Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients
for Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbs butter, melted

2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nut meg

for Filling
3 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs vanilla
2 cups canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger

for Topping and Decorations
1/2 cup white chocolate or vanilla melting chips
1 small handful shelled pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, in a medium bowl. Stir until crumbs are well coated with butter, and still crumbly (not pasty). Press the crumbs onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, pushing crust slightly up the sides of the pan.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside.

To make the cheesecake filling, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and mix on medium speed until smooth. Pour the filling into the pan over crust. Bake for 70 minutes. Turn off oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature while still in the oven - about 3 hours. Remove cheesecake from oven.

To decorate, melt white chocolate or vanilla chips, and spread evenly over cheesecake, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the cake. Top with pumpkin seeds (be creative!).

Place cheesecake in refrigerator until chilled. Before removing from pan, slide a knife around the edge of the springform pan.

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Adapted from a The Repressed Pastry Chef recipe.

Spinach Tomato Pinwheels

Ingredients

10 oz fresh spinach, finely chopped

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp pepper

2 sheets puff pastry dough, thawed to room temperature. (recipe for puff pastry follows, or use store bought)

Combine finely chopped spinach and sun dried tomatoes with sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir in parmesan, garlic, and pepper.

On a piece of waxed paper, lay one sheet of puff pastry dough. Spread half of the spinach mixture all over the dough, leaving about 3/4 inch on one end. Starting at the opposite end, roll up the pastry. Gently pinch to seal the seam. Roll up in the waxed paper, and place in the freezer. Repeat with other sheet of puff pastry dough and remaining filling. Freeze for 30 minutes, or until desired serving time (up to 2 months well wrapped).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove rolls from freezer, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Adapted from a RecipeGirl recipe.

Puff Pastry Dough

Ingredients
1 1/8 cups flour
pinch salt
3/4 cup cold butter
about 1/2 cup cold water

To make the puff pastry, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Rub in 2 Tbs butter with hands. Gradually add water until dough comes together (you probably won't need all the water). Wrap in plastic wrap, chill for 30 min. Leave remaining butter out to warm to room temperature. Roll dough into rectangle, less than 1/2 inch thick. Place remaining butter over middle third of dough. Fold sides over butter, like a letter, and press seems on the side to seal. Roll dough into original size. Fold into thirds. Roll folded dough back to original size and again fold in thirds. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 min. Repeat rolling out and folding procedure twice more. Roll dough out into a larger rectangle twice as thin.

Makes equivalent of 2 pastry sheets.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients For Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter


Ingredients for Filling
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
~2 tbs sugar


Filling:
Beat together powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Shape approximately 32 balls with hands. Set aside. Place sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together butter, sugars, and peanut butter until smooth. In a separate bowl stir together flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. If you are not using a electric mixer the last cup or so of the flour mixture may have to be kneaded in by hand. Shape dough into approximately 32 balls. To form cookies take one ball of dough, make an indent in its center with your thumb and press a filling ball into the indent. Wrap the dough completely around the filling, and smooth out by rolling between your palms. Dip the round cookie in the bowl of sugar and place on greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Use the bottom of a glass to press down each cookie to about 1/2 an inch high. Bake for about eight minutes or until cookies set.

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Adapted from a Better Home's and Garden recipe

Pain à l'Ancienne or Focaccia

Ingredients

6 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 tsp yeast

2 1/4 - 3 cups ice cold water

Day One
Combine flour, salt, yeast, and 2 1/4 cups water in bowl of electric mixture, fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix for two minutes at low speed. If no mixer or paddle attachment are available use a large mixing bowl and a large spoon. Switch to a dough hook and mix for five to six minutes at medium speed. Add just enough water to keep the dough sticking to the bottom of the bowl but not so much as to make the dough stick to the sides of the bowl. If a bread hook and mixer are unavailable knead by hand for six to ten minutes. Oil a large bowl and transfer the dough. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight.

Day Two
Remove bowl from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for two to three hours or longer if the the dough still has not doubled in size. Transfer dough to a floured surface, lightly as not to degas the dough. Lightly form the dough into a rectangle about 8 by 6 inches. With a long knife or a pastry cutter pinch the dough in half (don't saw back and forth). Let rest for five minutes.



Variation One: Pain à l'Ancienne
Preheat oven to 500 or 550 if possible. Set an empty cast iron pan or glass baking dish on the top shelf of the preheating oven. Take one half of the dough, and use the pastry cutter or knife to pinch the dough into three strips. Very carefully, as not to degas the dough, form the strips into long baguettes; if the dough stretches back as you form it let it sit for another five minutes or so. Transfer strips to a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal. Slash dough if desired. Place baking pan in oven and immediately pour a cup of hot water into the heated cast iron pan or baking dish. Careful of the steam; close oven quickly. Wait thirty seconds, before you use a spray bottle to spray the sides of the oven with water. Repeat this step twice more at two minute intervals. After last spraying reduce heat to 475 degrees. After 8-9 minutes dough will turn golden brown. Continue baking for 1o-15 more minutes until the dough turns a deep golden caramel brown. Let cool for twenty minutes before cutting.





Variation Two: Focaccia

1/4 cup olive oil
spices to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Take one half of the dough and stretch to double its original size. Place in a lightly oiled 9x13 baking pan. Drizzle oil and sprinkle spices. Use fingers to make indents into the surface of the dough. Attempt to make dimples of equal depth, and equally spaced. Bake until dough turns a light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and immediately remove the dough from the pan. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.


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Adapted from a The Bread Baker's Apprentice recipe

Chocolate Brioches

Ingredients

For dough:
1 tsp yeast
3 cups flour
1 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs honey
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
7 egg yolks
1/4 cups water
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into small cubes

For Chocolate Truffles:
3/4 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup buttermilk*
2 Tbs sweet and condensed milk*
1 Tbs butter
*If you don't have buttermilk and sweet and condensed milk, substitute 1/3 cup heavy cream.

First Day: In a mixer, using the dough hook, combine yeast, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt. add the yolks and the butter and mix until elastic and quite sticky, about 15 minutes. If dough looks dry while mixing, add the 1/4 cup water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight.

To make the truffles: heat buttermilk and sweet and condensed milk (or cream) over medium heat until hot. Add chocolate and butter, and stir until melted and smooth. If you like, transfer it to a bowl, and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Make 12 truffles using spoons, cover, and freeze until use.

Next Day: Take the dough out of the bowl and knead a little on a floured surface. Divide dough into 13 balls. Flatten 12 of the balls, making the center the thinnest part. Place a chocolate truffle in the center, and bring the sides up around the chocolate to completely conceal it. Pinch seems together so the chocolate won't leak out too much while baking. Place each ball in a well greased muffin tin. Divide the 13th ball of dough into 12 little balls, placing one on top of each filled ball. Let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350degrees. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Best served in day of baking.

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adapted from a Baking For the Cure recipe.