Pumpkin Cheese Tart

Pumpkin Pie is the famous traditional dessert for Thanksgiving dinner in America and Canada. I am not a big fan of Pumpkin Pie because of its custardy texture. I rather bake a cake or Pumpkin Cheesecake and everyone loves this over Pumpkin Pie. Yesterday I made something bit different, Pumpkin Cheese Pie in a tart pan with fresh roasted pumpkin puree, low fat cream cheese and spices that turned out delish. This tart is a cross between cheesecake and pie.

Pumpkin Dinner Roll

Hello Everyone. Holiday season has just begun and I love being festive as usual.  A few days back I had made  Pumpkin puree from scratch that I would use in making either pie or cheese cake and dinner roll for our Thanksgiving dinner. I made slightly sweet pumpkin cranberry bread couple of years back as trial and tasted delicious. This year I will be making pumpkin shaped dinner roll and they will look fabulous on our Thanksgiving dinner table.

How to make Pumpkin Puree

 

Fall means pumpkin season and this is the time of the year pumpkin pies, pumpkin latte, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancake, pumpkin cookies are served. Sounds so very pumpkiny. So why not make your own pumpkin puree instead of buying canned one. It takes a bit longer time and effort but in the end it is very satisfying to make pumpkin puree from a fresh pumpkin while it is in season.

It is important to choose the right pumpkin for puree. Sugar pumpkin that has darker skin or cheese/fairytale  pumpkin more like butternut squash  are two varieties that good for making pumpkin puree.

Three years back my first pumpkin puree from scratch didn't taste that good. My little one brought a tiny sugar pumpkin from her field trip. It became very pale yellow color and stringy while roasting. This year I have decided to make with fairytale pumpkin for its bright orange color and sweet firm flesh. Our neighborhood Indian grocery store carries whole and small cut pieces fairytale pumpkin. 

I used 4 1/2 lb pumpkin. It can be either roasted or boiled. I like roasting. Wash the pumpkin with cold water. Scrape out the seeds and stringy pulp. Line a swallow heavy duty baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place cut side down and roast  for 40-50 minutes or until fork tender. Roasting time depends on the size of the pumpkin. Let it cool enough to handle. Peel the skin and cut into small pieces.Now drain excess water through a colander or strainer and add to a blender or food processor. Puree it up until pumpkin is smooth and creamy. If the puree is still too watery strain it through a cheese cloth-lined strainer for couple of hours. Makes two 8oz cups rich thick puree. Total time is 1 hour and 25 minutes from start to finish.

Now puree is ready to be  used in sweet and savory dishes. Store leftover puree in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days or freeze it up to 2-3 months in the freezer safe individual containers. Don't forget to date and label. For the best result I will always recommend deep orange fleshed pumpkin/butternut squash. There are great recipes with pumpkin puree beyond pumpkin pie and I will post some recipes with this puree shortly.

Happy Cooking!

Happy Diwali to you all!! May the Festival of Lights bring every happiness and joy today and all year through!

May the divine light of Diwali glow with good health and prosperity.

                                              
                                           Celebrating Diwali with the colorful Rangoli.

                                             
                                                     Happy Diwali and a blessed New Year.

Labongo Latika

I am Sharing "Labago latika" recipe today, another traditional offering of Bengal during Durgapuja and Lakxmipuja. I was so busy  with kids activity and other things that I couldn't post it little earlier. Some how I had managed to make this sweet for Laxmipuja. Feeling very satisfied.

 Autumn is the festive season in West Bengal starting with the biggest one Durga puja.Then Laksmipuja arrives followed by Kali puja and Diwali.

চিনির নারকেল নাড়ু/Sweetened Coconut Confection

  

বাঙালীর নারকেল নাড়ু

Bengalis biggest festival  "Durgapuja" is tomorrow and sweetened coconut confection is one of the traditional offerings to Maa Durga. There are two ways to make this sweet as per preference. Some make with jaggery and some with sugar and milk. This confection is a staple to any Bengali house during Dugrapuja and Laksmipuja.

Usually it is made with freshly grated coconut. Due to our back and forth moving I had to give away my manual coconut grater. Since then I have been using frozen or dry coconut. It is much easier than traditional version!

All you need is~
1 16 oz package frozen grated coconut
1 cup bone char free sugar
1/8 cup coconut milk or coconut cream(in case naru gets too dry)
2-3 freshly ground cardamon pods
1 bay leaf
1 microwave safe glass bowl

Method~
First, thaw the coconut in the microwave or keep it in the refrigerator for couple of hours. Blend it to a smooth texture for 2-3 minutes. Transfer it to a microwavable bowl. Add in sugar and bay leaf. Mix it well. Microwave the coconut mixture for about 25 minutes on full power stirring every 5 minutes. It will be very watery in the beginning. After 25 minutes mixture will be very thick. It needs 15 or more minutes to make the mixture dry enough to form firm balls. So stir well every 2 minutes from now on. Make sure it doesn't burn. Don't make it too dry. Otherwise you can't make smooth balls out of it. In case it becomes dry add little coconut cream or coconut milk. Try to make a smooth round ball to check if it is done. Add ground cardamon at last. Mixture will be very hot. Let stand for 2 minutes to handle. Start making balls by rolling between your palms while still warm. They become crumbly and dry very quick so add some coconut milk. Store in the refrigerator for its freshness up to one week.

Happy Cooking!

Strawberry Smoothie

This Vegan smoothie is easy,delicious and a great way to start my day! Combining strawberry,banana and agave nectar for sweetness(even if it is optional) which is sweeter than refined sugar makes this smoothie very satisfying yet filling and nutritious.It will take just few minutes to prepare.