Raspberry Curd

Like much of the country it's been extra cold and dreary here the past few weeks. This part of winter is always the hardest - a long stretch of not much to look forward to before Spring arrives, besides more cold and more snow of course. 

Warm and hearty comfort cooking makes the long nights slightly more bearable, but I've been craving something bright and summery to lift my spirits. After baking a couple batches of macarons I had just enough leftover egg yolks to create a luscious and tangy fruit curd. Berries always mean summer to me, so armed with some frozen fruit I set off to make some raspberry curd.

If you don't have some of last years' berries stored away in your freezer, frozen berries are easy to find in your grocery store, inexpensive and flavorful. This curd isn't as thick as a traditional lemon curd, but it's still spoonable and perfect to spread on scones and muffins, stir into yogurt or oatmeal, flavor buttercream and, of course, just eat with a spoon!

Raspberry Curd

(makes about 2 cups)

12 oz frozen raspberries, fully thawed

1 stick (8 oz) butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

6 egg yolks

pinch of salt

1. Over medium heat melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the thawed berries and any accumulated juices, sugar, lemon juice, egg yolks and salt and whisk until well combined. Cook over medium heat, making sure to mash the berries and whisk frequently, until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible and collecting it in a small bowl. Discard the solids and mix the liquid mixture until uniform. Cover with plastic wrap placing the plastic wrap directly on the top of the liquid and refrigerate until cool. Store in fridge in an airtight container.

Raspberry, Pistachio and Cardamom Overnight Oats

More breakfast recipes! Except this one is a lazy man's breakfast recipe - throw everything in a jar, give it a stir, throw it in the fridge, and forget about it until the morning. Perfect for me since I am decidedly NOT a morning person.

I have to dissent from the majority though and say that I don't find oatmeal all that filling. I'm convinced this is just something people say to make you feel bad about your desire to throw back a plate of eggs and bacon. For this reason I tried to bolster the protein and fat content of these oats with the addition of greek yogurt and nuts to make the oats a little heartier. They make for a great breakfast that's on the lighter side, or a tasty and nutritious snack.

This recipe is also very customizable, so experiment with spices, sweeteners, fruits and liquids to suit your tastes. They will keep in the fridge for several days, so double or triple the recipe as needed.

Raspberry, Pistachio and Cardamom Overnight Oats
(makes two 1/2 pint servings)

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

2-4 Tbsp chopped shelled pistachios

1/3-1/2 cup fresh raspberries, or enough to fill your jars

1. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients until well incorporated, crushing some of the raspberries as you stir. Distribute equally between two 1/2 pint jars, or other 1 cup containers, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled or dump into a bowl and microwave for 30-60 seconds. 

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Bourbon Bacon Pecans

If you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner for your family, then I know that the last thing you're probably thinking about right now is pumpkin pancakes. It's more likely that you're still trying to figure out exactly how long that turkey is going to take, or playing tetris with said turkey and the 10 different casserole dishes in your fridge, or maybe you're busy ironing napkins and thinking to yourself "when did I become this person?" 

But perhaps if you're choosing R&R over being trampled in a riot at Walmart on Black Friday, and you've had a couple days full of turkey sandwiches and soup, you'd like to use up the leftover pumpkin puree from that pumpkin pie and make what amounts to dessert for breakfast. Or, if you're really lucky, you have an awesome family member who wants to treat you to it!

These aren't your average pancakes - they're super fluffy pancakes flavored with pumpkin and warm spices, laced with brown butter and topped with cinnamon whipped cream and sweet, salty, bacon-y pecans. Yeah, they're good. This recipe makes a big family sized portion of pancakes, but it's easy enough to half the recipe. They are surprisingly tasty even after being reheated, though!

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pancakes

with Maple Bourbon Bacon Pecans

For the pecans:

1 egg white

3 Tbsp bourbon

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked until crisp and finely chopped

3 cups raw pecans, coarsely chopped

For the pancakes:

1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into several slices

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 Tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp clove

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cup milk (room temp)

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (room temp)

2 eggs (room temp)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

pure maple syrup, for serving

1. For the pecans: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.  In a large bowl, whisk egg white until foamy, then whisk in the bourbon, vanilla, maple sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the pecans and bacon and toss to coat. Spread the nuts in an even layer on the prepared pan and bake int he preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan and setting aside.

2. For the pancakes: Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced stick of butter, whisking frequently. Continue to cook the butter and wait for it to foam up and then subside. Watch for small brown specks to form in the butter - it should smell toasty and nutty. Once it reaches this point remove from the heat and measure out 4 Tablespoons of the melted butter and place into a medium bowl. Pour the remaining butter into a small vessel and stick in the fridge or freezer so it can harden up for serving.

3. To the medium bowl with the 4 Tablespoons of brown butter, add the milk, pumpkin puree and eggs and whisk until well blended (it helps if these ingredients are at room temperature.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and salt. Gently, but quickly, mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. 

4. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease. The pan is ready when a drop of water skitters across the surface of the pan. Drop 1/4 cups of pancake batter onto the pan and cook on one side until bubbles begin to form on the surface, about 2 minutes or so. Flip over and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown. 

5. To serve, whip the heavy cream, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Top the pancakes with a bit of the cooled brown butter from the fridge/freezer, a drizzle of maple syrup, a dollop of whipped cream and prepared pecans.