Orange Ricotta Muffins with Blueberries

Nearly three weeks after orange picking, I'm still on an orange kick. We lost one orange to mold, but the rest were eaten or juiced just in time to bring home 11 grapefruits. Don't worry, I don't foresee an inundation of grapefruit recipes any time soon. The last one I tried was a grapefruit meringue pie and while C maintained that it was good (and finished the pie), I thought it was disgusting. There's something about the flavor of grapefruits that I don't like--not the tartness, but the flavor. I'll stick to orange recipes! Today, that orange recipe is for orange ricotta muffins.

The last time I had leftover ricotta cheese I decided to bake muffins. I wanted to make lemon ricotta muffins with thyme and blueberries. I left out the blueberries and made Cooking Light's Tuscan Lemon Muffins but with a little barley flour and thyme sugar on top. I was out of olive oil, so I used canola. I think that might be why my muffins smelled and tasted fried. They were also a fairly dry. I was very disappointed. I left myself notes for how to try improving the recipe, but decided it would be best to just start over with a new recipe. I chose Orange Ricotta Chocolate Chip Muffins from Two Peas and Their Pod because Maria's recipe called for butter in place of oil. I hoped these would turn out better than just barely edible.

Objective
Use up leftover ricotta cheese to make muffins with homemade orange extract.

Materials
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
zest from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1 cup blueberries, frozen.
Topping:
2 tbsp. turbinado sugar
zest of 1 orange

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease 8 muffin cups or line them with paper liners. Set aside.
2. Prepare the topping by combining the turbinado sugar and orange zest in a small bowl and rubbing the zest into the sugar (or use a mortar and pestle). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta, beaten egg, orange juice, and orange extract. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Divide the batter evenly between muffin cups. Sprinkle the sugar topping over the muffins.
5. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes (less if you used fresh berries) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.

Results
These muffins are airy, lightly sweet, and orangey with juicy bursts of blueberry. Best warm out of the oven.

Discussion and Future Directions
I almost didn't try this recipe in favor of a second batch of Clinton Street Baking Co.'s Sunshine Yogurt Muffins. I'm so glad I did because though the recipes are similar, they make very different muffins. The Sunshine Yogurt Muffins give you a burst of tangy, citrusy sunshine to get you moving in the morning (really, they named the muffin perfectly). These muffins are airy, lightly sweet, and orangey with juicy bursts of blueberries. They lack the tangy component imparted by the lemon/lime of the Sunshine Yogurt Muffins.

The combination of orange and blueberry is very tasty. I'd considered adding finely chopped hazelnuts or dried cranberries, but I'm glad I chose blueberries because of the juices they impart. I prefer to make blueberry muffins to blackberry or raspberry because they don't have annoying seeds that get stuck in your teeth. If I had fresh cranberries (or even better yet, sugared cranberries) on hand, they would have been a great alternative for a tangier muffin. Requiring just 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, a batch of these muffins is a great way to use up leftover ricotta you find hanging out in your fridge!

Supplementary Materials

Orange Cream Scones

There's a cafe in Madison, Wisconsin called Lazy Jane's. It's in one of the neighborhoods that's retained some of Madison's Vietnam-era hippiness. Willy Street is home to a many brightly painted homes, food co-op, a bicycle shop, a chocolatier, a number of thrift stores, and a slew of unique bars, restaurants and cafes. It's a great place to grab coffee and breakfast. Lazy Jane's is a popular choice because their lemon cream scones are considered by many to be the best in Madison.

I first heard of Lazy Jane's lemon cream scones when I was an undergraduate. I met two of my best friends in an advanced language course during the spring semester of my freshman year. On the first day of class, I sat by a girl named Laura and we became friends instantly. Sitting along the wall to my right was a girl named Andrea. We didn't really talk much or get to know each other until the following semester when we took a summer class in La Fonética. The subsequent spring semester, we found ourselves learning La Lingüística together with a quirky visiting professor from the University of Hawaii. We're still hoping to take him up on his offer to tomar un café when we make it to Hawaii! Instead of Hawaii, we found ourselves in Guanajuato, Mexico through different summer programs. Shortly after Andrea arrived, we sat on a bench in the rain tomando un helado and reminiscing about the silly things that happened in Professor Chandler's class!

