all poisonous.

Why Pumpkin?  Well, pumpkin can stave of certain cancers, it's loaded with fiber and Beta-Carotene which promotes healthy eyes but also assists in fighting off infections. Pumpkin can foster "regularity" due to soluble fiber content.  It's also high in potassium to regular blood pressure. Pretty cool, huh?

I was a little bummed though, I really wanted to add ground Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to the mix, but all I had were salted ones.  So I left them out.  (sigh)  Oh well, next time.

Pumpkin Puppy Puffs

3 TB Water or Chicken Stock
1 pkg Knox Gelatin (2 1/4 tsp)
2 large Egg Whites
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
optional 3 TB Unsalted Roasted Pepitas, ground finely

Place Chicken Stock in a small ramekin, then sprinkle Gelatin over the Stock and allow it to bloom.

Separate eggs and save the yolks for something else; place the whites in a bowl.
After gelatin has bloomed sufficiently (about 5 minutes),

Place the ramekin in a small saucepan of simmering water.

Once the gelatin has melted and become clear, remove from the water bath and set aside to cool slightly.

Beat Egg Whites until foamy, then add the reserved 1 tsp of Lemon Juice. (Never use Cream of Tarter)

Continue beating the Egg Whites till they reach stiff peaks.

Fold in the Pumpkin Puree in 2 additions. (and the ground Pepitas if you are using them)

Grab a whisk and whisk in the cooled Gelatin. (I know this sounds counter productive, after carefully folding in the puree, but trust me; the Gelatin will begin to set as soon as it hits the Pumpkin meringue, so a whisk is fine)

Place the mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a Star or Rosette tip.

Pipe the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 225 degrees for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and continue to dry them out for an additional hour.

Store in an airtight container on the counter (no refrigerator for these or you'll have a container full of goo)

Mangia!!
~~

On A Roll - Grandma's Pumpkin Roll

Into everyone's life, a pumpkin roll must fall.  It's simply the way of the universe; some sort of cosmic certainty, directly related to the force of gravity I am sure. Grandma's Pumpkin roll has always been a holiday treat.  We waited with great anticipation all year for it's return during the holiday season.

I was recently in The Dalles visiting granma Reva when I inquired about her recipe.  She presented me with a very old, very yellowed newspaper clipping from the Dalles Chronicle.  So I copied it down and am sharing it with you.  I don't know exactly how old the recipe is, but I can tell you it's older than I am, cause I stopped aging once I hit "Jack Benny" (39).  LOL

Grandma's Pumpkin Roll

3 Large Eggs
3/4 cup (3.4 oz) (100 g) AP Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 cup (7.1 oz) (200g) Granulated Sugar
2/3 cup (5.5 oz) (160 g) Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 cup (4 oz) (120 g) Pecans, chopped Plus a few extra halves for garnishing

Filling:
4 oz Unsalted Butter
6 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup (3.5 oz) (95 g) Confectioners' Sugar (sifted, before measuring)

Preheat your Oven to 350F degrees, then grease and flour a 10 1/4 x 15 1/4 jelly roll pan and set it aside.

Beat the Eggs on high speed for 5 minutes until pale and increased in volume.

Meanwhile, whisk the Flour, Baking Powder, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and Salt together in a bowl, then set aside.

and chop the pecans.

Gradually add the sugar, 1 TB at a time, while continuing to beat the eggs.

Stir in the Pumpkin Puree and the Lemon Juice.

Fold in the Flour mixture.

Pour into a greased and floured jelly roll pan. (10 1/2 x 15 is the size Grandma uses)

Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch.

While it's baking, make the filling by beating Butter, Cream Cheese and Vanilla extract until fluffy.

Add sifted Confectioner's sugar a little at a time, until fully incorporated, set filling aside.

When the the cake is done, immediately lay a tea towel over the pan,

Place the cooling rack on top of the towel and flip the whole thing over.

Remove the pan, and lay another tea towel over the "bottom" of the cake,

Invert the jelly roll pan and lay it on top of the tea towel (so the bottom of the pan is laying against the towel)

Flip the whole thing over again (so the nut side is up), remove the cooling rack and commence with rolling the cake up, tea towels and all.

Pin the end closed to hold the shape, then let cool 5 minutes.

