Yummy, Pumpkin Cheese Bread

Sharon Piper has two favorite recipes from "The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook". The Asparagus Torte and the Pummpkin Bread. Here is the recipe for the Pumpkin Cheese Bread.

Pumpkin Cheese Bread

Makes one loaf

If there were ever a snack hearty enough to stand up to a hearty stout, this is it. A beautiful deep orange from both the pumpkin and the cheddar, this savory loaf has autumn written all over it.

3-1/2 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) rapid-rise yeast
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded medium or sharp yellow cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten with
1 teaspoon water

In a large bowl, stir together 3-1/2 cups of the flour, and the brown sugar, yeast, salt, and cayenne. Add 1 cup water, the pumpkin, and cheese, and mix until well combined. The dough will be slightly sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it forms a smooth ball. (Add up to 1/4 cup more flour if needed.) Sprinkle a large bowl with flour and add the ball of dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day take the dough out of the refrigerator, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and flatten the dough to a rough rectangle with your hands. Use the butter to coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Roll the dough up into a cylindrical shape and place seam-side down in the loaf pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, or until almost doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, when the dough has risen for 35 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Slash the loaf down the center with a sharp knife. Brush the loaf with the egg-water wash. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Turn the bread out of the pan and onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe reprinted with permission from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook © 2011 by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc

A Pineapple and a Turkey Walk Into A Bar

Having smoked a turkey or two on our trusty Weber Grill  -- and being delighted with the results --  we can only image what the mouth watering outcome would be in the hands of professional smoker Mr. P, aka Chris Palmatier.

We are happy to report that Mr. P has been testing a few big birds in his mighty smoker in advance of the big ramp up to Turkey Day. And Mr. P shared with us his secrets as to how he will be preparing his birds for Thanksgiving.

“We inject each bird (with a professional turkey injector) with a mixture of oil, spice and hard apple cider. In our first test we let the bird sit for an hour, but that can go anywhere up to six,” Mr. P told Schroonlaker.com.

But hold onto your hats folks – for this next step, that Mr. P says will guarantee a deliciously moist bird.

“We then stuff the bird with a fresh pineapple and place it into a pan and into the smoker. The heat produces juice from the pineapple which keeps the bird moist and at the same time also steams the bird.”

So where did Mr. P come up with such a bird brained idea?

“Over the summer I was talking to a customer about our plans for smoking Thanksgiving turkeys. He told me about the pineapple and I ran with it.”

Mr. P’s latest experiment on Thursday was on a 20 pounder that cooked at 212 degrees for about 14 hours. Lucky diners got to sample that on a roll with lettuce and chipotle mayo. We are drooling as we write this.

Mr. P is  offering a variety of birds and other yummy comestibles for T Day. Check out all of their specials here.

Mr. P's Smokehouse 1106 Route 9  -- opposite the Grand Union just  up from the Strand -- 518 532-4300



Rubbing Chicken The Right Way

This week we told you about the good natured rivalry over at the Schroon Lake Fish and Game Club between those who barbecue the chickens, and those who boil the lobsters, for their annual end of summer bash.

Joe Steiniger, of the chicken crew, cried fowl a few years back when the lobsters got top billing at the event. You can read Joe’s very funny post on his North Country Rambler blog.

It was in that blog post  Joe revealed one of the secrets that make the chicken he and his crew barbecue taste so good – a dry rub that is applied to the birds the night before they hit the grill.  Joe’s recipe is stunningly simple:

Standard Dry Rub Recipe:

5 parts Kosher salt.

3 parts (each) freshly ground black pepper, light brown sugar, and sweet paprika

1 part (each) dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, dried oregano.And you can use whatever measurement you want for “a part”   --  a cup, half cup, or as Joe points out “a hat”.

Once I read the rub recipe, I had to try it. I applied it to bone in chicken thighs with the skin removed. So eager was I that  I didn’t follow Joe’s advice to let the chicken sit the night before of morning of with the rub. My chicken had barely an hour with the rub.

I grilled it over direct heat over white hot charcoal, searing each side for a few minutes, before finishing it off on the other side of the grill on indirect heat. The Weber kettle cover was on for about 20 minutes.

The chicken was stunning – extremely juicy, with the heat of the chili powder, combined with the smoky paprika and garlic and onion powders and other ingredients giving these thighs a very authentic barbecue taste. The flavors of the rub, tenderizing the meat, elevated these birds into something memorable. This rub makes the case that you really don’t need a barbecue sauce.

We did try a piece with some of the new sauce offerings from Schroon’s Mr. P’s Smoke house and the experience was enhanced by the shear heat of some kick butt peppers Mr P uses in his sauces. Yes, we do like it hot!

Got a barbecue rub or sauce recipe you wanna share? Tell us about it in comments.



Shirley's Diner

At a first blush, as you pass through the screen door, Shirley’s Diner seems like your average non descript breakfast and lunch joint. But there’s a lot more to this place than meets the eye.

On a recent visit I was very hungry – and for those who know me – I was in a “meat mood”.  So it was a natural that I settled for the “Meat Lover’s” omelet. My buddy, Dr. Ed, was in the mood for hash and poached eggs.

The word “torpedo” comes to mind when I try to describe the size of my sausage, bacon, ham and Swiss cheese stuffed omelet. I ordered it with a side of wheat toast.

Dr. Ed’s order arrived with perfectly poached eggs – and so-so hash, but with what turned out to be one of two of Shirley’s “food jewels”.

The good Dr. Ed ordered his eggs with what turned out to be home made white bread – which arrived toasted, just right. What we are talking about here is no measly thin sliced excuse for bread, but a big thick cut slice  -- which when toasted and slathered with just a dab or two of butter --  then dunked into the runny center of the poached eggs -- becomes  breakfast heaven Cue the angels singing!

My omelet  -- which contained the meat from a small pig --  was both filling and delicious.With the kids at home, we decided to bring back a treat of a dozen homemade donuts: plain, chocolate and the house specialty – chocolate drizzled with peanut butter. We also grabbed a loaf of the white bread to go. The kids went wild for the donuts. A tad heavy for my tastes, they hit the spot for the teens in our house, washed down with a nice, frosty cold glass of milk.

Does summertime lakeside living get any better? Yes – and we found that out when we had that loaf of white bread sliced up to make sandwiches with some cold cuts for lunch…not a crumb left, I kid you not. Shirley’s has a decent menu of typical diner breakfasts, daily specials and what appears to be a solid lunch menu. Definitely worth checking out.

 

Shirley’s Diner 1091 Main Street is open from 5 am to 2 pm. Call 518-532-9449 to make sure they have the bread.