Fuimos de paseo por Guanajuato!

By the time we returned from Mexico, Andrea and I had one literature requirement each to satisfy our Spanish degrees. I took a course in classical Spanish theater and Andrea took a themed literature course about náufragos. It was in the time after our days as Spanish students that our friendship really developed. She always wanted to take me for lemon cream scones at Lazy Jane's, but that was during my 3.5 years on a gluten free diet and they didn't serve gluten-free scones back then. While I was home for the holidays just last month, we decided to meet for breakfast. I knew our reunion had to be at Lazy Jane's because after hearing Andrea rave about their lemon cream scones for the past 5 years, I was determined to try one!

At 7:45 on Christmas Eve morning, we braved the brisk -12 degree temperature and met at Lazy Jane's. Though I ordered a full breakfast instead of a scone, I got to try a sample. It was a scone that was so light and moist that it might change your stance on the scone. I wanted to order one on my way out but decided to pass after seeing the line to order during the 10:00 rush!  Instead, I would try to make my own version when I got back to Houston. I opted for orange cream scones instead of lemon to take advantage of the oranges we harvested at Flayler Fruit Farm. While I haven't eaten enough of Lazy Jane's scones to effectively compare mine to theirs, I'm going to consider these to be a pretty good alternative.

Objective
Adapt Apt. 2B Baking Co.'s Rhubarb & Rye Scones into orange cream scones. The idea to use orange marmalade as the filling came from Kim Boyce's Strawberry Barley Scones. The glaze came from Clinton Street Baking Co.'s Sunshine Yogurt Muffins.

Materials
Dough:
4.5 oz. rye flour
6 oz. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 oz. granulated sugar
zest of one orange
zest of 1/2 lemon
4 oz. butter, cold and cut into small cubes
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
4-5 oz. heavy cream (8-10 tablespoons)

Filling:
1 tbsp. orange marmalade 

Glaze:
1 tbsp. orange juice (or lemon if you like tart)
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, and citrus zest. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly with the butter well-distributed.
3. Pour in the orange and lemon juices and gently stir just to distribute the juices.
4. Pour the cream in slowly, about 2 ounces at a time, as you gently stir the dough. You only want to add enough cream to bring the flour together into a dough. Once you get there, stop. I used 4 ounces of cream.
5. Gather the dough together in a ball, give the dough a quick knead to incorporate any crumbs lingering in the bottom of the bowl, and slice the ball in half. Pat each slice of dough into to evenly sized 1" thick discs. Spread the top of one disc with orange marmalade, leaving 1/2 inch border at the edge. Set the second disc over the marmalade covered piece and press the edges together.
6. Cut the disc in half, then in half again, and finally, cut each of the quarters in half so that you finish with 8 triangles. Place the triangles on the prepared baking sheet with at least 1" of space between them because they will expand while baking. Brush the tops of the scones with cream.
6. Bake the scones for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and place the scones, still on the baking sheet, on a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the glaze. 
7. Prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar into the orange juice. Feel free to add a little zest for color/texture and/or use any pulp that made its way into the juice while reaming. Once you're done preparing the glaze, spread it over the tops of the warm scones and let the scones cool completely.
8. Best served fresh. Still very good if served after 24 hours of airtight storage, but after that, be sure to wrap and freeze them.

Results
Moist, tangy, orangey, and delicious. The marmalade adds flavor but also texture from the strips of rind. Better with the glaze than without because the glaze packs a citrusy punch.

Discussion and Future Directions
These scones are great with oranges, but I can't wait to try them with lemons. I added lemon juice and zest to the orange scones to add tartness because my oranges were very sweet. To take them to the next level, try using a combination of lemon, lime, and orange as with Clinton Street Baking Co.'s Sunshine Yogurt Muffins. To add more orange flavor, you could try adding about 1/2 tsp. orange extract (or lemon extract to up the tartness). The marmalade could easily be skipped but definitely adds a little something extra. You can find a recipe for 1-cup small batch of orange marmalade here. For lemon or lime scones, another jam, maybe blackberry or raspberry, could be substituted for the marmalade. The options are endless!

