October Cooking Club Menu and Recipes

[Michele]

I bought most of the ingredients yesterday. I have to go to the frou-frou store to get Gruyere. Imagine that! It's not commonly used in Shreveport. :eyeroll: Russ is going out of town today until Tuesday night, so I was thinking about making the soup in stages with a plan to eat it Tuesday night. I'm not making the beets because I don't think i like beets and I don't feel like making the whole dish to just try them...especially since Russ said he would not eat them. I'll be making the cake probably Tuesday as well...maybe Wednesday.

[HouseofWool]

I made the pumpkin buttermilk cake yesterday. It didn't turn out well - too much butter maybe? Or I did use homemade pureed pumpkin, possibly it wasn't as thick as canned? It tasted good, it was just very dense and almost wet (even though I let it cook another 5-10 minutes). Any ideas Annie?

I can't wait to try the French Onion Soup recipe. DH and I both love it. Will pick up the ingredients today.

I'll probably pass on the beets. Sadly, no one here would probably eat them.

I am planning on using homemade pumpking puree as well. I was reading in Joy of Cooking that it typically isn't as dense as canned so it should sit and drain for a bit (cheesecloth or sieve), then be measured.

[radwife]

The Pumpkin Buttermilk Cake was a hit here last night! I served it to DH and 5 other guests. Everyone had great things to say (maybe they were just being nice?), but DH and I enjoyed it as well. It was moist and flavorful. The house just smelled wonderful for our dinner party too!

I used Trader Joe's canned pumpkin and used for the glaze I used the buttermilk instead of milk or cream. We served it with caramel swirl ice cream.

I'm heading to the store to buy the ingredients. DD wants to make pizza for dinner tonight. I'll make the soup this afternoon so it can rest for a day. Yum!

I realized that these recipes call for some specific equipment like the Dutch oven and the Bundt pan. I don't have any suggestions for getting around using a Bundt pan. However, with the soup, one reviewer said they made it on the stove top in a regular stock pot. I think you could use an oven-safe stock pot as well, maybe check more often to make sure it isn't getting too brown? If don't have broiler-safe soup bowls and will just melt the cheese on the bread under the broiler and then put the toasts on top of the soup.

[Ladybug]

My house smells so goooooood. The onions are done and the beets are roasted. I'm in heaven.

I am planning on using homemade pumpking puree as well. I was reading in Joy of Cooking that it typically isn't as dense as canned so it should sit and drain for a bit (cheesecloth or sieve), then be measured.

Thanks Kris. I have some more puree frozen and will try draining before I use next time.

[Meenah]

I sprayed the Bundt pan with PAM, do I still need to dust it with flour? I love to cook, but have never been a baker!

I have a mini-Bundt pan that has a lot of nooks and crannies. If I don't grease and flour, the cakes don't come out. I think the flour dusting will make it easier to release.

[Meenah]

Thanks, I knew someone would answer soon!!!!!!

I'm having the same trouble with the cake, and did not use homemade pumpkin puree. A tester came out clean, but all the good must have scraped off on the hard crust. I've transferred it to a different pan, have covered it with foil (so the crust doesn't burn) and am hoping it cooks.

[Meenah]

My kitchen smells sooooooooooo good.

the soup really was wonderful. I made it as directed, EXCEPT I used red wine rather than cooking sherry (didn't have any).

[HouseofWool]

I don't have a true dutch oven, so I'm using a tall stock pot. (My mom is stroking out that I am putting her fancy pot in the oven for several hours.) It is non-stick, which I imagine will impact the browning process slightly. But I cannot afford a new pan at the moment.

The onions are in the oven and the soup will be served tomorrow night. My guess is that the kids won't like it.

[scrub-jay]

FYI:

Lodge makes a cast iron dutch oven, my mother has one and LOVES it. I think the 5 qt was about $50-60 (still expensive, but way cheaper than Le Crueset).

As a side note: I love cast iron pans, we bought a skillet a few years ago at a garage sale for $1. It needed serious TLC, but after a good sanding and seasoning, it is gorgeous!

Yum! Soup...cheese...soup...mmmm...

The cake turned out after a pan snafu. I have a Silpat sort of Bundt pan that is about 25% too small. Grrr. I put most of the batter in it and then put the rest in my mini-bundt pans and made three of those. I took a photo of those, I'll try to post tomorrow. I think it will be delicious for breakfast.

I'm making the beets tomorrow.