Falling for Pumpkins and Pecans
Published September 29, 2021
If the cooler weather and changing leaves were not enough to convince us that fall is in full swing, a quick glance at our favorite grocery stores and restaurant menus will do the trick. And these cozy, comforting dishes featuring fall favorites like pumpkin, maple, cinnamon and pecan are perfectly autumnal to get you in the seasonal spirit.
Pecan Bourbon Smash
Featuring praline liqueur and bourbon, this is the perfect cocktail to warm you up at your next fall get-together.
4 oz bourbon
2 oz praline liqueur
6 dashes orange or chocolate bitters
Garnish: orange peel and Luxardo cherries
Add ice to a tall mixing glass. Pour in bourbon, pecan liqueur and bitters. Stir until well-chilled and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a n orange peel and cherries. Recipe serves two.
Autumn Gnocchi and Sausage Casserole
Sweet sausage, salty parmesan, and creamy pumpkin sauce make this gnocchi dish topped with fried sage leaves supremely satisfying – comfort food at its finest.
For the Sage Leaf Garnish:
10 Sage Leaves
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Coat a frying pan with olive oil and bring to medium heat until oil is shimmery. Add sage leaves and flip about 20-30 seconds. Watch carefully for another 10-20 seconds until darker in color and crisp. Remove from oil using care not to tear leaves onto a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt immediately.
For the Gnocchi Casserole:
1 lb gnocchi cooked until just done per package instructions
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
1 15oz. can pumpkin puree
1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven 375°F. Preheat large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until brown breaking up into small pieces. Transfer to a bowl using slotted spoon. Add shallots and garlic to sausage grease left behind in the pan and cook until soft. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add milk and pumpkin. Stir until fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Add gnocchi and sausage to the pan and stir well. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour into greased baking pumpkin dishes or a 1-quart baking dish. Top with parmesan cheese and bake 20 minutes or until cheese is golden. Garnish with sage leaves.
Pumpkin Spiced Dinner Roll
Put on your coziest sweater, light your favorite autumn scented candle, and whip up a batch of these adorable pumpkin spiced dinner rolls. And while the cute roll alone is hard to top, serving warm with a side of whipped cinnamon butter definitely does not hurt.
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk – scalded and cooled to lukewarm
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp salt
3 ¾ cup flour
Kitchen string
Cooking spray or oil
3-4 cinnamon sticks
Using an electric mixer with dough hook, stir milk, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, yeast, butter, 1 egg and salt until combined. Gradually add the flour and knead on medium-low until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Stop the mixer and let rest 5 minutes. Turn the mixer back on to medium-low for another 5 minutes, adding more flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, if dough is too sticky. Grease a large bowl and transfer dough to it. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let it sit 45 minutes to an hour, until dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile, cut 12 pieces of string about the width of your arm span and place in a bowl. Spray with cooking spray or coat with oil to prevent sticking to dough once baked. Remove dough from bowl and cut into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge into a ball and run string across the top, flip and cross string and run at the opposite angle (creating an "x" shape) and continue flipping and crossing the string until you have 8 wedges. Tie a tight knot close to the dough. Cut excess string. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit 30 minutes. Mix remaining egg with 2 tsp water for egg wash and brush generously over dough balls. Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Cut knot off baked pumpkins and carefully remove string. Score cinnamon stick around the circumference about 1 inch from the top with a sharp knife. Snap at the scored line with your fingers. Repeat two more times per stick so there are 12 one-inch pieces. Insert cinnamon stick garnish in the center of the pumpkin to resemble its stem.
Maple Layer Cake
Butter up buttercup with a browned butter pecan cake. An indulgent salty and sweet whipped butter cream wraps around each tender maple, pecan and cinnamon infused layer.
For The Maple Cinnamon Pecan Cakes:
½ cup + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup maple syrup
¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 ¼ cup flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ cup chopped pecans
For the Brown Butter Buttercream:
1 ½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup salted butter
4 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Garnish:
Finely chopped pecans
For the Cake:
Preheat oven 350°F. Grease 3 6” cake pans. In a small bowl sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. Cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until pale in color. Add the maple syrup and buttermilk. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in pecans. Divide the batter between the pans and bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the baking pans for 5 minutes and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Buttercream:
Add the butters to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat until the butter simmers. Stir frequently and remove from heat once the butter has reduced slightly and is golden brown in color. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set over a larger bowl of ice. Stir butter frequently until it has cooled to room temperature and the consistency of softened butter. Whip the butter with electric mixer for 10 minutes until pale in color and light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar slowly and vanilla. Beat well one more minute.
Assembly:
Level cooled cakes and place one layer on a cake board. Top with a layer of buttercream and chill for 10 minutes in fridge. Remove and top with 2ndlayer and buttercream. Cool in fridge 10 more minutes and add remaining layer. Crumb coat entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and chill for 5 minutes. Continue frosting cake as desired, adding crushed pecans at the base and sprinkled on top for a garnish. The cake will slice very clean and well when chilled, but is best served at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Renée Meuse Lovley