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.
