Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Trick or Treat! If you're looking for something sweet and pumpkiny to serve up this Halloween, look no further than these pumpkin whoopie pies. The cookies are soft, delicately spiced, and not too sweet--they're almost like an especially delicious muffin top. The cream cheese icing on the other hand is rich, creamy and made deliciously sweet by the addition of maple syrup.

I considered it a huge success that I managed not to eat the whole batch in one sitting. They're really that good--and that's no trick.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Original recipe from Baked by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Adapted by Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Recipe Available Here

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Last week I was eating a lunch of hummus, eggplant salad and pita bread. It should have been a perfect afternoon meal, but something was off. The hummus was creamy and delicious, the eggplant sweet and spicy, and the pita....well the pita tasted like cardboard. I was about to dial up my local Mediterranean place for some replacements when I had a thought: I like to bake, I know how to bake--why don't I just make some myself?

This seems obvious, I know, but I've been eating pita bread for lunch for years and I'd never thought of making my own. But I am so so glad I finally did. The dough was simple and easy to work with, the baking time was minimal, and as for the taste, well, these pitas are chewy, soft, and about as far from cardboard as you can get. I think I finally may be able to take the Mediterranean place off of my speed dial.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Gourmet, May 2003
Recipe Available via Epicurious

Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Gelato

Here's a tip: when you're deciding whether or not to add chocolate to something, I recommend asking your most pregnant friend for her opinion. I can almost guarantee you'll get the answer you're looking for. I took my own advice when deciding whether to make this pomegranate gelato into pomegranate chocolate chip gelato and emailed my seven months pregnant friend Jess for her thoughts. Needless to say, she did not lead me astray. I added quite a bit of dark chocolate and the results were fantastic.

Even better? It was (gasp) healthy! Well, healthy-ish. A few weeks ago the nice people over at POM Wonderful asked if I'd be interested in trying some of their pomegranate juice. I jumped at the chance since I love pomegranates and was actually eating some at the time (true story). The juice, which was used in this recipe, has more antioxidants than a glass of red wine. See, ice cream can be healthy! This one also happens to be sweet, creamy, and delicious.

Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Gelato
Adapted from Gourmet, September 2006
Original recipe available via Epicurious

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups POM juice
2 tablespoons vodka
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cups dark chocolate chips

Whisk cream, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking occasionally, and then boil, whisking, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in all remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Transfer to a bowl and chill, uncovered, for at least 1 hour. Process in your ice cream maker, adding the chocolate pieces during the last few minutes of churning. Freeze for a couple of hours to harden.

Concord Grape Jam

The things I'm afraid of can be grouped into two categories: those fears that are rational (snakes, undercooked chicken, forgetting to unplug the hair straightener and accidentally burning down my apartment) and those that aren't (baby corn, clowns, Michael Jackson's Thriller video). This week, I happily discovered that my longtime fear of making jam falls decisively into the irrational category.

Because as it turns out, making jam isn't scary at all. Can you boil water? Peel grapes? Make a stirring motion with a wooden spoon? Then you can make jam! After finding some lovely looking concord grapes at the Union Square Green Market last weekend, I whipped up this version, which is tangy, sweet and bursting with grape flavor.

So it looks like I had nothing to fear after all. Hmm...maybe I should try watching the Thriller video again. Though those zombies are pretty scary. Yes, on second thought, I think I've overcome enough fears for one October. Oh well, there's always next year.

