Editor’s Note: When I was growing up, colder weather and falling leaves meant a house filled with family and an endless supply of fall foods, like the entries in our annual Halloween chili cook-off, my mom’s sweet cornbread (dotted with whole kernels of corn), and a plethora of fresh, seasonal pies. But two family recipes defined the fall season more than the rest: my mom’s simple, soul-warming apple cider (which would fill the house with the smell of cinnamon and cloves), and my grandmother’s signature pumpkin bars, topped with a generous layer of rich cream cheese frosting. I leave you with these two recipes, as well as one from Café Delmarette co-owner Jennifer Toner, and a wish that you take full advantage of the season’s harvest. Enjoy!
Nola’s Pumpkin Bars
Easy Apple Cider
Sift or mix: 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking power 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Combine: 4 eggs, beaten 1 sixteen-ounce can pumpkin (2 cups) 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup vegetable oil
1 gallon unfiltered organic apple cider 1 whole orange studded with 20 to 30 cloves 1 orange, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices 4 to 6 cinnamon sticks Extra cinnamon sticks to place in each serving cup (optional)
Stir dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Blend until smooth. Spread in greased and floured 15-inch by 1-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until firm.
Place a cinnamon stick in each of several mugs, and fill with hot cider. Makes 16 cups. Leftover cider can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated as needed.
Pour cider into large saucepan. Add studded orange, orange slices and cinnamon sticks. Simmer on medium low heat until piping hot. May also be made in a crock pot and kept warm for several hours.
Frosting: 1 eight-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, softened 4 cups powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla Cream butter and cream cheese together until well blended and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Spread over top of cooled pumpkin bars, cut into squares and serve.
Jennifer Toner’s Cilantro Pesto Recipe (As found on Café Delmarette’s Roncado sandwich) Yield: about a cup 2 bunches cilantro with the bottom inch or two of the stems cut off, well-washed and dried Scant 1/3 cup nuts: Brazil nuts, almonds and walnuts will all work. You can throw in some pumpkin seeds, too, if you like. A couple of pinches of salt, to taste Juice of one or two lemons—around 3 tbsp
52 l food & wine
About 1/4 cup or more of olive oil, until desired consistency is reached Pulse cilantro, nuts, salt and lemon juice in a food processor until pulverized. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Turn power on and add in oil through the feed tube until the pesto lightens a bit and looks creamy. Stop and taste for salt, lemon and texture. Adjust as needed.