These scones are quick and easy to prepare making them an excellent treat for a weekend breakfast. I had the baking sheet of scones cooling even before C was ready to think about breakfast. He's a savory breakfast guy and I love sweet and savory breakfasts, so we ate our orange cream scones alongside sausage, egg and hash brown breakfast tacos. It was the perfect compromise to start to our weekend off right!

Supplementary Materials

Pick-Your-Own Oranges (and use all 10 lbs.)!

There are definitely some advantages to living in Texas. The first one that comes to mind is the weather. While my family up north was hunkering down for subzero temperatures and frostbite-in-five-minutes windchill factors due to the polar vortex winter storm, we were at a pick-your-own farm just outside of Sealy, Texas choosing the orangest of the oranges.

We left Flayler's Fruit Farm with 10 pounds of oranges for $10! The owner of the farm, Dick Flayler, is a U.S. Navy veteran who sells his fruit for $1-2 per pound, depending on the variety. He has peaches and citrus and told us that there are farms nearby with pick-your-own blueberries and blackberries. We enjoyed our time chatting with Dick. He was a neat guy and loved telling us about his farm (here's an article for more information on Dick and why he chose to have a pick-your-own farm). We definitely want to return during peach season, but we might be back as early as next weekend if the grapefruits are ready for picking!

Now, what to do with 10 pounds of the oranges? We left a dozen at our friends' house on our way back from picking. They already had clementines, so we couldn't convince them to keep any more. My goal was to throw away as little as possible, which meant I would have to find uses for a significant number of peels. Here are a few of the things I've been making with our fresh, picked-in-Texas oranges:

Fresh Orange Sherbet from Brown Eyed Baker

7 oranges (2 cups of juice and 1 tablespoon of zest)

--Way back in 2011, I made raspberry sherbet. It was my first experiment with sherbet which meant that I did a fair bit of research before I made it. While ice cream is generally made from a cream custard base, sherbet is made from whole milk. The tricky part about sherbet is that the lower fat content can lead to an icy product, so vodka or liquor is often added to prevent it from freezing like a brick. I was intrigued by this sherbet recipe because it uses heavy cream whipped to soft peaks. The whipped cream adds air and fat, which together, should help prevent the sherbet from becoming icy. In case that's not enough to prevent ice from forming, a few teaspoons of orange liqueur are included in the base. I cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup because my oranges were sweet. The flavor was incredibly orangey and delicious. The texture was creamier than your average sherbet (not surprising) but firm.

Clinton St. Baking Co.'s Sunshine Yogurt Muffins 

1 orange (1 tablespoon of juice and 1 teaspoon of zest)

I've wanted to make this recipe since I first got the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook in 2010. I forgot about the recipe until just recently, but didn't think I would make it because it called for both lemon and orange extract. I have lemon extract from when I made lemon poppyseed cake but I didn't want to buy orange extract only to give it away, pack it away for a year, or throw it away. With an abundance of orange peels, I decided to make some. Problem solved! For the muffins, I used a tablespoon each of lime and orange juice and a teaspoon each of lemon and orange zest. I made the glaze with 3 tablespoons made up of orange, lime and lemon juice (whatever was left in the pulp). I used homemade orange sugar for extra zest. The muffins were delicious. C described them as"Moist and tangy with a sweet glaze." I would describe them as airy soft and lightly citrusy. I will be sure to make these muffins again soon!

Orange Extract

1 orange peel

Homemade orange extract is surprisingly easy if you have high proof alcohol. I happen to have a bottle of Everclear on hand from homemade orange hop bitter that C and I are making. To make orange extract, I scraped the white pith out of the orange peels, thinly sliced the peels, put them in the bottom of an old marmalade jar, and covered them with 190-proof grain alcohol. Then I let them sit with a good shake every now and again, adding a few tablespoons of boiling water after 24 hours. Though I dipped into it early, the best thing to do is let it steep for 2 weeks, strain it into a clean air-tight glass container, and store in a dark cupboard.

