C'est le GRAND POTIRON!

It's the GREAT PUMPKIN indeed.

A few months ago, our electrician gave us a 17lb french pumpkin. After a few searches online, I have decided what he gave us (he is not sure of the variety either) is a Muscade de Provence. It is said to be a traditional variety from southern France. Gorgeous, big flat fruits are reminiscent of big wheels of cheese. Fruits average 20 pounds, green when immature and ripen to a deep, rich brown when fully ripe. Deep orange flesh, very fine flavored. We had already roasted some of it, made some with more of it and still had a ton leftover. Seeing as how I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, for Thanksgiving dessert, I decided to make a pumpkin cheesecake. NO CINNAMON INVOLVED!

It was quite delicious I must say. It had all the familiarity of a pumpkin pie, but was lighter in texture and flavor. Very palette cleansing in fact.

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick salted butter - melted

Filling:

2 cups fresh pumpkin
3 (8oz) packages cream cheese at room temperature
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablesppons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract - don't you even think about using imitation...

To prepare fresh pumpkin:
Cut into cubes and steam until soft. Place into a pan, mash and cook off any extra liquid. Place into a food mill and puree. I prefer the food mill over a blender, because it gets rid of the stringy bits. Place back in pan and cook down a bit more - 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To make crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, pecans, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Place in 350 degree oven for 7 minutes.

To make filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add cooled pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into cooled crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let coo. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Serve cold with whipped cream and grated nutmeg... or if some prefer cinnamon, you could add a dash of that as well.

BRINE AND DANDY

We hope you all had a nice and relaxing holiday, filled with delicious food. I have to admit that I started prepping the meal on Tuesday and made the dessert on the day before. I was not really in the mood for one GIANT mess on Thursday. And I was over the mess on Wednesday night with the cheesecake. In the end it was woth it all, especially the easy leftover meals the last 2 nights.
Our menu was on the small side this year... which ended up being perfect.

Shrimp Cocktail and Bloody Mary's to start
Roasted Turkey
Mashed Hawaiian Purple Heart Sweet Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup
My grandma's Classic Dressing
Thick and Creamy Gravy
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Fresh Baked Italian Bread with Herbed Butter
Pumkin Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Pecan Crust
(look for the cheesecake details in an upcoming post)

John and I usually get a turkey breast, but as I was strolling Safeway, I saw they were offering up 0-16lb Safeway brand turkey's for $3.97 with a $20 purchase. I was skeptical of the "cheap" bird at first, then my desire to penny pinch took over. I brought the frozen 13.4lb bird home and thawed it 2 days in the fridge. On Wednesday I made a brine, something I had never done before. AND I CAN SAY IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS! I bought a nice big aluminum roasting pan, lined it with double trash bags, placed the bird in and poured the brine over. Every few hours I headed to the fridge to turn the bird since it was only submerged halfway. How do people brine larger birds? In what? who has a fridge that big?

For this brine I used:

3 cans chicken stock
1/2 gallon water
42 ice cubes

1 1/2 cups salt
3 tablespoons coarse cracked black pepper
1 branch fresh rosemary
25 sage leaves torn apart
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
3 tablespoons soy sauce
zest and juice of 1 large orange, then toss in the orange
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup chopped chives

Bring all to a boil, cool for 25-30 minutes, add ice cubes to further cool. Pour over turkey and brine for 8-24 hours. I went for 20 hours. Turn bird every 2 hours during the day and once more as soon as you wake up. Remove bird and place in roasting pan adding 1 cup water. Smother with butter and pepper. Roast 3-4 hours, covering bird when it starts to get golden, usually the last hour.

HIGH SCHOOL CHUM AND HUBBY

I've been very lazy in regard to posting pics of my high school chum's visit in September. We had a fantastic time, when they weren't swimming with turtles and sharks as part of their newly acquired dive certification, we were dragging them inland to survey the pacific from higher climes. Click the slideshow and you can see the album at full size in Picasa.

I've known Denise since junior high where she immediately impressed me with her twisted sense of humor and love of all things John Hughes and New Wave (music that is, not french cinema). She and my cousin Anna were the first people I knew to own a Walkman. Big cred in those days. Many years and mixed tapes later, we roomed together for a bit after we got out of college and she quickly found work as an AVID editing master and Emmy-award winning producer. Always the pop culture afficionado, she is now writing stories and screenplays. Check out her blog to get a sense of her wit and humor, Irrelevent Monkey.

