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Life update: I’m blogging to you from my new kitchen in Boston!  To be fair – I moved to Boston around 6 months ago… and I’ve been so caught up in life and work that I haven’t even considered anything I’ve made to even be “Gourmet Analyst worthy!”  Lame I know… but unfortunately true.  Today is September 19th and I’ve already been to one Oktoberfest, drank hot apple cider and eaten butternut squash ravioli (more to come on that in a future post).  What I’m trying to get at is… Autumn is here and it’s my FAVORITE!  I’m so excited in fact, that for the first time in a long time, I was inspired to create in the kitchen… and I kind of missed you guys. 

Ladies and Gentlemen – I give you … Autumn Butternut Squash & Apple Soup!

• 1 Medium sized butternut squash – the most sexually explicit vegetable out there
• 2 large apples – I used juicy Fujis
• 3oz (a small chunk) of sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 small medallion/large scoop (2oz-ish) of goat cheese
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
• drizzle of EVOO
• 1.5 oz dark Rum
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbs  brown sugar
• 1 pinch garlic powder
• 2 pinches salt (or to taste)
• dash of pepper
• 2 pinches nutmeg

1. Heat up the oven to 375F
2. Dice your butternut squash into 2 inch cubes.  I used the advice on The Kitchn’s Home Hacks “How to Cut a Butternut Squash”  Seriously it’s good advice and it might save you a finger… or at least 20 minutes of your life. 
3. Dice your apples into 1 inch cubes – you can leave the skin on if you want
4. Cover a baking pan with tin foil, or use pyrex and toss your cubed squash and apples in the pan
5. Drizzle the cubed fruits and veggies with a bit of EVOO and sprinkle with your 1tbs of brown sugar
6. Let roast in the oven until you can easily stab one of the squash cubes with a fork all the way through (this should take around 40 minutes)
7. Remove from the oven and transfer your squash and apples to a food processor add the low sodium chicken broth bit by bit as you pulse the mixture until smooth
8. Transfer your smooth mixture to a medium sized saucepan and add milk and rum, keeping heat at medium low.
9. Chop up the cheddar cheese into small bits and add into the soup with the goat cheese, stirring occassionally until melted, combined and sexy
10. Add in pinch of garlic powder, 2 pinches of nutmeg and a dash of pepper
11. Taste test and add salt until you reach desired flavor
12. Curl up next to a fireplace and enjoy – and then go run through some crunchy orange leaves with beautiful leather boots…

It’s a super flexible dish so feel free to add whatever vegetables you want to it.  I would have included red and orange peppers for flavor, color and overall sexiness – if there weren’t only shriveled, sad excuse for peppers at $3.99 each in Publix that week.

• 1/2 box penne rigate
• 3 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 half of frozen spinach, de-thawed or  two big handfuls of roughly chopped fresh spinach
• 1 cup chopped cauliflower florets, bite sized
• 1/2 tbs cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin

• Empty can of coconut milk into large skillet on medium-high heat and add the red Thai curry paste, gently stirring with wooden spoon until paste has dissolved.
• Add in cayenne pepper, coriander, garam masala, paprika and cumin and stir well.  Taste as you go, or use smaller amounts of the spices if you are looking for a more mild sauce – but remember that half of the heat is already in the curry paste.
• Now that all of the spices are in, add in your chopped cauliflower florets and spinach.  Turn skillet to medium-low heat and let simmer, stirring often, until the stem of florets are easily pierced with a fork and the spinach has wilted but is still bright green.
• At this point the coconut milk should have reduced by around half and taken on a creamier texture.
• Toss in 1/2 box of penne rigate cooked al dente until completely combined.

This vegetarian dish is perfect to warm you up on a cold day.  If you’re looking for more protein, feel free to add in grilled chicken or shrimp.

Do you ever come home from a long day at work and not know exaaaactly what to cook but you know that you want something that tastes somewhere between white truffle macaroni & cheese and basmati rice?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Alright – so maybe that’s a unique craving… but in any case – this recipe really hits the spot and is a perfect side to almost any dish.  It’s so flavorful that I’ve made it as a meal by itself on many occasions.

