Pumpkin Mascarpone Cream Puffs

This recipe is a fun and easy take on what may be the most traditional autumn dessert of all, the pumpkin pie. These days there are a wide variety of pumpkin related desserts. Everything from traditional pumpkin pie, to pumpkin cheesecakes and pumpkin trifles, to pumpkin bread and biscotti. And of course you need a nice hot cup of pumpkin spiced coffee to accompany your dessert. This recipe brings the classic essence of pumpkin pie, but as a flavorful pumpkin spiced whipped cream tucked into a flaky puff pastry.

Before I get to sharing the ingredients, I thought I would explain the history behind this recipe. It started back in the early spring when I was having a conversation with a very good friend of mine about Saint Joseph’s Cakes. Not only are we both huge fans of this traditional early spiring dessert made of fried dough filled with custard (also known as zeppole), we are also huge fans of pumpkin anything. This led to us agreeing that there should be a pumpkin version of zeppole….and we should jokingly call it a Saint Peter Pumpkin Eater Cake.

Well….if you know me by know, you know that even the silliest food suggestion will often spark an idea for me that needs to be fulfilled. And here we now are, more than a half year later, with a recipe that I am very happy to share. Only I went with a more practical name.

You can make the puffed pastries and the whipped cream ahead of time. The puffed pastries will keep well in an air-tight container for 1-2 days. You can also freeze them for a few months. They will defrost at room temperature in about 10 short minutes. The whipped cream can also be made ahead of time and will stay well in the fridge for a few days. Just be sure to not assemble the cream puffs until you are ready to serve them. You can add the cream with a spoon, spatula or a piping bag if you have one.

Pumpkin Mascarpone Cream Puffs

Makes 1 Dozen Cream Puffs

For the pastry:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 pinch salt
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter, water and salt into a sauce pan, bring to a rolling boil. Once the butter has melted, lower heat to medium. Stir in flour and beat vigorously until a dough ball is formed. Transfer the dough ball to a mixing bowl, let cool. Beat the eggs into the dough, one egg at a time, until all eggs have been fully incorporated.

Using a pastry bag with a star tip, pipe the dough onto a parchment covered baking sheet in a circular motion. You’re looking to make a donut shape about 6 inches wide. If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can drop the dough onto the baking sheet one tablespoon at a time (making a solid shaped pastry). You should get 12 individual donut shapes or dough balls. Bake until the dough puffs up and are golden brown on top. About 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the whipped cream:
2 cups (or 1 pint) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
dash cinnamon
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 of a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

Combine cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a chilled mixing bowl (the bowl MUST be chilled). Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix together until soft peaks start to form. Continue to mix, adding the mascarpone cheese a little at a time. Adding all of the mascarpone cheese at once will cause splashing. Add the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon and continue to mix until stiff peaks form. Fold in the pumpkin puree. You can adjust the sweetness and spice taste to your liking. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use

To assemble:
When ready to serve, slice the puffed pastries open horizontally with a serrated knife. Use a spoon, spatula or a piping bag to fill the pastries with the whipped cream. Top with powdered sugar.

Egg Toast with Mozzarella and Prosciutto

So here’s some exciting news…I’m starting to experiment with quick cooking videos! The key to success is keeping it fresh. While writing for the blog will always be my first passion, I though that some fun video demonstrations would add a little spice to the blog. Below is a video for a delicious dish that works great for breakfast, brunch, lunch…whenever you want it!

Click on the video below to check it out, and please visit my new YouTube page. I am hoping to be sharing more videos with you soon!

Easy Oatmeal Banana Cookies

Mediterranean Eggplant Meatball Pita Pockets

This recipe is actually a reimagining of my Eggplant and White Bean Meatballs recipe that I had previously posted a few years back. The original recipe has been a family favorite and is often in our standard dinner rotation. The way that I would most often serve the meatballs is with a side of rice and some marinara sauce for dipping. To change things ups bit, I decided to add a Mediterranean flare. Because one of the main ingredients in my eggplant meatballs is white beans, they have a similar taste and texture to falafel. This got me to thinking that the meatballs would really work well with some Mediterranean flavors. Right away, a zesty tomato-cucumber salad, some fresh mint and feta cheese came to mind.

Another update that I made to my meatball recipe was to do the initial eggplant prep process in the oven. My original recipe would have you preparing the eggplant on the stove top with shallots and some seasoning in olive oil and warm water. While this method does work well, I find that I now prefer to season the fresh chopped eggplant, toss it with some olive oil and bake it. This method adds a bit more flavor to the eggplant and is also more of a hands-free method.

As far as the tomato-cucumber salad recipe goes, the seasoning and measurements are pretty much up to you, depending on how much you prefer to prepare. For my family, I use a half of an English cucumber and a half pint of cherry tomatoes, seasoned with onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Tossed with some fresh chopped mint, some crumbled feta, and some olive oil and a tiny splash of balsamic. This is really a salad that you can make and adjust to your liking!

Serving this new version of my recipe is very easy. You simply stuff a pita pocket (a tortilla wrap will also work well) with some of the tomato-cucumber salad, then add two to three eggplant meatballs (again to your preference). I also suggest adding a bit of a creamy dressing for additional taste, such as a creamy horseradish aioli, lemon aioli or tzatziki. What you will end up with is a pita loaded with all kinds of goodness and a multitude of flavor profiles. The fresh crunch of the seasoned tomatoes and cucumbers combined with fresh mint. The slight punch of the balsamic splash. The savory and flavorful meatballs. The zip of the additional creamy topping. All held together by a nice, firm pita pocket. And the ingredients are all on the healthy side!

Mediterranean Eggplant Meatball Pita Pockets

For the Tomato-Cucumber Salad
My preference for the salad is 1/2 of an English cucumber diced, 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes halved, tossed with a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and chopped fresh mint. Tossed with crumbled feta or goat cheese. This is a very versatile salad, so you can adjust the amount and ingredients to your liking!

For the Meatballs
Makes approximately 12-15 meatballs

1 large eggplant, skin removed, cut into 1″ pieces
1 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn dried oregano
2 tbspn olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbspn fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tbspn mint, finely chopped (you can use 2 tbspn basil if you do not have mint on hand)
1/2 cup canned canellini or garbanzo beans, rinsed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375˚. Stir together the eggplant pieces, olive oil, garlic powder, oregano and a dash of salt and pepper until all eggplant pieces are coated. Bake the seasoned eggplant in a baking dish for 30 minutes. Remove eggplant from the oven, set aside to let cool.

When cooled, place eggplant in a food processor with remaining ingredients. Pulse until well mixed, but not puréed. You can mix by hand if you do not have a food processor, but the meatballs will have a chunkier consistency. Shape the mixture into small balls as you would with traditional meatballs. Placed the meatballs onto a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Lightly spray the meatballs. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 375˚, until they are browned and no longer soft to the touch.

For the Assembly
To enjoy this meal, simply stuff a pita pocket, a tortilla wrap or any other sandwich wrap that you prefer with the mixed salad, two to three meatballs, and for an extra optional kick a drizzle of a creamy horseradish aioli, lemon aioli or tzatziki. Grab yourself a few napkins and enjoy!