SEEING STARS

It's star fruit season, although a few months later than last year. I clearly remember the last of the star fruit being picked the day we got on a plane back in September 2008. We are as they say here in Hawai'i, "CHOKE STAR FRUIT". So what else do we do, besides sit under the tree, pluck them from the branches and eat them right there, the juice sugary sweet after being warmed by the sun? We make dessert. We also get a little upset at all the fallen fruit on the ground. But it does keep the birds happy.

Last week was a batch of banana/star fruit jam and this week…
~ Star Fruit Crumble
~ Star Fruit Upside Down Cake
~ Chicken Star Fruit Stir Fry

And there are plenty other star fruit dishes we aim to try over the next few weeks.

Star Fruit Upside Down Cake:

Was and slice starfruit, melt butter in a cake pan, sprinkle in brown sugar, lay in star fruit, pour batter on top.

You will want to make sure you bang the pan on the counter a few times to make the batter settle into all the crevices. cover with a cookie sheet first to avoid batter splatter. Cake is done when golden and all gooey brown on the edges.

Place a cookie sheet or plate on top of cake and flip over. I used a cookie sheet since I used a 9x13 pan (you will need to make 1 1/2 batches for this size pan.) Serve warm. Place in fridge. To reheat, place in 175 degree oven while eating dinner. Turn off when done eating and leve in oven. Cake will be warm when ready for dessert. I have also placed in a non-stick skillet with 1-2 teaspoons water, cover and heat on low for 5-10 minutes.

Here is a great link to "choke" STAR FRUIT RECIPES.

ALL ABOARD

Last week, John and I were invited by Anne over at one of our favorite "getaways" - Prêt à Voyager - to participate in an interview segment called Boarding Pass. We had a great time rummaging through not only digital photo's, but some old images from something called film. Mahalo Anne, for allowing us to look back at some of our favorite travel memories.

Read Conn's interview here.

Read John's interview here.

PINING FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS

Today we learned that MAUI LAND & PINEAPPLE will not be planting or growing anymore pineapple here in Maui starting immediately. This is news that literally made me sick to my stomach. I cannot imagine our drive into town or up Baldwin Avenue and not seeing the pineapple fields as they change from silvery green, to purpley green, to golden green and smell the sweet fragrance as the warms sun releases that signature aroma. This surely means the land will be sold off and developed. I still can't grasp it. This of course means we will be getting pineapple shipped in from South America and will of course cost much more than it does now.

The pineapple fields along the Hana Highway in Ha'iku. When this field is full and ripe, the aroma is amazing and you literally breathe in as deep as you can so as not to miss one second of the experience.

And just last week we learned that GAY & ROBINSON is ending sugar cane production on Kauai. The closure leaves Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. on Maui as the only sugar producer in the state. And if we loose that… it will be a sad day here.

Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. here on Maui.
No, it's not pretty, but it is full of old world charm.

So we better get to town and stock up, cut those tops off and get them in the ground if we want to keep fresh Hawaiian pineapples on the menu here at CFC. It takes at least 18 months to get a pineapple.. slower when not pumped full of fertilizers. Here are a few of our "award winners" at different stages.

GUA-VA-VA-VOOM!

I finally got around to using up some of the 96 guavas I gathered a few days ago and made my first Guava Cheesecake. It's very very light but very very guava-y and very very good. Now I need to use up the other 70 guava (and counting) and the 45 star fruit and make jam or even just some pulp and juice to freeze for later use.



Fresh Guava Pulp
15-20 fresh guava, peeled. enough to make 1 1/2 cups of pulp.
Place in a saucepan and cook until softened. Place in a food mill to remove the seeds and fibrous bits. I usually run through twice. You can prepare this the day before if desired. Chill until ready to use.

Shortbread Crust
1 cup butter (softened)
2 cups sifted unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)

Press into a 9" spring form pan, going either all the way up the sides or half way as I did. Poke with a fork to avoid bubbling and to allow steam to escape. Pre-bake 350 for 10-12 minutes. You will see in the picture below I let mine go a little too long. If you over pre-bake, the crust could end up burnt if the center of the cake is too thick and cooking slow.


Filling
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1 cup fresh guava pulp, cooled to room temperature or chilled.
(you may be able to use guava paste or guava juice as well, but I find there is no substitute for fresh guava. If using a juice try to use a concentrate. Start with 1/4 cup. Otherwise it may be too runny could require more egg.)

Cream the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, pulp, citrus juice and cream. Add eggs one at a time.

Pour filling into slightly cool crust. Bake 350 for 40 - 60 minutes depending on thickness of cake.
Let cake cool then refrigerate. Drizzle with glaze (see below) and serve.

