Auntie Em's Kitchen, Catering and Local Organic Produce Delivery

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Produce List for the Week of October 28th

Bell Peppers

Jalapeño Peppers

Serrano Peppers

Eggplant

Cucumbers

Kale

Leeks

Butternut Squash

Ambrosia Melons

Basil

Sugar Pie Pumpkins

Pomegranates

Fuyu Persimmons (eat hard)

Green Grapes

*List may vary depending on quantity and ripeness of produce.

Auntie Em's Kitchen wants to make Thanksgiving easier for you! All you have to do is pick up your order the day before and reheat on the big day!

Find the complete menu on our website: www.auntieemskitchen.com/thanksgiving-menu/.

The Sugar Pie Pumpkins are great for cookies and pies!

Pumpkin Pie with Pepita Nut, and Ginger Topping

Ingredients:

Topping:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons unsalted raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Large pinch of salt

2 tablespoons slivered crystallized ginger

Filling:

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin

1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon mild-flavored (light) molasses

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

Preparation:

For crust:

Roll out dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer crust to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Press crust evenly onto bottom and up sides of dish. Trim dough overhang to 1 inch. Fold overhang under, forming high-standing rim 3/4 inch above sides of dish. Crimp edges decoratively. Freeze crust until firm, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen. Cover with plastic wrap after crust is firm.

For topping:

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add almonds, pecans, and pepitas; sauté until nuts brown slightly and pepitas begin to pop, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar and salt over; stir until sugar melts and nuts are coated with glaze, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in crystallized ginger. Cool topping in skillet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store airtight at room temperature.

For filling:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line frozen pie crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until sides are set, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake just until crust is set and sides are pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Remove crust from oven. Maintain oven temperature.

Combine pumpkin, both sugars, molasses, flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolk, then cream. Pour filling into warm crust. Sprinkle topping evenly around edge of filling, forming 11/2-inch border (some of topping may sink into filling). Bake pie 20 minutes. Remove pie from oven and wrap foil collar around edge of crust and topping to prevent pie from browning too quickly. Return pie to oven and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is set in center (center may move very slightly when dish is gently shaken), 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Bon Appetit / November 2010 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Pie-with-Pepita-Nut-and-Ginger-Topping-3618

Photo Source: http://www.ottawacitizenstyle.com/category/food-and-drink/what-to-eat-this-week-is-this-the-ultimate-pumpkin-pie/

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Why I Started Auntie Em's Organic Local Produce Delivery Service

You might have already figured out that these produce baskets are my passion. I opened the restaurant 10 years ago, and have been doing the catering for 14 years now. I hit a point a couple of years ago where the restaurant and the catering pretty much ran themselves. I have the best staff in the world (all friends). I found myself in a place where I didn’t have that much to do anymore. For months and months I tried to come up with something to do. Another restaurant-no way! If I were 20 again, I might have the energy to do it all over. But as you probably know, it is really hard to start a restaurant. I didn’t want to have to do it all over again.

While visiting New York a few years ago, I came up with the idea for the produce baskets. Everything in New York City is delivered! Dry cleaning, groceries, sheets, furniture, plants-everything. I would sit in cafes sipping coffee and watch chefs from all of the local restaurants wheel carts of food to office buildings. This really got me thinking. I would bring the beautiful produce from the local farms to my customers who cant get to the farmers markets. This, I knew was not reinventing the wheel, but I wanted to personalize my service. Give recipes, let customers know what farms their food is coming from, pick all of the produce myself, and really inspire people to start cooking again and get them excited about food. Most importantly, the service would give back to the community. It would support local, small sustainable farms; it would keep the money local, giving it to small local farms rather than a big corporation. Which also means that there are less people in our area having their food shipped in from who knows where. Less demand for food that has no taste, that is sprayed with pesticides, that is grown by giant corporations that only have regard for making money and don’t have a passion for what they are actually doing. Less demand for it means they sell less, produce less and ship less!

I also wanted the service to offer “cute” boxes, and not crummy grocery sacks; something that could be re-used over and over. This, to be honest, was the hardest part. I searched and searched high and low for an appropriate box. I finally designed and had made the boxes that you get today.

I wanted a grass roots company. Not a giant company that needed backers with lots of money to start it. That is how I started my restaurant. When we got more customers I would get more boxes made, and so on. I am happy to report we have a new space to pack the boxes. We grew out of the space that we used in the back of the restaurant. We have tripled the amount of customers that we started with. Yes, my team has grown from one (me) to Tommy and Scott (your delivery people), Michelle (handles new customers and billing) as well as Fabian and Virginia (who helps pack the boxes). The farms and farmers that I buy from are ecstatic. I am helping bring their hard work to more people.

Most of all my customers are happy. I get so many emails about what you are cooking, how much your kids love it, how this produce has totally changed they way you and your families eat and how you are introduced to produce you have never had before.

I set out to do everything I wanted and much more. I have a little community of healthy eating foodies, more friends that I am employing, happy farmers, and my little contribution to a healthier society.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

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