"Gourd" dinner wines!

Our "Gourd" themed dinner was great and we had so much great food but we also had great bevi's too! Here are the wines and beer we enjoyed that evening!

Pumpkin Ale

Buffalo Bill's Brewery

Macon -Villages

Chardonnay

Sterling Vineyards

Meritage 2006
Chateau Potelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Yellow Tail Reserve

Shiraz 2008

Bogle Vineyards

Old Vine Zinfandel 2007

Sterling Vintner's Collection

Shiraz 2007

La Olma

Garnacha 2007

Ecco Domani

Pinot Grigio 2008

Blackened Salmon with Tomato Ginger Salsa

I love blackened salmon but I wanted to put a spin on the classic Cajun seasoning. In this recipe I combined the beloved Indian spice Garam Masala with few other seasonings. I served it with a fresh tomato and ginger salsa that complemented the fish so nicely. This recipe serves 2 but can very easily be doubled or tripled!

Blackened Salmon with Tomato Ginger Salsa

Blackened Seasoning

1tsp. garlic powder

1tsp. Garam Masala

1/2 tsp. dried ginger

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine well and pat onto both sides of fish.

Heat a skillet over med. high heat until pan is hot. Cook fish on both sides until cooked through. Depending on thickness 2-5 per side! Serve with the tomato salsa!

Tomato Ginger Salsa

2 tomatoes seeded, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Turkey Tamale Pie

I remember my mom making a dish like this when I was younger. So good! I found this recipe in the Union Tribune a few years back. I, as always switched it up a bit. You can add whatever else you want, that's what is so great about this recipe, it never has to be the same. Sometimes I will throw black beans in or some bell peppers. It's a very versatile dish. It's so darn good and can feed us for days, so that's nice too!

Turkey Tamale Pie

Ingredients

1lb ground turkey
1 can sweet corn
2 can diced tomatoes (1 with juice, 1 without)

1 cup canned diced mild green chiles
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
CORN BREAD CRUST
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey

Directions

For the filling, brown the turkey and then drain the fat.

Saute the onion and garlic until tenderand then add the spices and turkey back in.

Then throw all the rest of the ingredients in the pot and simmer 8 minutes at medium heat.

Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread evenly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the corn bread crust, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and black pepper. Stir in the cornmeal and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, olive oil, egg and honey. Stir together the flour and buttermilk mixtures. Spread the corn bread batter over the filling. Bake for 30 minutes.

serve with sour cream.

Gourd dinner

WOW is all I can say! My friends can cook! It was like eating at a gourmet feast, we had lamb curry with pumpkin, roasted spaghetti squash with tomatoes, olives and feta cheese, butternut squash ravioli (freshly hand made) with a toasted hazelnut & sage butter sauce, chicken teriyaki meatball kabobs with zucchini, and then there was dessert. Pumpkin tart, pumpkin ice cream pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin cake with a cream cheese frosting!! Are you drooling yet? Oh and lots of wine!

Next months theme: Morroccan

Pumpkin curry (coconut) soup

I received this delicious recipe from my cousin. Thanks Dorothy! I was going to make a Bobby Flay recipe I hadn't made before but being I was going to feed people other than my husband, I decided to go with a recipe that had been given a thumbs up by a women with a great palate.

I did however make a small change in the recipe, I wanted to omit the dairy so I replaced the evaporated milk with coconut milk, it is a bowl of goodness.

* I made a second batch of this soup using the evaporated milk and it's delicious too!

Pumpkin Curry Soup w/ Coconut Milk

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup (1 small) chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 oz.) Libbys canned pumpkin

12 oz. Coconut milk ( or evaporated milk )

Directions

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in curry powder, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in coconut milk. Transfer mixture to food processor or blender (in batches, if necessary); cover. Blend until smooth. Serve warm.

Top with creme fraiche, pepitas, chives or anything else or nothing at all~

* I believe an emulsion blender would work fine with this as well, and less cleanup!

Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Walnut Streusel

Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Walnut Streusel

For the tart crust:

9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. table salt

5-1/2 oz cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup heavy cream; more if needed

For the pumpkin filling:

1 15-oz. can pure solid-pack pumpkin

3 large eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. table salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup bourbon

For the streusel topping:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Lightly sweetened whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Make the tart crust:

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, orange zest, and salt in a large bowl on low speed for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and combine on low speed until the mixture looks crumbly, with pieces of butter about the size of dried peas, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and cream, mixing on low speed until the dough is just combined. If the dough is too dry to come together, add more cream, a tablespoon at a time. Gently mold the dough into a 1-inch-thick disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to a week; the dough can also be frozen for up to a month.

Make the pumpkin filling:

Spoon the pumpkin into a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Add both sugars and the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Whisk about 30 seconds. Whisk in the heavy cream and bourbon.

Make the streusel topping:

Combine the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the butter has blended into the dry ingredients and the mixture is crumbly. Remove the blade and stir in the walnuts and crystallized ginger.

Assemble the tart:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Take the tart dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up until pliable, 5 to 15 minutes. Unwrap the dough and set it on a lightly floured work surface. With as few passes of the rolling pin as possible, roll the disk into a 13-inch round, about 3/16 inch thick. Drape the round into a 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom gently fitting it into the contours of the pan. Fold the excess dough into the sides of the pan and press to create an edge that’s flush with the top of the pan and about 1/2 inch thick.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the unbaked tart crust. Scatter the streusel topping evenly over the pumpkin mixture.
Bake until the topping is evenly cooked and no longer looks wet in the center, 50 to 65 minutes. Let the tart cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before serving (or wrap it in plastic and refrigerate overnight; before serving, let it sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours). Serve warm, at room temperature, or slightly chilled, with lightly sweetened whipped cream, if you like.

From Fine Cooking 74, pp. 52-53