Apple And Pumpkin Recipes For Halloween

Halloween is coming soon! Pumpkins and apples are the theme of this week’s column.

Fresh pumpkins are perfect for making jack-o’-lanterns and roasting the seeds. One caveat about these beautiful spheres: the moisture content and texture of the flesh of a fresh pumpkin is too inconsistent to make a quality pumpkin pie, bread, muffins, scones or custard. Therefore buy organic unsweetened canned pumpkin purée for the following recipes.

Pumpkin and apples are the perfect flavor combination for this pumpkin apple bread. I like a slice of it toasted to eat with my morning cup of coffee. This recipe yields two loaves—make one for Halloween and freeze the other to serve on Thanksgiving.

And why not make delicious cinnamon apple chips for the trick-or-treaters that stop by? Serve them plain or dipped in chocolate!

Surprise your family with homemade pumpkin custards for dessert on Halloween. This old-fashioned way of making custard is luscious. Beating the egg whites separately from the egg yolks eliminates a shiny-topped custard that, according to my grandmother, indicates “that the cook just dumped it all together without thinking of the results.” Happy Halloween and non appétit!

Pumpkin Apple Bread(Yields two 9-by-5-inch loaves)For the crumble topping:1 tablespoon coconut flour

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softenedFor the bread:3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 (15-ounce) can solid pumpkin unsweetened

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 green apples (Granny Smith) peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, 2 cupsTo prepare:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with Pam or solid vegetable shortening and set aside.

Make the topping: In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter together until it resembles coarse meal. Reserve.

Sift flour salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice together into a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, whisk pumpkin, oil, sugar and eggs together. Add flour mixture, stirring well until combined. Fold in the apples.

Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans.

Sprinkle topping over each loaf.

Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool bread in the loaf pans set on a rack for 45 minutes and then turn out onto the rack and cool about one hour longer.

To store, wrap well in plastic wrap and foil. Refrigerate for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.Cinnamon Apple Chips(About 30 chips)2 medium, crisp apples, washed and dried

About 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Few pinches sea saltTo prepare:Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Line two baking sheets with Silpat or place a wire rack on sheet pans. Assemble as many baking sheets as necessary to accommodate all the apples slices.

Set the blade at 1/4-inch on a mandoline or benriner and slice each apple into about 15 slices. Or with a very sharp knife, cut apple slices as thinly as possible by hand.

Arrange the apples on prepared baking sheets. Lightly dust the apples with cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Bake the slices until almost dry, about one hour, flipping them over and rotating the after 30 minutes for even baking. Cool the apple chips on racks and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to two or three days.

Old-Fashioned 
Pumpkin Custards(About 8-10 individual servings)1 15-ounce can pure unsweetened organic pumpkin purée

3 large eggs, separated into 2 batches, (3 yolks plus 1 white) (2 whites)

3/4 cup sugar or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground pure cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch ground cloves or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup half-and-half (or unsweetened evaporated milk)To prepare:Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly coat 10 ovenproof ramekins with butter and set them in a deep baking pan that will hold all the cups. In a teakettle, bring a quart of water to a boil.

In an electric mixer fitted with the wire whisk, beat the egg yolks plus one egg white until frothy. Gradually add the sugar with the beaters running, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin purée, salt and spices, and mix thoroughly. Gradually stir in the half and half.

In a very clean mixing bowl, beat the batch of egg whites until soft peaks form. Manually fold whites into the pumpkin custard until no large clumps of whites are visible.

Fill the prepared ramekins with pumpkin custard. Transfer the baking pan to the pulled out rack in the center of the oven and carefully pour enough simmering water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully slide the pan into the oven and bake about 20 minutes. The custard is done when a knife inserted midway between the rim and the center comes out clean. The center will still be undercooked, but remove the entire pan with custards and let it stand at room temperature until completely cooled, then remove the ramekins, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Just before serving, dip each ramekin in very hot water and invert it onto a dessert plate to unmold or serve the custards in the ramekins.

Can be made ahead and refrigerated for two days.