Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club - Double Ginger Pumpkin Flan

Here we are in the dead of winter and thus far we've had it relatively easy. Toronto's had a smattering of snow but not the 6 ft drifts I remember from my childhood. I'm not sure whether I should be happy or concerned.

This month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is focusing on winter comfort food. For me, desserts are always comforting so I decided to try my hand at a Double Ginger Pumpkin Flan I used a flan pan that was probably too big for the volume of this flan so I carefully spooned it into dessert dishes. It sure didn't take away from the taste. I've included the nutritional breakdown to emphasize that we can always have dessert.



If you don't have individual ramekins, use custard cups or a 1 1/2-quart baking dish, which will require an additional 15 to 20 minutes in the oven.

Ingredients

Caramel:

Cooking spray
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Flan:
1/3 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. To prepare caramel, lightly coat 6 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook 4 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, without stirring, 6 minutes or until mixture turns golden around outside edges. Divide evenly into prepared ramekins. Set aside.

3. To prepare flan, combine 1/3 cup sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in pumpkin and next 3 ingredients (through cinnamon). Combine milk, half-and-half, and fresh ginger. Heat milk mixture over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Gradually add half of hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Reduce heat, and cook to 160°, stirring constantly with a whisk . Remove from heat. Strain through a sieve over a large bowl; discard solids.

4. Divide milk mixture evenly among prepared ramekins. Place cups in a 13 x 9–inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1-inch. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cups from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Chill at least 8 hours.

5. Carefully loosen edges of custards with a knife. Invert ramekins onto plates. Drizzle any remaining caramel over custards.

Val from More Than Burnt Toast prepared Carmelized Onion, Gruyere and Bacon Spread.
Jerry of Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants! has a Tuscan White Bean Soup
Sandi of The Whistestop Cafe Cooking arrived with Macaroni and Cheese with Smoked Gouda and Spinach
Roz from La Bella Vista prepared Sirloin Steak with Mushroom Sauce with Chive Garlic Potatoes



Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 224
Calories from fat: 31%
Fat: 7.6g
Saturated fat: 3.6g
Monounsaturated fat: 2.9g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g
Protein: 5.1g
Carbohydrate: 34.9g
Fiber: 1.3g
Cholesterol: 215mg
Iron: 1.2mg
Sodium: 39mg
Calcium: 106mg

Penne in a Spicy Tuna Sauce & Contest Alert

My pasta-making repertoire has become a bit predictable as of late.  So, I was really excited when Aurora contacted me to see if I would be interested in participating in their Recipideo Roundup.  Aurora is a Canadian-based company that sells quality Italian products in Canada, the United States and other countries.

Recipideos are short videos, developed by Aurora, showing how to make easy Italian recipes.  Keep an eye out (or follow the youtube channel) for future recipideos.  January's recipideo was Pasta with Spicy Tuna Sauce.  You can watch the video here:



Aurora kindly sent me a few of the products used in the recipe, so I could try them out myself.

I was particularly impressed with the diced tomatoes.  They have 10 mg of sodium per 1/2 cup, this is far lower than the diced tomatoes in my cupboard (even the ones that claim that no salt is added).

The La Bomba, an antipasto spread, is something that I would likely never have noticed on my own (I'm generally a creature of habit who sticks to my staples when shopping).  But I was pleasantly surprised by the nice spice it added to the dish and plan to incorporate it in future dishes.

I included about two tablespoons of the La Bomba in the recipe.  But, since we like our food spicy, I'll probably add even more next time.  I think R also has plans to add some to his special sandwich.

The dish has an unexpected depth to it.  Maybe this came from adding strained tomato.  It was similar  to the depth of flavour that comes from adding a wine reduction to your tomato sauce.

Definitely a winning dish!

But here's the exciting part...

Aurora has offered to send one of our readers the six ingredients you see, below:

+

Here's how to participate:

Go check out the Aurora catalogue and then leave a comment here, before Sunday, January 29th at midnight (EST).  In the comment, let me know which product most interests you.  After doing this, I will put your name in a draw to win the prize.

You can also have your name added to the draw a second time by tweeting the following information:

Enter to win specialty Italian food at http://tinyurl.com/7p26zrv @AuroraImporting @EqualOppKitchen

(you can personalize the tweet, if you'd like)

One more detail:

This contest is open to those living in Canada and the United States.  However, please be aware that if you are located in the US, you will be responsible for covering the cost of border tariffs.

Pulled Pork

When it comes to the pork department, other than bacon, I haven't experimented much with different cuts of meat. I've admitted it before and I'll say it again, I seem to have this FOP (fear of pork). I've always been curious about pulled pork. Yes dear readers, I've never made it before now. I had to go to a couple of grocery stores before I could find Canadian Pork; I'm strange that way. I believe grocery stores make a choice about what to buy; why not local??? I'd pay more for a local product and will leave a store that doesn't carry it. Support your local farmers!!!
OK enough ranting for one day.

I found a Bonnie Stern recipe and I really haven't met one of her recipes that I didn't like. I appreciate her sense of healthy eating and always works to take recipes and makes them more calorie friendly.

Paste:
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp each paprika, pepper and cumin
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (pork butt roast)



Cooking liquid:
- 2 cups apple juice
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 6 whole cloves garlic
- 2 onions, thickly sliced

Maple barbecue sauce:

- 2 cups favourite barbecue sauce
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp each Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1. Combine brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, cumin, mustard and garlic. Rub into roast. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.




2. Combine apple juice, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Place garlic and onions in the bottom of a Dutch oven and set roast on top. Add liquid. Cover roast with a piece of parchment paper and then cover pan tightly. Cook in a preheated 325F/160C oven for 3 to 4 hours or longer, until pork is so tender it falls apart when pierced with a fork.

3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan whisk barbecue sauce with maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and mustard. Bring to a boil. Cook gently 5 minutes. Reserve.
4. When roast is ready, remove from pan. Slice thickly and chop. Combine with half the barbecue sauce, adding some of the strained cooking juices if meat is too dry.


Reheat meat just before serving in a 325F oven for about 30 minutes.
5. Make sandwiches on the soft buns with meat, extra barbecue sauce, coleslaw, chipotle mayo and guacamole (if using).



Makes 12 sandwiches

Verdict: Absolutely delicious and the maple bar b que sauce is just wonderful. I wouldn't hesitate to make this again.