Small Batch Orange Marmalade

3 oranges (3/4 cup pulp, 1 peel)

Thoroughly wash the oranges and 1 lemon. Cut the tops and bottoms off of the oranges. Cut off the orange part of the rind, leaving most of the white pith. Slice the peel into thin strips and roughly chop. Use your fingers to remove the remaining white pith and membranes surrounding the pulp. Collect the orange pulp in a measuring cup. To 3/4 cup pulp, add 1/4 cup water and the juice of one half lemon. Pulse in a food processor or blender. Pour into a small saucepan and add 1/2-3/4 cup sugar (to taste). Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until it reaches about 220 degrees (alternatively, put a dollop on a small plate and put it in the fridge. If it firms as it cools, it's done). Move to a sterilized glass container (just fill it with boiling water prior to using), cool, and chill. Makes about 1 cup of marmalade. Tastes surprisingly good on peanut butter sandwiches!

Orange Sugar

1 orange peel

--To 1 cup of sugar (granulated or coarse), add the zest of one orange. Stir well and cover until ready to use. You can keep stirring in more sugar to make it last. Sprinkle on the top of muffins or scones before putting them in the oven, use in baked goods, drinks, or anything sweet that could use a hint of orange.

Dried Orange Peel

3 orange peels

--Scoop the white pith out of the orange peels. Thinly slice the peels and let them sit on a baking sheet for a few days until they've dried out completely (4 days should work if there isn't much humidity or if the heat is on). If necessary, you can bake them on the lowest setting in the oven. Grind (try using a coffee grinder) and use to replace orange zest. Or, don't grind them, and use the cute little curly cues for decorating baked goods or drinks.

Orange cleaner

2 orange peels + 1 lemon peel

--Cover citrus peels with vinegar. Steep for a week or two. Strain out the citrus peels, dilute 1:1 with water, and store in a spray bottle. Use as a surface cleaner.

Orange Themed Dinner

9 oranges, juice and peels

--Though I had plans for more orange baking, I came home to a full orange themed meal prepared by C! For pre-dinner drinks, he made a cocktail with freshly squeezed orange juice, Rhubarb Hop Simple Syrup, a dash of bitters, and sparkling wine. For the first course, he made a spinach salad with a pumpkin seed oil and orange (instead of pomegranate) juice dressing that he topped with orange segments, almonds, and cranberries. Then he served orange rosemary chicken with rice and brussels sprouts. For dessert, we had homemade orange sherbet. I was beyond impressed with the meal he made from what we had on hand. We'd been talking about all of the specialty oils and vinegars, rice and grains, spices, etc. that we need to use before we move in 7 months. Not only did he use oranges in each course, he used the spinach we had leftover from a potluck dish I made last week, pumpkin seed oil that's never been opened, rosemary from the rosemary Christmas tree I won at a white elephant gift exchange and the rhubarb hop simple syrup he got from my mom for Christmas. 

It's been exactly one week since we went orange picking. What's the current orange tally? 3 oranges! I'm actually a little sad that there are only three left. I was having fun! I'm hoping to squeeze a lot of life out of those 3 remaining oranges to make orange cream scones and orange scented chocolate crinkles. Stay tuned for those recipes as I'll be sure to share them with you if they turn out favorably!

Other 2013 Happenings in Abby's Kitchen

Happy New Year! 2013 was a year life changes and a lot of delicious food. Here are some of the highlights with links to some of our favorite recipes from 2013 that we've made over and over again.

In January, I passed my qualifying exam at WashU and decided to leave graduate school with a master's degree in Biological and Biomedical Sciences. But before I finished my degree, there was a lot of procrastibaking. One example: on C's last trip to St. Louis, we made orange rolls from Taste of the South Cast Iron Issue. With the cold weather that weekend, it took them hours to rise and they were ready just in time for dinner! A few months later, I found another recipe for orange rolls from Pastry Affair and it's my new go-to.

In February, with much anticipation and a little fear, I moved to Houston, Texas to be with my boyfriend, C. We started hosting Fish Taco Fridays. It felt like a neat way to make the Wisconsin tradition of Friday night fish feel a little more Texan. We tried a number of recipes but keep coming back to the Homesick Texan's Guajillo Chile Fish Tacos. Homemade tortillas made of lard are surprisingly delicious but only occasionally do we admit to our friends that we made them with lard! I'm pretty sure we're going to become Homesick Texans one day because we've loved everything we've made out of Lisa Fain's cookbook!

