Greetings!
How to make food soar!
On the agenda today:
A bedroom remodel & a date with a creamy pumpkin pie
My husband and I are undertaking this messy project. So far the only thing that I was good at was to search for TV stands . Hay, my name is not “giddy” for nothing! Sorry, I will put my shoulder to the wheel when my sweetie gets mad LOL! Anyway, my father-in-law has opted to buy the one that I like, the “Riley Holiday bedroom console” in an espresso color. Check it out and let me know whether I made the right choice!
My old blog www.giddygastronome.blogspot.com
At the B & B, I have the propensity to work freely and unwaveringly through this maze of culinary ideas, bottled up within me and it is this “waiting to get out” that is the only antidote to my restless soul. I am constantly making up dishes and preparing them purely from imaginary measures with the intention of bringing tasty and colorful dishes to life. I really want people to experience that same type of enthusiasm when dining at my kitchen table or when reading my recipes. I want them to fall hopelessly in love with my cuisine and any fears of having a “bad plate”, allayed. They should have a pensive longing for a dish that I made a “while ago” and console themselves with the thought that they will at least try to make it. This inconceivable need to feed others and not myself is part of my innate and I find it extremely hard to go against this selfless trait. Am I freakin insane?
You are most probably thinking, ” Oh! boy, she is going off on us with her personal crap.” To that I answer, ” Can a girl have a personal moment here please!”
In this recipe, it is the rice flour that gives these tarts that much loved “airiness.” These are pumpkin and cottage cheese tarts with a golden brown streusel & butterscotch whipping cream rosettes.
I had to laugh when one of the guests at the bed & breakfast said, ” My grandmother’ s pumpkin pie is fantastically stuck in time! I am so darn sick of hearing her story about a mythical pumpkin patch, which she has to hoe and harvest in order for her pie to happen”. I hope she can take your queue!”
I used a 7 inch spring form pan for the one below. This dough yields 4 small tarts and this 7 inch. The filling is made of light cottage cheese, fresh whipping cream, pumpkin…etc. I think it was the streusel that had this pie sold!
The scattered crumbs on the plate tells the story of a soft crunch and the melt-in-your-mouth filling will transport you to your “happy” place! As you know by now, I dislike overly sweet desserts, so naturally I manipulated the sugar content of this pie.
Trust me, beneath my contemporary veneer, there is always a hankering for the traditional recipes, but not this time!
Lo and behold! I did manage to get a small piece of this delectable pumpkin tart that I so lovingly slaved over! All I ever do is get to taste & then the whole thing disappears right from my reach! I really loved this recipe, this is a keeper & will appear in my cook book. “Pile some more of that streusel on please!” was the overall consensus . I think I positively seduced even myself with this creamy filling and crunchy topping!
Kumquat & Loquat sambal: Normally this sambal is only made with kumquats, but my innovating spirit begged me to add the loquats! Serve this as an accompaniment to my savory stacked rice stick & shrimp cakes. See the post below for these cakes. Definitely, serve this sambal with grilled or Cajun fish, fish curry or any vegetarian dish.
This exciting concoction was succulent & tangy and a perfect complement to my rice noodle cakes. The rind of the kumquat was sweet & the juicy centers, a little sour and salty. This is by far my most favorite sambal! My mouth is puckering with pure delight as I write this!
Recipes:
Please use organic ingredients when possible
Kumquat & Loquat sambal (pickle). See post below for the savory rice stick cakes
- 1 x 15 oz can pitted loquats, discard the juice & cut into small segments or use the fresh ones, but add these when you add the kumquats. Hay, anyone out there willing to swap some fresh ones for my beautiful handmade soaps?
- 6 oz fresh kumquats, washed and cut into segments
- 1/3 c plus another 1/2 of a third cup organic honey
- 1/4 c organic brown rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, slivered
- 1 t pure pickle masala, You are most probably thinking that she would brush her teeth with this spice, if there was no tooth paste, but I kid you not this stuff is “all that.”
- juice of 2 tangerines or small oranges
- 1 red thai chili chopped and deseeded
- 4 curry leaves
- Big pinch of salt
- 1 T grapeseed oil / or any vegetable oil
- 1 t yellow mustard seeds
- 1 t white sesame seeds
- 1 t black sesame seeds
- little chopped cilantro
Method:
Heat the vinegar on high in a saucepan, add the kumquats and cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer & cook for about 4 more mins. until the rinds of the kumquats become seemingly soft. Now add the honey and stir the until the mixture becomes syrupy ( takes about 10 mins.) Add the masala & the tangerine juice and cook until incorporated ( 1 more minute).
Remove from heat and pour the contents into a bowl. Add the garlic slivers, red chili and the salt and incorporate & cool for a while. Now you can mix in your loquats. Meanwhile, in a separate pan , heat the grapeseed oil until hot, add the mustard seeds and wait until you hear the “popping” sound of the mustard seeds. Then, quickly add all the sesame seeds and the curry leaves. Pour the contents of this pan over the kumquat mixture in the bowl. You can now spoon into little bottles, garnish with the cilantro and refrigerate.
Much love and warmth from my kitchen,
Nazarina.
Your pumpkin pie looks and sounds simply scrumptous! You always make me smile with all your humor and fun.
Don\’t know how you find the time to do all you do! You never disppoint with all your fresh and tempting ingredients for all your unique recipes! I must try your pumpkin pie, wish I lived close to you to steal a piece! I would gladly be your sampler woman!
