Kitchen Chick

Life's been busy...

I've been away for a bit. I have two work contracts that have been keeping me busy, and I've just started a digital photography class that'll be eating up more of my free time. (And I hope my food photos will benefit from my soon-to-be acquired photoshop skills.)

Kitchen Survey: In the beginning there was... Your First Cookbook

I count my culinary adventures as beginning in college, when I was forced to fend for myself, and now, years later, I have countless cookbooks that attest to our wide-ranging culinary explorations. But in the beginning, before college, before high school, back in the dark ages of my junior high, there was one. My first cookbook ever...

Come and Get It: A Natural Foods Cookbook for Children by Kathleen M. Baxter and illustrated Mimi Orlando.

A family friend gave it to me back in... oh, that'd be telling. The pages are card-stock, and every 32 pages is a different color: yellow, lime green, orange, fuchsia. Someone knows children well. I don't remember cooking many recipes from it. I liked cooking, but I didn't really like food. Go figure. It'd be another five years or so before my taste buds would wake up and say "Hey, food is great!"

Paging through this relic of my childhood I catch glimmers of my future. Next to the peanut butter cookie recipes, I find a scrawled note in a pre-adolescent handwriting that reads "Missing something. Salt or sugar?"

I feel compelled to make those cookies and finally answer a young proto-cook's question: salt or sugar.

I invite you to share a story about your first cookbook.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

This chilled chiffon pie has a lighter texture than a traditional pumpkin pie, which makes it perfect for summer picnics. The filling is cooked on the stove top then the pie is chilled. The original recipe comes from Penzey's, but it uses a high amount of sugar. I made it for a bbq, and our guests liked it well enough, but I found it way too sweet. So I tried again, cutting the total sugar almost in half! We all thought this version was had just about the perfect amount of not-too-sweet sweetness.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

9 or 10 inch pie pan

Pie Shell
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 C graham cracker crumbs (use the larger amount for the larger pie pan)
1/8 C sugar
6 or 7 Tbs melted butter (again, adjust for crumb amount)
1 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Crush graham crackers to make the crumbs, unless using pre-crushed crumbs. Mix dry ingredients. Add butter. Mix until moist. Press into an ungreased 9 or 10 inch pie pan. Back for about 20 minutes or so. Watch your crust carefully. The edges may burn first. Set aside to cool while you make the pie filling.

Pie Filling
3 eggs, separated
1 1/4 C canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1/4 scant C sugar AND 1/2 scant C sugar
1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 rounded tsp ginger
1/8 rounded tsp nutmeg
1/8 rounded tsp allspice
(OR about 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Separate eggs and set aside the whites. Beat yolks and put in a double boiler. Add pumpkin, milk, salt, spices, and vanillia, and the 1/4 C sugar. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring very frequently (constantly if possible). Filling should get hot and thicken a bit, but it shouldn't bubble.

When the pumpkin mixture is done, remove from heat. In a large bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Stir to mix. Add the pumpkin mixture. Stir to mix well. Set aside to cool. DO NOT DO THIS STEP AHEAD OF TIME OR THE GELATIN WILL SET.

Beat the egg whites until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 C sugar and beat on high until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Fold egg whites into a cooled or mostly cooled pumpkin mixture. Mix until thoroughly until blended. A soft spatula helps here. The mixture will become a creamy light orange.

Pour into pie crust, smooth top as desired, and chill at least 2 hours. It does quite well if chilled overnight.

You can use a store-bought graham cracker crust, but this one made from scratch with a touch of cinnamon is so much tastier.