In March, I started working as a Sr. Research Assistant on a clinical trial testing the use of a probiotic bacteria to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections and on investigations of bacteriophage to treat and prevent bacterial biofilms. March also marks the beginning of both Rodeo and crawfish season in Texas! After a chilly morning on the beach in Gavleston, we went to a restaurant for lunch and C ordered a delicious bread bowl full of crawfish étouffée. One morning, C couldn't walk past the Saturday crawfish boil stand at HEB without buying a bag, so we spent the afternoon shelling crawfish! I am a little freaked out by crustaceans. In addition to crawfish, March included a Saturday-morning pancake craze. My favorites recipe was Coconut Lime Pancakes from Homesick Texan though C preferred Crumpets with Chorizo Maple Syrup from Little Goat (Chicago).

In June, a manuscript I'd been working on for 2 years with my old laboratory was accepted for publication in a special issue of the Journal of Chemical Ecology focusing on microorganisms. It seemed like May and June were full of celebrations and parties. On Memorial Day, C and I celebrated the anniversary of a whirlwind 18 hour trip he made to St. Louis when I was having a rough time with graduate school (at least that's what he said--I think it was mostly because he missed me). Shortly thereafter,  we celebrated my first publication. We celebrated the end of C's intern year of residency with a trip to Buffalo, NY to see his family. We celebrated a friend's new home at a housewarming party. For the housewarming party, I made a Brandy Alexander Pie from Food52 (for an extra treat, try it with an Oreo crust). It was very well received and full of liquor, because that's what you bring to a housewarming party, right?

In July, I celebrated my 25th birthday and realized how much I like Ethiopian food! One night in St. Louis, C and I went to Meskerem in Tower Grove. I was so nervous to try a new cuisine that I suggested we split a dish at the Ethiopian restaurant and then go down the street to split tacos at a Mexican restaurant. I was so stuffed (and satisfied) from our vegetable platter that I no longer needed my back-up, but I did find myself a bit leery of injera. Thankfully I gave it another go at Nazareth in Houston. After devouring a sampler platter, I was hooked. A few weeks later, when I found myself craving Ethiopian food again, I search the web for recipes to make it myself. We had friends over for a feast and even the skeptics enjoyed it! Our favorites were the doro wat (chicken dish on bottom), mesir wat (red lentil dish on the left), and atakilt wat (cabbage and potato dish on top right).

In August, we went two-stepping for the first time at C's favorite dive bar! Our boots had been sitting on the shelf collecting dust since Rodeo, but no longer! They even made it two-stepping twice in 2013! Indoor activities were key because of the scorching august heat. For some crazy reason, we decided to have a pizza party with friends one night. Our apartment may have been approaching 110º by the end of the night, but it was worth it for a slice of Roasted Tomato and Kale Pizza from Annie's Eats. Everyone thought I was nuts when I was sautéing kale to put on pizza, but by the end of the night, they all agreed that there wasn't a better way to eat kale. Using kale or zucchini, whatever we had on hand at the time, we made so much pizza! Oh my gosh, and crepes. This year we made a ton of buckwheat crepes with nutella and banana (a food memory from C's travels through Europe)!

In September, I started volunteering with an organization in Houston that promotes healthy eating in elementary school classrooms by teaching kids how to grow food in the garden then use what they've grown to prepare healthy meals. During class one afternoon, we made homemade granola and smoothies. I was shocked when a number of our students said they didn't like granola after they tasted it and asked if they could throw it away. I, on the other hand, really like granola! Here's my favorite homemade granola: Chocolate Hazelnut Granola from Kitchen Courses. The next homemade granola I want to tackle is a carrot cake granola that tastes like the one made by Love Crunch.

