Rum-Flavored Pumpkin Pie

1-1/2 C pureed pumpkin
1 C sugar
1 T brown sugar
1 C heavy cream or evap milk (I use the cream)
3 eggs
2 T rum
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t salt
1/8 t ground cloves
1/8 t ground allspice
1 pie crust

In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin with the sugars and the cream/milk. Beat well, adding one egg at a time, until the mixture is well blended. (Before adding the last egg, remove a little of the white and set aside.) Season the filling with the remaining ingredients. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry and brush with the remaining egg white, then fill and bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake about 45 minutes.

(The instructions say to “bake…until firm,” but that leads to a pie that cracks as it cools. I remove the pie when the filling is still a touch jiggly in the middle, as it will continue cooking and set up nicely as it cools.)

Slice, and serve with lightly sweetened REAL whipped cream. Enjoy!

Thanks and Happy Holiday!

Also serving spinach salad with bleu cheese crumbles, chopped pecans, sliced black olives, chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped tomatoes, and some soy “bacon” bits. Banana peppers can be nice too. Any dressing will work but I like balsamic vinegrette.

For dessert I’m serving some frozen pie I bought from one of the neighborhood children for a fundraiser. I always support the fundraisers of the children who attend public school. Anyone need any gift wrap?

Butternut Squash “Lasagna”

Ingredients

For squash filling

1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 cup hazelnuts (4 oz), toasted , loose skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel, and coarsely chopped

For sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For assembling lasagna

1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, coarsely grated (2 cups)
1 cup grated Parmesan (3 oz)
12 (7- by 3 1/2-inch) sheets no-boil lasagne (I like to use fresh pasta — store-bought, of course)

Preparation

Make filling:
Cook onion in butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add squash, garlic, salt, and white pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, sage, and nuts. Cool filling.

Make sauce while squash cooks:
Cook garlic in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and white pepper and remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. (Cover surface of sauce with wax paper if not using immediately.)

Assemble lasagne:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss cheeses together. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish (or other shallow 3-quart baking dish) and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and one third of filling, then sprinkle with a heaping 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese. Top with remaining 3 pasta sheets, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.

Tightly cover baking dish with buttered foil and bake lasagne in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Three-P Soup (Peanut, Pumpkin & sweet Potato)
From the Jane Brody Good Food Cookbook

[This can be made several days in advance; can be frozen; can be a main course or a starter.]

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 tbsp butter or margarine
2 tbsp minced shallots or onion
2 cups thick pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
8 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. pure, unsalted smooth peanut butter (just peanuts on the ingredient label)
2 tsp. coarse grained mustard
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Salt to taste
Freshly ground white or black pepper to taste
snipped fresh chives for garnish (optional)

1. For the sweet potatoes: bake in a 350 oven for about 1 hour, until soft. Cool them, peel & process in a food mill or food processor. Measure out 2 c. of the sweet potatoes (use leftovers somewhere else)

2. In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat, add the shallots or onion, and saute the veg for 2 minutes.

3. Add the processed potatoes and the pumpkin puree. Then alternately add the broth and the peanut butter, stirring after each addition until the soup is smooth. Over medium heat, bring the soup almost to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occassionally.

4. Stir in the mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Before serving, garnish with chives, if desired.