Category: Walnuts

Blue Cheese, Apple, Walnut Stuffed Squash

1/5/2022

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Ingredients

2 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
2Tbsp uinsalted butter
1 shallot finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped into ½ inch pieces
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
¾ cup (3 oz.) crumbled blue cheese
¾ cup walnut halves and pieces
4 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425° with a rack in the center position. Rub the squash with the oil and roast on a large baking sheet, cut sides down, until tender, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: In a small saucepan, bring the quinoa and broth to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, until the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covere, for 10 minutes; gently fluff with a fork.
Melt the butter in a large skillet, then add the shallot, garlic, and sage. Cook until the shallot is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and add the apple. Cook until the apples are tender, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the quinoa, blue cheese, and walnuts. Season with more salt to taste.
Invert the acorn squash and fill each cavity with the stuffing mixture. Drizzle the maple syrup over the squash and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

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Hartford Election Cake

10/21/2020

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Serves: 10 to 12
1¼ cup whole milk warmed to 100° (no higher)
1 tablespoon dry yeast
¼ cup mixed dried cranberries
¼ cup dried figs, diced
¼ cup sultanas
¼ cup dried apricots, diced
4 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons orange blossom water, or orange extract, or vanilla extract
¾ cup brown sugar
8 tablespoons butter, softened (1 stick)
3 eggs, slight beaten
3¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon coriander
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Bundt pan
Butter & flour to prep pan
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix the yeast with the heated milk and set aside.
Mix the dried fruit with the rum and orange blossom water in a small bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar for two minutes on medium speed.
Add eggs and beat for two more minutes.
Drain liquid from dried fruit and add liquid to sugar and egg mixture. Mix to combine. Reserve the fruit for a later step.
Sift flour into a bowl with the salt, allspice, cinnamon and coriander.
Transfer to a stand mixer with a dough hook.
Alternate adding flour-spice mixture and milk mixture to form a loose but very sticky dough. Beat only long enough to bring the dough together.
Pour dough into a large bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm draft-free place for about two hours or until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, liberally butter and lightly flour a 10” Bundt pan.
Pour nuts and dried fruit into the dough and mix by hand just until blended throughout.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared Bundt pan.
Cover with a dish towel and let rise until almost doubled in size, about an additional hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove from oven and brush with the melted butter.
Glaze with rum icing. Recipe below.

RUM ICING
⅓ cup butter, softened
¼ cup milk
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1½ teaspoon rum
1 tablespoon hot water, as needed

Heat butter and milk over low heat. Stir occasionally. When the butter is completely melted and the mixture combined, remove from the heat.
Stir sugar and rum into the butter and milk mixture. Use the hot water to adjust the icing to the thickness desired.

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Cranberry Walnut Maple Bread Pudding

2/6/2019

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Serves 10
4 -41⁄2 cups cranberry walnut bread, cubed
4 large eggs
21⁄4 cups milk
1⁄2 cup maple syrup
1⁄4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
½ cup warmed maple syrup
Ice cream or whipped cream

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Grease a 1½ quart casserole or baking dish.
Place the bread cubes into the prepared pan.
Whisk the eggs, milk, syrup, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and salt together. Pour over the bread cubes. Let sit for 15 minutes to absorb the liquid. Press the cubes down into the liquid if the edges are dry.
Bake the pudding for about 50 minutes, until the pudding has puffed up and is light brown around the edges.
Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes, the pudding will sink as it sits, as it should.
Serve warm topped with whipped cream or ice cream and drizzled with warmed maple syrup.

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MAPLE-WALNUT CHEESECAKE as adapted from Matt and Ted Lee

10/18/2017

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Makes 1 – 9 inch cake

¾ cup graham-cracker crumbs, fine (about 8 double crackers)
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2½ pounds cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons cake flour
¾ cup grade A medium amber maple syrup, divided
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 ounces walnut halves (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350º.
In a bowl, mix the graham-cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and blend with a fork.
Grease the sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan and sprinkle it with the cracker mixture, shaking any excess back into the bowl.
Add the softened/melted butter to the bowl and toss with a fork until the butter has moistened the crumb mixture.
Scatter the crumbs evenly over the pan bottom and press into it using the bottom of a straight-sided glass.
Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool.
Raise the heat in the oven to 500º.
With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Mix the flour with the remaining sugar and add it and ½ cup of the maple syrup to the cheese in thirds, mixing after each addition.
Add the eggs and the yolks to the batter one by one, beating after each addition.
Add the heavy cream and beat again.
Pour the batter into the crust and bake for 15 minutes.
Lower the oven to 200º and bake for an hour more.
Turn off the oven, leave the door halfway open and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for a half-hour.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and not more than 24.
When ready to serve, heat the remaining ¼ cup of maple syrup over low heat in a small saucepan until it bubbles and let simmer gently for 1 minute, until it has thickened slightly.
Whisk in the cornstarch and turn off the flame.
Add the walnuts to the maple mixture and turn to coat.
Using tongs, spread the walnuts out on a piece of parchment paper to cool and harden into praline.
Sprinkle some walnuts on top of the cheesecake. Serve the remaining candied walnuts with each slice.

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Blue Cheese, Apple, Walnut Stuffed Squash

Hartford Election Cake

Cranberry Walnut Maple Bread Pudding

MAPLE-WALNUT CHEESECAKE as adapted from Matt and Ted Lee

Ingredients

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