In December, I finished my second series of Hepatitis B vaccinations and finally had positive antibody titers (an exciting thing for a microbiologist with upcoming travel plans in developing countries)! I spent Christmas in a wintery wonderland with my family in Wisconsin and returned to a semi-bare fridge with a container of week-old brown rice and a crown of broccoli on the verge of spoiling. With C on call at the children's hospital, I reverted to my bachelorette ways and whipped up a batch of Naturally Ella's Spicy Peanut Sauce (with extra peanut butter, garlic, and ginger) and made a wonderful vegetarian dinner! The last thing made in Abby (and C's) kitchen in 2013 was homemade whipped cream for Irish coffees before we went to a New Year's Eve show at Music Box Theater. Here he is, in his Texas flag apron (I have the matching lady version), whipping up a storm!

Thanks to all of you who have followed my 2013 kitchen experiments! Stay tuned as 2014 is bound to be full of many more. Without giving too much away, there are big changes planned in the upcoming year and Lab Notes from Abby's Kitchen is soon to be blogging from a 4th kitchen! The only hints I'll give are that I won't have access to Kitty/Sir-Mix-A-Lot (my stand mixer), I'll be boiling it, peeling it, cooking it, soaking it in vinegar, or forgetting it, and I'll likely be posting a lot of ethic recipes. Intrigued?

Holiday Traditions: Pumpkin Pie

In my family, holidays are all about tradition. I've been longing for the day we can break tradition and mix up our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, but I do commend my mom for making small changes that have helped decreased the stress level of holiday meals. For example, we no longer have a turkey for Christmas. Instead, my mom has started a tradition of making pot roast. While she could have made it really easy, she chose to make two kinds of pot roast this year, one in the slow cooker and one in the oven, plus a ham "for leftovers." Like I said, she's starting to make small changes. The one thing she's never let me change is dessert. My grandma Marvel always made pumpkin and chocolate meringue pie for holidays, so that's the tradition. I can add pies or cheesecake to the traditional menu, but I am simply not allowed to forgo pumpkin pie and chocolate meringue pie.

Thanksgiving 2010: Grandma Marvel taught me to make pie!

Last November, when Cowboy MD Boyfriend came to St. Louis, we made this pumpkin pie out of a cushaw squash. When I told my mom about the delicious pumpkin pie we made, I explained that I asked the farmers at Soulard Farmers' Market for whatever squash would make the best pie. They all concurred that sugar pumpkins or "pie pumpkins" are not the best choice. They all suggested butternut over pumpkin and other unique varieties over butternut. I told her I had frozen some of the pureed squash and would love to make it into our Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.  Her response was something to the effect of "No way, no how. That's not a pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is made with pumpkin!" I tried to convince her that it would taste even better than pumpkin pie, but she wouldn't listen (even after I explained that most canned pumpkin is actually made of butternut squash).

This year, I was put in charge of Christmas pies and would be making them by myself. Since I was in charge, I got to use my own recipe for pumpkin pie and chocolate meringue pie and pick my own ingredients. I decided to make the Better Homes and Gardens Pumpkin Pie recipe instead of my grandma's go-to, the Libby's recipe written on the can of pumpkin puree. Since I knew that I wouldn't be able to find a cushaw squash in Madison, I picked up a butternut squash. The night before I planned to bake the pie, I sliced the squash in half, scooped out the seeds, placed it cut-side down onto a foil-lined baking sheet and baked both halves at 350º until the skin was pulling away from the flesh and the flesh was tender enough to be scooped out of the skin. I measured out 1 1/4 cup and refrigerated it overnight. Before making the pie, I pureed the squash in the food processor, then proceeded to make the recipe.

Objective
Make a pumpkin pie with butternut squash. Recipe based on Better Homes and Gardens' Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Mousse.

Materials
1 blind-baked pie crust, cooled *read more in the Discussion
1 1/4 cup butternut squash puree
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup skim milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 375º.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the butternut squash puree, dark and light brown sugars, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until the sugar dissolves and the puree is hot throughout, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk together the eggs, skim milk, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla. Gently whisk into the cooling puree. Place the pie crust on a sheet pan and pour the filling into the crust.
4. Bake the pie for 1 hour, then insert a knife into the center of the pie. If the pie is done, the knife will come out clean. If not, continue to bake until it is done cooking. *Note: be sure to monitor the color of the crust as the pie bakes. Once it gets to the shade of brown you prefer, use a pie shield to prevent the crust from burning. You can make your own pie shield by cutting a circle that barely overlaps the filling out of the center of a piece of aluminum foil and setting it over the pie plate.
5. Cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream (or the hazelnut mousse from the link above).

