Cranberries and Mascarpone Puff Pastry--French Classic with an American Twist

There is always puff pastry in my freezer. I keep just in case I have unexpected guests or a new idea of what to make from it. I never make my own. I think it takes too much work and I rather spend that time preparing cakes that are not available at stores or taste much better when made at home, as for example all tarts, which are best soon after they cool down and their smell still fills up the kitchen.

When I lived in Switzerland, I tried all kinds of cakes based on puff pastry, which are very popular there. They were made early in the morning waiting to be served with the breakfast coffee. On the way to my French classes I often visited one boulangerie to have a cup of coffee with a croissant or a puff pastry cake. When we met after school it was espresso and something more fancy. I remember something similar to Danish pastry, which is popular in the US, but much less sweet and more subtle in taste. It was filled with soft cheese and sometimes also with delicate fruits. Pears were too mild for my taste but I loved it with wild blueberries or raspberries inside.

The other day, after I made cranberry sauce, I was wondering what to do with the leftover fruits, and all of a sudden I recalled these puff pastry cakes. What came out was a very easy seasonal dessert, and also quite original in taste. A French cake with an American twist.

Puff Pastry with Mascarpone and Cranberries
(For two mid-size cakes)

Ingredients:
1 pack puff pastry (two sheets)--I use Pepperidge Farm pastry,
8 oz of mascarpone cheese,
1/2 cup sugar plus extra couple spoons for the finish,
1 cup cranberries,
1 small egg or leftover white.

Preparation:
1. Defrost pastry. Cut the first sheet in half and spread both parts on a lightly buttered baking tin. Put the second sheet aside on a flour-dusted surface.
2. Preheat oven to 400F.
3. Wash and dry cranberries on the colander.

4. Mix mascarpone with sugar. Spread half of the mascarpone on each of the pastry leaving around a half-inch margin. Spread half of the cranberries. Cover it with the second half of puff pastry. Using a fork press edges around the each piece to close the cake. Make on top of the cake a few cuts--this will help vaporise excess moisture.

5. Brush the top of each cake with a beaten egg or egg's white and dust it with two tablespoons of sugar.
6. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until pastry rises and the top becomes gold.

Spicy Butternut Squash Pudding--A Wonderful Fall Starter

Somehow, it seems I have been working a lot with the vegetables from the pumpkin family. Last year, I often made pumpkin risottos and gnocchi. This year I experimented with different pumpkin soups and savory dishes. If you came to my home for dinner lately, chances are, as a starter I would serve you spicy butternut squash pudding--my newest invention--with freshly baked bread. I fell in love with this dish.

As it is often the case the best ideas come accidentally. And so did mine. The idea for this dish came to me last year when I had friends for dinner and wanted to prepare something vegetarian. I made a squash bisque but still had plenty of squash left and I wanted to prepare a dish that could be made ahead and served later. I roasted squash, added some other vegetables and spices, and baked it in water. The dish came as a big surprise and was a great success. I served it in individual ramekins, decorated with sage or pumpkin seeds. It looked nice and tasted even better. Everybody liked it very much and even two extra portions were gone as well.

At that time I did not have time to write down this recipe and as it is with some improvisations, I did not remember exactly how I made it. After many phone conferences with my sister who was at that dinner as well, I finally reproduced this recipe. She could not remember how I prepared this dish, but had a vivid impression of its taste. I tried it several times and finally got it right. This week, I will make it again for my friends.

It can be served as a dinner starter, or a stand-alone dish alone with fresh baguette, and I am pretty sure everybody will enjoy this simple fall dish.

Spicy Butternut Squash Pudding
(Serves six)

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash (about 4 pounds of peeled cubes),
3 celery sticks, sliced,
4 shallots, chopped,
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped,
1 tsp mild curry powder,
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese,
1 tsp paprika (smoked or Hungarian),
1/3–1/2 cup heavy whipping cream,
2 small eggs,
1 tbsp lemon juice,
sage leaves or pumpkin seeds to decorate,
olive oil for frying,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel off squash and cut into medium cubes. Coat pieces with one tbsp of olive oil and bake for about 20 minutes until they get slightly brown on the sides.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium heavy duty frying pan, heat about 2 tbsp of oil. Add chopped shallots and fry them until transparent. Add thinly sliced celery sticks and fry together for another 3-5 minutes, until they become soft. Add squash pieces and parsley to the pan. Mix well and turn off the heat.
4. Using a blender (I use a hand blender) puree all the ingredients into a smooth paste. Add curry, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Try and decide if you need more salt and pepper.
5. Add two eggs and heavy whipping cream and mix well. Up to this step a dish can be made hours ahead.
6. Preheat oven to 400F.
7. Divide the squash puree among six slightly buttered ramekins. Place them on a large baking pan with higher walls and pour around hot water, up to the half of ramekins' height.

8. Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until top is set and slightly gold.

Serve warm decorated with butter-fried sage leaves or pumpkin seeds and freshly baked bread.

White Beans Sautéed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pancetta

This recipe is an upscale or at least drier version of what you used to get at any place serving food in Poland and was called Beans à la Bretonne. It was a dish made of cooked large white beans in a tomato sauce. In the more prosperous times it was served with chopped sausage, or bacon, or even meats. But most often it was served as a protein-rich vegetarian dish.

I do not have any particular sentiment for beans made that way, but because I like all kinds of beans I found this, most probably Italian, variation of this dish interesting. It called for tomatoes, but sun-dried, and pancetta, and some extra spices and herbs.

I made it last week on a cold, windy day. I added some chili pepper flakes, which made it fairly spicy. It tasted great, warming up and comforting.

I made part of the dish without pancetta for my son, but I added more garlic and tomatoes to it. He liked it a lot. But I found it tastier when I added some pancetta to it. It did not make the dish heavier but the taste of pancetta complimented it nicely.

I also cooked the beans al dente. They were already soft, but still a bit tender when bitten, while in Poland we served them nearly overcooked. For that reason, dry beans, not canned, should be used. Beans should be soaked over night and cooked slowly for about an hour, but you really need to try how you like them. I also salted it at the end of cooking with coarse sea salt. But not too much, as tomatoes and pancetta add extra saltines already.

White Beans Sautéed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pancetta
(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
1 lb (half a kilogram ) of dried, large white beans (e.g., Lima beans),
6-8 garlic cloves,
1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (the best are those in oil and herbs), cut in strips
1/4 lb of pancetta (10-12 very thin slices),
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped,
1 tsp red chili pepper,
1 tbs fresh rosemary leaves.

Preparation:
1. Cover the beans with water (about an inch above) and let them soak overnight. Simmer in the same water for about an hour or a bit longer, until they have desirable softness.
2. Preheat a large frying pan. Add pancetta and fry it until it releases all the fat. Cut garlic into thin slices garlic and, add it to the pot, and fry it together for about 3-5 minutes until garlic becomes gold.
3. Cut sun dried tomatoes and add them to the pan, mix everything, and let it cook together for about a minute. Throw in chopped rosemary and chili pepper, and stir.
4. Add beans and about a 1/4 cup of water. Mix together and simmer gently until water evaporates and beans are coated in all the ingredients.

Serve hot.