Pumpkin Pancakes
Whisk together:
- 1 and 1/4 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon each cinnamon, ground ginger and salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of cloves
Mix one egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 6 tablespoons pumpkin puree and 1 cup milk and fold into the dry ingredients. Heat a buttered or oiled skillet over medium heat and use about 1/4 cup batter for each breakfast-size pancake.
I will be making these as very small silver-dollar–size pancakes and serving with orange cream cheese as an hors d’oeuvre at my family’s Thanksgiving reunion.
Squash Leaf Canapes
Cut a large butternut squash horizontally below the neck; reserve bulb for another use. Cut squash into 1/8 inch slices. Use miniature leaf-shaped cookie cutters to cut as many individual leaves as possible (12–16 from one squash ). Saute squash “leaves” in butter over medium heat until brown, about two minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels to drain; sprinkle with salt. Toast small squares of a dense brown bread, like pumpernickel. Top each with a small dollop of goat or other soft cheese — try Fields of Grace Camembert! — and cover with one of the leaves.
Sweet Potato Sticks with Mustard Seeds and Ginger
Steam 3 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick sticks in a covered pot for about 5 minutes or until just tender. Transfer gently to a wide platter.
While potatoes steam, saute 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger in 6 tablespoons olive oil over moderately low heat for about one minute; add 1 tablespoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, stirring, for two minutes. Spoon hot oil mixture over sticks and sprinkle with ½ cup chopped cilantro. Serves eight as a first course or side dish — more as an appetizer.
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