Results
The pie was more of a deep brown than orange with a deep caramel flavor. (If you use a cushaw squash, it will be caramely and nutty--if you choose a squash at a farmers' market, ask the farmers for their recommendation. They'll be able to tell you how the squash tastes cooked and they'll know what makes the best pie!) While I didn't post the hazelnut mousse recipe, it was a huge hit and all agreed that it could be eaten by the spoonful. Ours was technically almond mousse because I used amaretto, but nevertheless, it was rich, flavorful, and very creamy.

Discussion and Future Directions
Everyone has their own secret to the perfect holiday pie. C's mom makes hers with sweetened condensed milk in place of evaporated milk and she doubles the spices. My grandma always made hers following the recipe on the back of the can exactly as written. While you can get away with the pumpkin pie recipe on the back of the can of pumpkin puree, I think this one is more flavorful. Plus, you can probably make it with things you have on hand since it doesn't require evaporated milk. If you want an extra special holiday dessert, serve with the hazelnut mousse. Hosting for kids? While it doesn't have that much alcohol, you could leave out the liquor and flavor it with vanilla or almond extract if you don't feel comfortable letting kids eat it. While we generally make our chocolate cream pie with meringue, I kind of wish it had been slathered with the mousse, it's that good!

A note on the crust: the original recipe contains a crust recipe that makes three single crust pies. You can absolutely choose to make that crust, but know that it will shrink tremendously (so don't spend time decorating the edges). It's an interesting recipe that uses vinegar and sour cream. The final product is very buttery and flakey. I made the full crust recipe and used the pastry to make a pumpkin, chocolate cream, and a German chocolate pecan pies. If you have a favorite pie crust, feel free to use it!

Supplementary Materials

The cushaw squash version (that's not the crust recipe from the link)

Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

Have you ever had pho? If not, then I recommend that the next time you're craving soup, you head to a local Vietnamese restaurant and try a bowl. Pho is fairly simple in that it is a bowl of rice noodles topped with raw beef that's cooked upon addition of rapidly boiling beef broth. It's served with a plate full of garnishes often including Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, green onions, hot peppers, lime wedges, and sauces like hoisin or sriracha. The secret to a delicious pho is not as simple because it is the creation of a flavorful broth. To master pho, you need a supply of beef bones and patience.

All week long, I've been craving pho. That usually isn't a problem because just the mention of it has C ready to jump in the car and head to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Houston. If I mention pho and we don't go for pho right away, C won't stop talking about it until we go (this has been known to last for weeks on end). Unfortunately, C's dinner calendar for the week was booked with activities for his global health residency program, so I was on my own. We'd just frozen a few steaks, so I decided to thaw them for pho. I'm not keen on using beef bones, so here is a simpler version for the everyday home cook.

Objective
Make homemade pho based on a recipe from Asian: Tasty recipes for Every Day, but using common pantry ingredients.

Materials
4 cups beef broth/stock (I used Better Than Bouillon)
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
6 black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 pound beef steak (any kind will work), thinly sliced
1 pkg. rice noodles (thin or thick, your preference)

Optional garnishes:
Bean sprouts
Cilantro
Thai basil
Carrot, julienned
Green onion, thinly sliced
Jalapeño/serrano, thinly sliced (can de-seed for less heat)
Lime wedges
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha

Methods
1. To make the broth: Combine beef broth, ginger, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, coriander, Chinese five-spice, salt, and fish stock in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add half of the thinly sliced beef (return the rest to the fridge) and simmer for 40 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust the spices if needed. Keep the broth at a rapid boil while you prepare the noodles.
2. To prepare the noodles: Bring a pot of water to boil and prepare the noodles according to the directions on the package. Once the noodles are soft, drain and rinse briefly with water. Divide the noodles into 4 serving bowls and top with the uncooked beef that remains. If you're cooking for fewer than 4, put the extra raw beef into a storage container then ladle over the remaining beef broth to cook the meat. Once cool, refrigerate. Store the leftover noodles in a separate container to prevent them from sucking up all of the broth.
3. To serve: Immediately prior to serving, ladle broth over the noodles and raw beef (make sure the broth covers the beef so that it can cook). Serve with a plate of garnishes.