Guava Glaze
1/2 cup remaining guava puree
(Or you could use 3/4 cup any other fruit juice, like pineapple, mango, orange, or even coconut milk. The combo of flavors are endless.)
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Make this after the cake has cooled. Blend together in a saucepan and simmer until bubbly and thickened. Allow to cool and place in an icing bag and squeeze over cool cake. You could also just pour this glaze over the top of the entire cake then refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

DRAGON EYE

A few days ago, our electrician brought us two branches full of Longan Fruit. Having never tried it before we were excited yet wary to try this new fruit with the nickname "dragon eye" because it looks like an eyeball when the shell is removed. Here you see it along with some other goodies from our yard like papaya, lime, liliko'i and star fruit.

You need to remove the shell much like a lychee. To crack them open you simply squeeze them between your finger and thumb until the thin brown shell cracks. Then peel off and pop in your mouth for a somewhat light melony flavor. It is very similar in texture to lychee, but I like the longan better. It is best to store them in the fridge as they spoil quickly if left out. Keeping them cold also makes the cracking of the shell easier.

If you have never experienced longan and happen to see it in a specialty store, pick some up. But I warn you... they go fast. Once you start, it's hard to stop eating them.

POSTER BOYS

A few weeks ago, we dropped of our Hawaii Volcanoes National Park poster by artist Charley Harper to be framed and we finally picked it up yesterday. We were completely exhausted yesterday and barely had the energy to run into town, but when the lady behind the counter unwrapped it we both came back to life.

The poster measures 29" x 39" and was printed in 1986.We chose a simple 1 3/4" square black frame with non-glare glass. It set us back a bit more than we wanted, but to finally see it removed from the tube it lived in for the last 4 years was worth it.

As usual, Charley managed to capture all the amazing beauty of Hawaii's native plants and animals as only Charley can with. First off, he placed them in the composition as they would be found at their proper elevation. Then he uses "minimal realism" as he calls it to capture the "details" with the fewest details possible. Lines, circles, triangles, squares etc. Charley often said he never counted the feathers , only the wings. Below are some details of some of our favorite native species... although we have never seen an 'I'iwi, 'Akiapola'au and the Palilia. Still hoping to one of these days.

Mamane flower, the 'I'iwi bird and
Pueo or Hawaiian Owl.

Bamboo Orchid, Ulehu Fern, Hawaiian Morning Glory and Hawaiian Hibiscus

Nene

Silversword plant and ʻAkiapōlāʻau bird.

Kamehameha Butterfly

'Ohiʻa lehua flowers and Palila bird.

BIRTHDAY SUGAR

For his birthday on tuesday, Conn wanted a starfruit pie. Our Starfruit tree is finally turning out this year's crop with giant fruits that look more like they were pushed out by a giant Play-Doh Fun Factory than the normal-sized fruits from passed years. I used to make pies a lot back when I had spare time so I took on the challenge with gusto. Back then, I'd make a double crust from memory but I found myself reaching for the Joy of Cooking to try one of their classics.

Pie Dough Cockaigne (9-inch Double Cruster slightly modified form original)

Sift together: 2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 t. salt, and 3 t. of sugar

Measure and combine: 1/4 c. butter (i used salted butter) and 3 T. shortening

Cut half the shortening mixture into the flour mixture until it has the grain of cornmeal, thencut in the remaining half until the it is pea-sized. Sprinkle dough with 5 T. of water. Using a spatula, just blend the water into the dough, if it looks too dry add a some more water in small amaounts until the dough holds together. Then knead it in your hands for a about 30 secs, forming it into a ball. Divide in half, wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refridgerate until you are ready to roll it out!

This was slightly different than the crusts I used to make, I never had shortening on hand, so I'd always use more butter. And we usually only have the salted kine butter.



For the filling, take around 10 medium starfruit (or 8 big ones) and remove pits and inner membrane and chop them up (that's why the cut up bits in the pic look like little arrows.)

Ok, so now this is where the recipe we found online went wonky and we realized it was for 2 pies! But we still only got one pie filling out of it. Anyway, the recipe said to cook the fruit with 2 cups of sugar and 2/3 cup of water. But if I were to try this again, I'd use only 1 cup of sugar and absolutely no water. It turned out way too wet. (see the pic below where we spooned out some of the liquid into a little bowl.

To add some depth of flavor, we added about 2 T. of fresh grated ginger and some fresh grated nutmeg.


So when the mixture boils, you add a few tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca. Now we assumed that would thicken it up, but it didn't work for us. So try it if you like tapioca, it might work for you. If not, sprinkle some flour into the mixture to thicken it up, just before you fill the pie which is what we did. Bake at 425 degrees for about 35 minutes, until the pie edges turn golden.



And for his birthday breakfast he got a bacon and taro english muffin sandwich.



Then, as if the pie wasn't enough sugar, we were minding our own business in costco, keeping to our list when this little beauty sweet-talked it's way into our cart. It's a mango sponge cake with whip icing. Um, it tastes more like apricot to me, but it was tasty regardless. Kind of light except for the whip icing. Needless to say, it's size has deemed it a diet mainstay over the passed few days of little time and lots of physical labor.

FLOOR SHOW

This past week we managed to get the upstairs and downstairs floors installed. After an extensive and exhaustive search for the perfect wood floor we chose a CRUSHED MULBERRY HARDWOOD FLOOR for 2 main reasons: (not this particular floor in this link, but we had no idea it was so sustainable and had many uses. you have to read this link.)

1. We loved the way it looks
2. The durability factor.

We brought sample after sample after sample home and put them to the test by dropping spoons, scissors, cans, keys among other things and did a scratch test with the legs of the chairs. The strand mulberry sample won hands down as the most durable. Yes, there we slight impressions left from the objects here and there, but they were hardly noticeable because of the pattern, which resembles cork. It's also a solid wood rather than a veneer which adds to the hardness.

We chose the Caramel color over the Natural because there is less contrast between the light and dark areas.

First time using a wood floor nail gun and the compressor. The flooring is so hard that when using the finishing nail gun, more bent than actually went into the floor.

Make sure to open several if not all the boxes at a time. Then pull from different boxes so you end up with a more random placement of color. Some boxes had a greenish hue while others were more orange.

The finished floor. Now all we need is the baseboards.

So John installed the Crushed Mulberry - his first hardwood floor install, while I stained the concrete downstairs - my first time staining concrete.

For the concrete I used a product from INCRETE SYSTEMS called Stone Essence. (note: I cannot find this actual product on their website unless you click here where you will find a .pdf with tech specs)

STONE ESSENCE is a unique eco-friendly alternative to acid stained concrete. (it does say in the .pdf to use an acid etcher though...but the concrete supply store said NO WAY). It is a concentrated water-based coloring system composed of UV stable, transparent iron oxide pigments and can be sealed with either solvent or waterborne sealers. We used their water based sealer called Ultrapel because it was the only one with a matte finish.

We decided on stained concrete for 2 reasons:
1. The concrete dried in an odd bi-colored pattern that was not what we had hoped for. We had planned on leaving it the natural gray color.
2. It was a lot less than buying wood flooring or tile. In all, it cost right around $300.00 for the stains and sealer. And we have plenty left over that we are going to apply to the exterior concrete lanai, and sidewalks.

I used 3 colors to achieve a mottled or weathered look without nasty smelling fumes.
1. Timber (medium brown)
2. Bronze (an orangey terracotta color)
3. Lime Green (more like and olive green than lime)

It took 3 days to achieve the results had hoped for. Day one was applying the Timber and Bronze with a hand held garden sprayer. I applied the Timber with the sprayer then soaked a rag with the Bronze and made larger puddles on top allowing them to run and pool together. I then tossed on some regular old coarse salt... the kind you get for the salt mill on the dinner table. Regular rock salt for melting snow and ice would work too. The salt leaves small spots with irregular edges, giving it a more natural stone look. I just thought to do that on my own. Let that dry overnight then lightly sponge up and damp spots and sweep salt up. Do not sweep until all the damp spots are dry, otherwise you will get streaks. Some of the salt will leave small puddles as it dissolves and others will not. Repeat. This time fine tuning and evening out some spots that were too contrasty. For this final stage, I put the Lime Green in which really brought it to life. We wanted this only as a small accent color just to give a little depth. Scatter salt on again and clean up the next day. Allow to dry one full day then apply the Ultrapel with a foam roller. Allow 2-4 hours to dry then repeat.

The concrete floor before staining. Notice the 2-tone effect that we had not planned on.

This is the first day right after the first application of the Timber and Bronze. ... hmmm. Is this really going to work? Looks like a mess.

Success. The main room floor after 1 coat on the left and 2 coats on the right. The 2-tone pattern did not totally vanish, but it's a marked improvement.

The bathroom floor before + after.

Detail of the 3 colors and salt mixing on day 2.

The salt working it's magic.

The salt cleanup. Make sure some puddles have large clumps and that the salt is not scattered in a uniform pattern.

A selection of detail shots.