Unroll the cake and spread the filling over the cake. (leaving a 1 inch margin of uncovered cake at each end)

Immediately re-roll the cake and wrap in one of the tea towels,

Clamp the ends to help it hold it's shape and chill for 2 hours.

After the 2 hour chill time, you can either serve, or store for several days wrapped in plastic wrap.

Serve with a light dusting of confectioners' Sugar or Brandied Whipped Cream.

I usually go for the Brandy in the Whipped Cream....  :)

Mangia!!
~~

There's No Gnocchi like Pumpkin Gnocchi, Like No Gnocchi I Know!

It's squash season again...  And I have been craving winter squash like crazy lately.  After I whet my whistle on the pumpkin biscuits a few days ago, I decided to revisit something I have been working on for awhile now....  Pumpkin Gnocchi.

I have been struggling with this one.  Mainly because of a lack of pumpkin flavor.  If I lower the potato content and add more flour, then they end up doughy.  If I don't add enough flour, then they disappear in a miasma of water and steam resulting in Potato/Pumpkin soup -- Very Frustrating.  I have finally turned to a somewhat unconventional ingredient that seems to have worked rather well.

I am sure I have broken the Gnocchi rules on this one.  The Gnocchi gods will rage against my machinations and I shall henceforth be labeled as a gnocchi heretic.  

I used.....   Potato Flour.  (you may all raise the back of your hand to your mouth in horror)

The main problem has been moisture content.  Pumpkin puree can be REALLY watery, and the flour can only absorb so much.  So I thought I would help it out by allowing the potato to absorb some of the pumpkin's juicy goodness in the form of flour instead of actual cooked potato....  This drops the overall moisture content, cause cooked potatoes are kind of wet too, and allows me to use a full 2 cups of puree instead of having to regulate myself to only1 cup, and thus diminishing the power of the pumpkin.

Tossed with Saged Brown Butter and a little Parmigiano-Reggiano and you have a succulent dish just brimming with autumnal goodness.

Pumpkin Gnocchi

Printable Recipe
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) (100 g) Semolina
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Nutmeg, freshly grated
2 cups (1 lb) (455 g) Pumpkin Puree
1/3 - 2/3 cup (2 - 4 oz) (57 - 114 g) Potato Flour  (this will depend on the moisture content of your puree)
1/2 cup (4 oz) (114 g) Butter
Sage Leaves
Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Combine Semolina, Kosher Salt, Black pepper and Nutmeg in a small bowl.

Place Pumpkin Puree in a bowl and add the Semolina mixture, stirring to combine.

Add 1/3 cup of the Potato Flour; Stirring to combine.

If the dough is still too soft and sticky, add another ounce (28 g) of the Potato Flour.

If it's STILL too sticky, add the remaining ounce of Potato Flour.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, until the dough becomes slightly elastic.

Cover with Plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle your work surface and a baking sheet with more Potato Flour (though you can use AP flour) and divide the  dough in 4 equal portions.

Working with 1 piece at a time, roll into a "snake"

Cut 1 inch chunks with a sharp knife.

Place a chunk in your palm and roll the back side of a fork over it.

Place the gnocchi on a floured baking sheet when finished and continue in this way until all the dough has been used.

Give the gnocchi a final dusting of either Potato flour or AP flour and let rest while you........

Make Browned Butter

I have done this a couple times before, but I am going to cover it again, for it is a subject that is near and dear to my taste buds.

Melt 4 oz of Unsalted Butter in a sauce pan while you roughly chop about 4 Sage leaves.

Add the leaves to the melted butter (it will bubble a little as it cooks the water out of the leaves)

When the proteins settle out and begin to brown, remove the saucepan from the flame and filter through 2-3 layers of cheese cloth.

And there you have it;  Saged Brown butter in all it's exotic deliciousness...

 Bringin' it ALL together..... 

Cook gnocchi in Salted boiling water, a few at a time (I did it in 4 batches)

Remove them with a strainer when they begin to float.

Place them in a warmed bowl and drizzle with a little of the browned butter.

Repeat with the next batch; Boil, skim, drizzle.... Until all the gnocchi have been cooked.

Toss gently with a little more chopped Sage and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Serve with more Parmigiano-Reggiano......

And DIG in!!!

Yes, cross over the the dark side....   it's ALL kinds of good!

Mangia!!
~~