Results
When C got home from his global health event, he took one bite, and said that this was the best homemade pho broth he's ever had. The broth was very flavorful and the meat that was cooked in the bowl right at the last minute was incredibly tender and delicious.

Discussion and Future Directions
The recipe we've used in the past is from Cooking Light. It satisfies the craving, but it isn't nearly as good as this recipe. If you spend the time needed to simmer the broth, you will be rewarded! Without a doubt, this is our new go-to pho recipe (I just can't tell C that it has fish sauce in it because he's a little squeamish with the stuff).

Supplementary Materials

Comforting Chipotle Turkey Chili with Corn and Okra

Today, cancer beat one of my friends. Greg was a kind, cheerful, and fun-loving graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis.  To get a sense of Greg's kindness, read this article about a fund raising effort he worked on as an undergraduate at Simpson. One of the most impressive things about Greg was that he was present. If you asked him to do something fun, like play tennis on the court behind the medical school, spend Easter dying eggs and playing frisbee in your front yard, or spend a hot summer day playing with a Slip'n'Slide in the back yard, he'd show up without thinking twice. If you couldn't find him in class or in the lab, he was probably at whatever seminar he could find that was offering free food. Less than nine months ago, Greg was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma. Just five months before that, he'd noticed on-and-off back pain, never imagining that it could be terminal cancer. As a developing scientist, and more specifically, a cancer researcher, he chronicled his journey on a personal blog that he titled "Model Organism: Greg Sibbel." Greg's cancer took him on a rough ride and stole his last breath when he was just 26 years and one day old.

Greg (top left) with friends at a "New Year's Re-Do" Party (Jan. 2012) 

Since I learned of Greg's declining condition this past weekend, my heart has been heavy. My heart aches because I lost a friend. However, what brings me to tears, is knowing how many people lost a best friend and colleague with whom they spent much of their time, not to mention Greg's incredibly supportive girlfriend, and his family who said goodbye to their son, brother, cousin, etc. for the last time. The world lost a great soul today and there is no doubt that Greg's spirit will live on in the hearts of those who knew him.

There isn't much I can do from Houston save letting those in St. Louis know how much I care about them. I wish I could make a giant pot of chili and spread of baked goods to send along to all of my former colleagues at WUSTL. While they mourn the loss of a loved one and celebrate the life and happiness that Greg brought to the table every day, I find comfort knowing that they can lean on each other for support.

Objective

Make a comforting, feel-good chipotle chili. Chili has always been my go-to comfort food. There are three recipes I make and this was the last one to be added to my repertoire. I found the original recipe in a Trader Joe's cookbook that I flipped through while dog sitting as an undergrad. I loved the addition of refried black beans (not used here because there is a very high meat to liquid ratio, but I recommend trying it if you ever add too much liquid to chili or if you desire a thicker texture). The recipe has since morphed into at least a few dozen variations. I learned that beef cannot be substituted for turkey but that more beans and vegetables are always welcome. Here's the version I made today using corn, in honor of Greg, who grew up on his family's farm in western Iowa.

Materials

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

1 med. onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. chile powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. Mexican oregano, crumbled

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can black beans (juices and all)

1 cup (half a jar) Frontera Chipotle Salsa 

1/2 to 1 cup frozen corn kernels, to taste (it will add sweetness)

1 1/2 cups frozen cut okra 

Greek yogurt (optional garnish)

Cheddar cheese, shredded (optional garnish)

Methods

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and diced onion. Stir frequently until the meat is cooked through and the onions are soft. Add the green pepper and spices. Continue to cook for a few more minutes. 

2. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, black beans, and 1/2 cup chipotle salsa. Stir in the frozen corn and okra. Bring to a simmer. Taste and add more chipotle salsa as needed. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the frozen veges are warmed through.

3. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese.