Spiced Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Pudding

As you know readers, I've become enamored with Sticky Toffee Puddings as a whole. I'm a pie ala mode type gal so when I discovered I can have a type of cake ala mode, well I had to go there. I'm staying here. . .at least through winter. As I'm buttoning up my Thanksgiving menu I knew I had to work on the desserts. The usual pies (pumpkin and pecan) are handled, but I want more. Pumpkin Spiced Pudding it is. 

Pudding Ingredients (if using a bundt cake pan, double recipe for full cake):

1 cup of Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (I found mine at Trader Joe's, you can use other brands too)

1 1/3 cup pumpkin puree 

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

1 teaspoon minced crystallized ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup water

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour mix (see note)

1 teaspoon xanthum gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Toffee sauce (directions here):

1 cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup butter

2 cup heavy cream

Note: This is my go to Gluten-free AP flour recipe from King Arthur Flour's website. It uses brown rice flour instead of the typical mix of white and brown rice flour for a less gritty texture. They use stabilized  I haven't been able to find it yet, my brown rice flour seems to work just fine. I've found this works great for me. I mix a batch up and store it in a container for ease of use and add xanthum or guar guar when necessary.

6 cups brown rice flour (they use stabilized  I haven't been able to find it yet, my brown rice flour seems to work just fine.)

2 cups potato starch

1 cup tapioca starch 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring the water, brown sugar, apples and dates to a simmer in a small pot for about 10 minutes. Place mixture, butter and sugar into processor and blend. 

Add pumpkin and eggs, mix.

Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and xanthum gum and blend until well incorporated.

Lightly butter or grease your muffin tin (either a 12 count or large 6 count). Using a medium sized ladle, spoon batter into each cup until almost to the top lip of each. I used a bunt cake pan. Place into preheated oven on middle rack. 

Once again I used my simplified water bath/steaming method when baking these, I simply filled up a cake pan with water and placed on the bottom rack.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.

I'm kicking myself for not doubling my recipe for a full cake! Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving with toffee sauce, ice cream or a bit of whipping cream. You could do all three--no one's judging.

Black Bean, Sweet Potato, Yam and Sausage Chili

We had a blustery Saturday here in the PNW. The winds were up to 56 miles per hour and the trees lost weakened branches. Thousands of people in the area lost power, fortunately we weren't one of them. On cold angry days like these chili warms me up and keeps the chill at bay. Luckily we had some of this left over from the other night. Usually I use chorizo and butternut squash but decided to use up the spicy sausages and ground beef I had in the fridge. This was hardy, flavorful and awesome. But if you don't use a spicy sausage like I did (Chicken Jalapeno Monterrey Jack), you'll want to add an additional 1/2 a teaspoon of each spice listed below. Chili is one of those dishes very much based on personal preference and heat tolerance; hence, please do a taste test after 40 minutes of simmering. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
4 Sausages (I used Jalapeno Chicken with Monterrey Cheese), sliced
2 cans diced tomatoes 
2 cans black beans, drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup yams, peeled and diced 
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup mixed bell peppers
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced
6 red chili peppers
1 tablespoon cilantro, fresh and chopped
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cyanne pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon corn starch
dash of sea salt and black pepper to taste
5 cups of water or enough to cover the chili by at least 1 1/2"
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack & lime wedges and sour cream to serve.

Directions:

Peel and slice the yams & sweet potatoes into large dice sized cubes.

Brown the ground beef and sausages, add the sliced onion.

Stir in the yams & sweet potatoes, sugar, spices and herbs. 

Add the beans and tomatoes and stir. 

Add in the water, cornstarch and chilies, bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and let the chili simmer for 2 hours. 

I suggest serving this with a sprinkling of fresh pepper jack, Monterrey or cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, fresh chopped cilantro and a wedge of lime. Don't forget the cornbread!