Concord Grape Jam
Gourmet, October 2005
Recipe available via Epicurious

My Recipe Notes:
-I made a half recipe, which worked out just fine.
-I reduced the sugar a bit, and still found the jamto be sufficiently sweet.
-I don't have a food mill, so I poured jam over a sieve to separate out the seeds instead.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Allspice Crumb Muffins

I've been having some trouble with this whole fall thing, and apparently I'm not alone. Just this morning, I saw two girls in miniskirts and sandals shivering in the crisp October weather. Normally I love all things pumpkin and corduroy and autumnal, but this year I just haven't been feeling it. In my defense, I do have an excuse. You see when I left for Southeast Asia, there were still several weeks of summer left in New York, and it just seems wrong to have returned to an entirely different season. Don't get me wrong--I don't have anything against apples and ankle boots, I had just hoped for a little more time with my stone fruits and flip flops. But these Allspice Crumb Muffins, this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, are making the changing of the seasons a little easier to swallow. They're not my favorite muffins ever, but their sweet spicy scent is definitely getting me in the mood for fall. And the streusel on top of them? Well I could eat that all day. Thanks to Kayte of Grandma's Kitchen Table for this week's selection.

Allspice Crumb Muffins
From Baking From My Home To Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Recipe Available Here

Cheese Wafers and An Announcement

Earlier this evening, I had my brother over for dinner. Don't worry--I didn't just serve him these cheese wafers. However, they did come in handy when I realized I had already been cooking for two hours and didn't yet have anything on the table (the coffee table that is). Thankfully, I had a new cookbook on hand to save the day. Last month, I attended a panel on the Legacy of Julia Child, and in addition to listening to Amanda Hesser, Julie Powell and Judith Jones speak, I also took the opportunity to buy myself a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

So when I found myself two hours into a beef stew with no end in sight, I though "what would Julia do?" Some better meal planning, for starters. But she'd probably also whip up a simple and elegant hors d'oeuvre like these cheese wafers to distract her guests and appease their grumbling stomachs. And she'd be right of course. Because not only were these wafers a rich a satisfying appetizer, but the leftovers also transformed our simple salads into something that was way beyond basic.

An Announcement: Sweet Tarte has finally joined the 21st century--you can now follow me on twitter! Hope to see you there!

Galettes au Fromage
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child
Recipe available via The Washington Post

Amanda Hesser's Almond Cake

The day I returned from Asia, I was dragging myself home from dinner after having stayed up all day in an attempt to get myself back on New York time. (Note: This was an epic and I mean EPIC fail. Later that week, I fell asleep on my couch at 6pm--with a full glass of water in my hand. Of course, I promptly dropped the entire thing in my lap, soaking myself and my furniture. Oh well, at least it wasn't red wine, right?) As a dragged myself past the bookstore on my street, I saw something exciting enough to pull me out of my jet-lagged stupor. Amanda Hesser, author of my favorite food book of all time, was appearing there the very next night. I got there early to snag my seat, and after the program (more on that later!) waited patiently for my turn to talk with the speakers. After I chatted with Amanda for a few minutes, I handed over my copy of Cooking For Mr. Latte for her to sign. "Whoa," she said, taking my book. "I think this is the most worn copy I've ever seen." I didn't know whether to be proud or totally mortified. I think I was a little of both. "I cook from it a lot," I explained. And I do--though that's really only half of the story. I also love love love this book as a book, and have probably read it straight through at least five or six times. Which is why I was totally shocked to realize that though I've been writing this blog for over a year (!!) I have yet to feature one of its recipes. So without further ado, here is Amanda Hesser's famous almond cake. I highly recommend the cake, as well as the book. Both the recipes and the writing are delicious.

Almond Cake
From Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for buttering pan
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (measured after sifting)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
7-ounce tube almond paste, cut into small pieces
4 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 teaspoon almond extract
Confectioner's sugar, or sifting over cake

Preheat oven to 350. Generously butter sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Mix together the sour cream and baking soda in a small bowl. Sift the flour and salt in another bowl.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the almond paste, a little at a tie, at medium speed, and beat for 8 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, and mix until incorporated. It will look curdled, don't worry. Blend in the almond extract and the sour cream mixture. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture just until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake about 1 hour (note: mine took about 20 minutes longer). It is done when you press the top and it returns its shape, and also shrinks from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and place on a baking rack to cool in the pan. When ready to serve, sift confectioner's sugar over the top.

Note: Amanda Hesser says in her book that this cake always sinks. Mine did too, but it was still delicious.