• 2 tablespoons EVOO (or just a big drizzle)
• 1 cup dry orzo
• 1.5 – 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 3 cloves of garlic – minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons goat cheese

• Pour 2 tablespoons of EVOO into the bottom of a medium sized skillet and set to medium heat.  When oil heats up add your minced garlic and let simmer until you can smell that great garlic aroma.
• Add the dry orzo to the skillet and with a soft spatula coat the orzo with the EVOO at the bottom of the skillet.
• Turn heat to low-medium and carefully watch the orzo…. stirring it often so that it browns but doesn’t burn.
• Once orzo has turned a golden color, add the low sodium chicken broth and the white wine.
• Let skillet sit uncovered on low-medium heat for 10-12 minutes and come back to check the consistency.  The orzo should be plump and there shouldn’t be excess liquid in the skillet.  If there is still a lot of liquid, let it sit a bit longer.  If it already reached the right consistency, now is the time to add those three big spoonfuls of goat cheese and mix until completely combined.
• Garnish with parsley or basil for a pop of color and enjoy!!

I know that the real baking purists out there will be disappointed that I didn’t make my own dough for the crust – but remember this blog is called the Gourmet Analyst – I do have a full and a half time job! Haha! But hey – if you have the time to do it all AND make your own crust – more power to you. (more pictures below)

• One tube of New Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Dough
• 2 large and ripe Bartlett pears
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 5 oz Mascarpone cheese
• 1 egg
• handful of crushed walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Stretch out Pillsbury dough onto cookie sheet, being careful to mend holes and rips if they form.
3. With a soft spatula, spread layer of Mascarpone cheese over dough sheet, getting within 3 cm of the edge.
4. With a sharp knife, slice pears into 3mm slices and gently layer them on top of each other to form two opposite facing lines lengthwise down the dough sheet. As with the Mascarpone, stay within a 3cm border.
5. Sprinkle brown sugar and crushed walnuts over the pear slices.
6. Fold the edges of the dough up and over about 1cm over onto the pears. This isn’t like a pie – so don’t worry about making it look symmetrical. Asymmetrical is sexy – as long as you’re talking about pastries, and not Los Angeles.
7. Squeeze your honey into a microwave safe bowl and add the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Microwave the honey for 5 seconds or so to liquefy the honey. Drizzle the vanilla honey mixture over the pastry with a spoon, stopping to microwave again if the honey begins to return too quickly to it’s usual firmness.
8. Lastly, beat egg in a separate bowl and give the crust a quick egg wash.
9. Set into oven and let bake for around 20 minutes. Start checking the crust at around 15 minutes. It’s all done when the crust is a deep golden color like it is in the pictures.

I sliced it up like pizza because it was the easiest way to serve it… I think that next time I’ll make a rectangle version… and maybe two or three of them so everyone can have seconds and thirds… it was a big hit!

• One package of New Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Dough
• 1 package of fresh raspberries
• 3-4 large spoonfuls jar mango preserves
• Handful of crushed walnuts
• 1 large egg
• 3 oz mascarpone cheese (more or less 1/3 of an 8oz container)
• Powdered sugar for presentation

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease a cookie sheet with
3. Open up the dough and carefully stretch out to full size. At this point I reshaped my dough into a circle to give it a more rustic feel – but the next time I make it, I want to see if it yields more as a rectangle.
4. Using a soft spatula or the back of a spoon, spread mascarpone cheese liberally over the dough, getting up to 2 cm away from the edge.
5. On top of mascarpone layer, spread another reasonably thick layer of mango preserves, still leaving the small 2 cm border around the edges.
6. Take a handful of raspberries and smoosh them up a bit in your fingers and distribute evenly over the dough. Mmmm…. smooshy.
7. Fold the edges of the dough up and over about 1cm over onto the filling. This isn’t like a pie – so don’t worry about making it look symmetrical. Uneven edges equal one shabby chic tart. Haha!
8. Sprinkle the crushed walnuts over the top of the tart.
9. Beat the egg in a bowl and using a brush, lightly coat the crust with an egg wash.
10. Set in oven and bake for around 15 minutes. Check the tart after 10 minutes just to be safe. It is fully cooked when the crust has turned a deep golden brown color.
11. Let cool and serve at room temperature with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and some fresh berries on the side.

My point is, that aside from those major goals, I have tiny small goals that I’m always trying to meet along the way. One of them is to hit American Airlines Elite status (25,000 miles in one year) on my own dime, and another happened to be – learn how to make Samosas – one of my all time favorite foods.