Reminds me my husband would always tell me I\’ll eat all your mistakes! Good luck on your bedroom remodel, take some photos when you\’re done would love to see them! Stunning photos and recipes per usual!
Take care, hugs and love, Jo ~
Your pumpkin pie is so gorgeous and I love the cute little tarts! The sambal is very intriguing, I would love to try!
That is a beautiful dessert, I especially love the little tarts!
This looks like a fantastic condiment… and the little pumpkin tarts and pies so delectable. What cookbook? When? How long should I wait? COngrats on the book. I am a new reader and heading out of the country on a holiday so will have to catch up when I get home… but will be back. I am completely taken with many of your images.
YUM!
Valerie
Those little pumpkin tarts are so cute and yummy looking!
Thanks to all for the friendly hello and feedback, appreciate it!
Canadian Foodie & all those wonderful people that e-mailed me: I shall definitely announce the completion of my book on the blog & other major outlets. There are so many unique recipes that I have worked on for a while that will appear in my book.So stay tuned! My publisher will be overjoyed as well!
Nazarina.. that is absolutely impeccable, I love pumpkin, really, anytime of year.
Thanks very much for visiting my blog, Nazarina! You have such a beautiful blog. Love all your recipes here. I’ll definitely be back again. Love your pumpkin pie and the kumquat pickles here. I’m very inspired to make them. Thanks very much for sharing.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mary
Naz,
..
It\’s been long that I have come here ,that pumpkin pie looks so so delicious …lovely and delicious pics…and no I love your little chit-chat ..keep them coming
hugs and smiles
That is the prettiest pumpkin pie I’ve ever seen!
That is some gorgeous looking pie! It looks like such enjoyment to eat. Your sambal is so unique! Like you. It is always a treat to come here. XOXO
Giddy, thanks for dropping by my blog and I am happy to find yours in return! This is so pretty. The sambal sounds so refreshing – reminding me of another local pickled dish – achar.
Thnaks a lot for visiting my blog and leaving the nice comment.. I am feeling totally stuck dumb seeing ur blog…what a wonderful perfect recipes are faring here…added u in my blog list to follow ur each and every post…subscribed too….pls keep on visiting my blog too….cheers…..
goodness! Your pie seriously…takes the cake! It actually looks a lot like cake…so high and rich and delicious!
Nazrina…u have a super delish pe here……more than jus drool worthy and yeah i so so love those little tarts…they are so so dang cutey poo….
Love ur vey interesting Kumquat pickle too….
gorgeous tart, nazarina! also, the sambal sounds exotic and mouthwatering. you do excellent work.
I’m going to have to remember this pumpkin dessert when Thanksgiving rolls around. I’ve never been much of a fan of pumpkin pie per se, but I love almost everything else pumpkin — from ice cream to muffins to cheesecake. Your version looks so much more inviting than the traditional pie.
Please tell me you’ll be sharing the pumpkin recipe soon!! I know of several noshers around here who would love it!
Oh my heavens, those little pumpkin pies are gorgeous! I wish Australia would get on the pumpkin-as-a-sweet-flavour bandwagon. I guess I’ll just have to start making things like this myself
What a gorgeous pie Nazarina! :O I also love the little ones too with the streusel topping (awesome stuff isn’t it!)
Your tart and loquat jam make me giddy with admiration! Seriously, you have got a serious gift here! By the way I had been looking for years for fresh loquats, had no idea you could get them in a jar even!
OMG, those look absolutely amazing, the big one and the little ones. I wish I could come over and eat some
*kisses* HH
That pumpkin pie sounds light and scrumptious, and you have beautiful pictures! Thank you for visiting my blog!
Hi Nazarina,
Thanks for visiting my blog and for leaving wonderful comment as well…
You got a really wonderful site…your recipes are so perfect and you have added a very professional touch to them.Pumpkin pie is looking delicious as your other recipes…And your soaps looks wonderful as your recipes!
You have a lovely site here. Like the way you grind all your own spices and use organic – I don’t see that very often. Love the colour of the pumpkin pie.
Nazarina,
Thanks a lot for dropping by my blog and believe me I\’m so happy to find yours in return. My jaws dropped when I saw your wonderful dishes with super duper pictures. You are so artistic ….
I have one request dear for easter I was decorating few eggs yesterday and I found your \’Fun with Easter Eggs \’ Pic very cute . I immediately tried to make that fish look a like. Though it was not as neat as yours but my sons was so happy to see the outcome. Can I post that in my blog (it\’s not for commercial) along with the other items I have made? Please reply soon as I want to post it tomorrow….
Deepa
http://hamareerasoi.blogspot.com/
Sure go ahead Deepa,please reference my new site and not the old one! and thank you so much for your compliment!
Many thanks to everyone else as well for their kind words!
My 1st visit here and I am amazed at the creativity and presentation of your pies and tartlets.Beautifully clicked using nice backgrounds.Following your blog to come back for more.:)
Nazarina, as always just looking at your blog photos leaves me speechless. They’re beautiful. I LOVE that pumpkin pie with the streusel topping. My mouth is watering. Have a lovely weekend my friend.
Hi Nazarina,
Thanks for your quick reply. I have posted your cute easter egg version in my blog. You can visit my blog to see….
Deepa
The tarts look and sound amazing, I love the combination of unusual ingredients.
I rented a house years ago with a loquat tree, but alas, did not cook, so they all went to waste. Sad to think of that now! I would use them all or give them as gifts.
LL
Hi…wow the pie looks so gorgeous and very interesting kumquat sambal, beautiful photos too…