Guest contributor Dare Johnson Wenzler is a Capitol Hill resident, Realtor and co-owner of First Vine Wine Imports + Sales. This post also appeared on her blog Vine Art.
Talk about being “on special” – right now on your front steps I’ll wager you have at least 3 pumpkins languishing. “On special” at Your Front Porch Market for $0/lb!
Sure they were festive last month but once you’ve rotated them a few times to try and hide the squirrel bites they start to seem a bit, well, tired. Time to stop complaining about the squirrels chewing up your pumpkins – things could be worse!
Resist the temptation to throw them away though. As long as the squirrel bites are not too deep you can repurpose the entire vegetable by making a homemade pumpkin puree that has a thousand applications. In this week’s blog post, I’m giving you a terrific recipe for pumpkin biscuits, fantastic for breakfast or with any seasonal stew or soup. Freeze the rest of the puree then whip it out to use in a pumpkin soup or pie.
How about a glass of wine to go with that? Of course, it depends what you’re serving the biscuits with but typically this time of year we see a lot of ”harvest theme” menus that combine the sweet and the savory. One of my favorite wines to serve with meals like this is a fruity yet dry French or Spanish rosé.
If you think rosé is only for warm weather, you’re missing half the fun! Rosé is wonderful all year round , and makes a great wine to pair with most meals that combine the sweet and the savory. A nice dry fruity rosé will bring those flavors together like nothing else. It’s getting a little difficult to find rosés in the grocery stores; I scoped out both HT’s and the Safeway where I found very little. You will likely fare much better at our local wine shops – Chat’s on 8th Street typically has a good selection as does Schneider’s. And of course you can always order rosé online from First Vine! We have a few really nice ones in stock – my current fave is Domaine de Mairan Aurore Boreale Rosé 2010 ($11). Fruity yet slightly acidic, the producer named this wine for the Aurora Borealis because he thinks of it as light in a glass.
Now on to the recipes!
To make the biscuits you will first need to make pumpkin puree, but don’t worry! It could not be easier. First, preheat the oven to 375. Meanwhile cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Place the pumpkin halves on an oiled jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet with a lip). Bake the pumpkin about a half hour or until the flesh is soft. Let cool, then scoop the flesh out and process in a blender until smooth. That’s it and it freezes beautifully!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set it aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and allspice in a large bowl,
then set aside.
3. Combine pumpkin, milk, butter, and maple syrup in a medium bowl and stir
until smooth.
4. Combine the flour mixture with the pumpkin mixture. Stir just until the
mixture holds together; avoid over mixing, or biscuits will be tough.
5. Roll dough out on a lightly-floured work surface and roll out to 1/2-inch
thickness. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter or a drinking glass, cut out dough into
rounds and place on prepared baking sheet. Reroll dough scraps and continue to
cut out until all dough has been used.
6. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until tops are
golden brown. Serve hot.