These amazing Indian snacks aren’t completely made from scratch… I cheated on the dough by using wonton wrappers, but I promise that they are legit enough that your kitchen will still smell like Indian food when you come home from work the next day. .

• 1/2 package of wonton wrappers
• 1 large baking potato
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1 egg
• 3 large tbs curry powder
• 3 large tbs tikka spice
• 2 large tbs cumin
• 1 tbs hot red pepper paste
• Vegetable oil (100% soybean)
• Dash of paprika
• Sprinkle of salt
• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock to keep this 100% vegetarian)

1. Chop up large baking potato into 4 chunks and set in a boiling pot of water. Boil until a fork or toothpick can slide easily into the thickest part.
2. Drain and let cool.
3. Set a medium sized pot, or the pot you just used (fewer dishes!) to medium -high heat and add a generous drizzle of vegetable oil.
4. When oil is hot, add minced garlic and let sizzle for a minute or so.
5. Add in frozen peas and a tablespoon of hot red pepper paste and stir with wooden spoon. For more heat – add more red pepper paste.
6. Combine the curry powder, tikka powder and cumin in a small bowl and then empty the bowl into the pot and stir.
7. When potato is cool enough to touch, chop into 1cm cubes and toss into pot with spices and peas.
8. Add one cup of the stock that you chose and continue to stir until completely combined and stock has been sucked up by the potato.
9. Try a bite and season more if you’d like the flavor to be more intense. I alwayyys add more at this point.
10. Beat the egg in a bowl and set it to the side. Sprinkle some paprika into the egg mixture if you’d like.
11. Take pot off of burner and place one wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand.
12. Place a spoonful of the filling in the center of your wonton and dip your finger in the egg mixture. Coat all four sides of the square with egg and fold over into a triangle.
13. Press down on all of the edges and set aside on a plate – trying not to let the finished samosas touch eachother – they WILL stick.
14. When you have stuffed all of the samosas, the best way to cook them is definitely with a deep/flash fryer. I don’t own one of these -if I did I would be frying cheese and coating everything in panko crumbs and weigh 500 lbs. If you do own one – fry away – they’re going to be fantastic! However if you’re like me, you’ll need to add about 1/2 cm of vegetable oil to a hot pan and fry them one side at a time in small batches. Be careful!

When they’re done and crispy they’re great to dip into a yogurt sauce, mango chutney, or anything spicy! Obviously I will never be able to make a samosa better than a Punjabi aunty – but they’re good enough to hold me over until the next time I go someplace authentic!

Some more pictures…

• 1 package of fresh broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup of reduced fat sour cream
• *optional* 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 1 minced garlic clove
• lime juice

1. Place broccoli florets in boiling water and cover, leaving a slight gap for steam to escape.
2. Steam until tender and strain.
3. Chop florets into smaller bits and set aside in a bowl.
4. Mince garlic and add to bowl.
5. Scoop 1/2 cup of sour cream into bowl and mix well with a soft spatula.
6. If you’re going to include Parmesan cheese – this is the point where you will want to add it into the bowl bit by bit as you fold it in.
7. Squirt a tiny bit of lime juice in and stir. Make sure you don’t add too much, the salad will become runny.

You can serve this salad warm or cold, it really depends on the entree. It’s perfect to make and serve chilled with a spicier entree… tastes great, and it will help your wimpier friends offset the heat! .

• 1/2 box of orzo
• EVOO
• 1/2 box of frozen no sauce spinach
• 6oz. jar of marinated and quartered artichokes
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
• splash of white wine
• salt and pepper

• Cook orzo like a pasta in lightly salted water. Be super careful with the orzo because it’s really delicate and easy to overcook. Strain and set to side.
• Drizzle a bit of EVOO in the bottom of a pan and set to medium heat.
• Chop up artichokes into small pieces and add to the pan with tbs of garlic.
• Let simmer until artichokes brown a little and become fragrant.
• Cook spinach in microwave according to directions on box.
• Set aside half of spinach for another recipe….chop up remaining spinach and toss into pan with artichokes.
• Add splash of your favorite white wine and let simmer for a second or two, and then add in the 1/2 cup of milk and turn down the heat to low.
• Add orzo and Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix well and allow to reduce a bit until orzo is desired consistency.