Teacup banana puddings

With all this heat, fruit goes ripe in no time – as much as Joao and I love bananas (and eat them on a daily basis) it is impossible to go through a bunch in 2-3 days.

These teacup puddings looked adorable on the magazine – I cannot resist bananas and caramel together – and were also a perfect way to use the egg whites I had left from making ice cream.



Teacup banana puddings
from Donna Hay

Walnut, cranberry and cinnamon rugelach

I told you once that I can be quite stubborn sometimes – and I wasn’t kidding. :D

Kate Zuckerman’s pretty rugelach cookies had been on my mind forever, but I never had all the ingredients on hand. Well, I finally did – on a 30ºC (86ºF) day. I knew it was too hot and that the dough sounded too delicate for such temperature, but I insisted on making it anyway.
All I can say is that the cookies

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I haven't been spending much time in my kitchen of late, but the recent occasion of a friend's birthday was an inspiration to come up with a pumpkin dessert. Not too rich, this will appeal to those who prefer savory treats, but also enjoy a hint of sweetness from time to time. I highly recommend using homemade pumpkin puree rather than the canned variety. Detailed instructions on how to make your own, along with photos, can be found here. Pumpkin puree also freezes well. I freeze it in one cup portions and let it thaw overnight when I plan to use it for a recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (or crustless pumpkin pie)

2 cups of fresh pumpkin puree
4 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons of rum or kahlua

Grease a 9 inch glass pie plate generously with butter or oil.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for roughly 45 minutes or until the cheesecake is set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

The cake can be served with freshly whipped cream or with a bit of caramel sauce drizzled over top.

More ideas for fresh pumpkin from Lisa's Kitchen:
Pumpkin Scones
Pumpkin Pie
Toor Dal Pumpkin Soup
Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers
Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

On the top of the reading stack: Penguin Classics Growth Of The Soil by Knut Hamsun

Audio Accompaniment: Hybrid by Michael Brook with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanios

Raspberry swirl ice cream

In one of my many visits to Gourmet Traveller’s website – don’t you love their wonderful recipes and gorgeous photos? - I saw this ice cream and thought it would be the perfect way to (re)start ice cream season at home.

I bought the raspberries but forgot the liquid glucose – luckily, David’s fabulous book came to the rescue; I tweaked the recipe just a bit and used a vanilla bean, to get a

No Croutons Required - The Winners for October and the Challenge for November

The votes are in and we have two winners for October's Frugal Challenge. Congratulations to both Saranya who made a unique Hawaiian Style Mixed Vegetable Soup and Nic who cooked up this lovely Green Tomato Soup.

I will be hosting the November edition of No Croutons Required. The challenge this month is to make a soup or a salad containing root vegetables. Use your favorite root vegetable or mix and match to come up with some treasured comfort food.

Chocolate chip pound cakes

Before today’s recipe, I should warn you about something: I’m completely in love with these mini bundt pans, so get ready to see them around here quite a lot. Even a simple recipe like a butter cake gets a whole new dimension baked in such pretty pans. :D

The original recipe called for just a sprinkling of cocoa powder over the cakes, but I thought they deserved more: the chocolate glaze my

Split Pea and Mushroom Soup

As the icy fingers of winter start creeping up outside the window, there is often nothing so warming and comforting as a hot bowl of split pea soup. Plain and simple, or with the added flair of spices, mushrooms and fresh grated Parmesan cheese, this earthy and sweet soup is always a nice way to curl up for the season.

Split Pea and Mushroom Soup

1 cup dried green split peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
juice and zest from 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Rinse the split peas and soak for 2-3 hours in cold water. Drain and set aside.

Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. When hot, toss in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery, and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft. Toss in the jalapeños and red chili flakes, and sauté for one more minute.

Add the split peas, water, vegetable stock, bay leaf, tarragon and lemon zest to the pot. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until the split peas are soft.

Meanwhile, heat another pan at medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, swirl to coat the pan, and stir in the mushrooms. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are soft and brown.

Discard the bay leaf from the soup and add the mushrooms. Remove from heat and season with lemon juice and salt. Ladle into bowls and scatter with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 4-6.

Other split pea soups you may enjoy:
Indian-Style Split Pea Soup
Green Pea Soup
Creamy Split Pea and Vegetable Soup

On the top of the reading stack: Steps by Jerzy Kosinski

Audio Accompaniment: Mark Hollis