October 23rd is National Boston Cream Pie Day.

Boston Cream Pie is actually a layer cake, not a pie. Two yellow cake layers are filled with vanilla cream and iced with chocolate ganache.

Here’s more about it, and how it got its name—plus a recipe to bake your own from scratch.

But let’s skip the “pie” for a moment, in favor of Boston Cream Cupcakes (photo #1).

Inspired by the original Boston Cream Pie—created at Boston’s Parker House Hotel over 150 years ago—a kit created by King Arthur Flour enables even novice bakers to achieve beautiful results.

The recipe makes moist, golden cupcakes with a rich cream filling and a swirl of fluffy chocolate frosting on top.

With the “surprise” cream filling, they’re a fun, easy homemade dessert or snack.

 
We like this kit as a gift for young bakers or prospective bakers, and have put it on our holiday gift list.

But you don’t need to wait until then to enjoy Boston Cream Cupcakes.
 
 
GET YOUR KIT AT KINGARTHURFLOUR.COM

[1] Adapting Boston Cream Pie to cupcakes (both photos © King Arthur Flour).

[2] The kit: Ready, set, bake!

[1] Autumn mac and cheese, with whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes and kale (photos #1 and #2 © North Carolina Sweet Potatoes).

[2] Beautiful sweet potatoes, grown in North Carolina.

[3] This variety of kale is variously called black Tuscan, dinosaur or lacinato (photo © Good Eggs).

Macaroni and cheese is a favorite in many households: comfort food that sticks to your ribs.

For an autumn touch, this macaroni and cheese recipe incorporates sweet potatoes and kale—not just as seasonal accents, but for added nutrition, too.

It also uses whole wheat pasta, and changes things up by using rotini instead of elbow macaroni.

Originating in northern Italy, rotini are spirals or twists like fusilli, but shorter—about 1-½ inches long, with a tighter spiral that helps retain the sauce better.

They are popularly used in pasta salads as well. For other substitutes, try fusilli, gemelli, penne, rotelle or torchio.

This recipe was developed by the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, which has many recipes for sweet potatoes (including a sweet potato ice pop!).
 
 
RECIPE: AUTUMN MAC & CHEESE

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 30 minutes. Be sure not to cook the pasta beyond al dente, because it will get softer when baked.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°. Coat the inside of a large casserole dish with olive oil or butter.

2. PREPARE the pasta according to package directions, cooking to al dente. While the pasta is cooking…

3. Sauté the kale and spices in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Set aside.

4. DRAIN the cooked pasta and let cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled, add the pasta, mashed sweet potatoes, spices, and kale to medium bowl and stir to combine.

5. WHISK together in a small bowl the eggs, milk and cheese, and add to the pasta and sweet potato mixture. Mix well and and pour into a large casserole dish. Top with the extra mozzarella.

6. BAKE for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the top begins to brown.

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*Italian Seasoning Recipe: Combine 2 tablespoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 tablespoons dried parsley, 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon dried thyme. Store in a tightly-capped container.

Our favorite Halloween candies were mini Almond Joys, Mounds, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Skor bars.

But our palate has since progressed beyond their childhood charms.

Thank goodness for Theo’s artisan chocolates. Theo has brought these and more into the quality-chocolate universe.

 
There are also:

 
The line is Certified USDA Organic, plus:

 
So eat all you want: It’s Halloween, and it’s socially responsible chocolate.

You can also load up on stocking stuffers.
 
 
>>>Head to TheoChocolate.com<<<
 
 
THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
 
THE HISTORY OF THE JACK O’LANTERN
 
THE HISTORY OF CANDY CORN
 
THE HISTORY OF TRICK-OR-TREATING

[1] Theo’s organic Peanut Butter Cups (both photos © Theo Chocolate).

[2] Theo’s Salted Toffee Bar.

[1] Pumpkin Ricotta Cheesecake, less heavy than a cream cheese recipe (photo © Chef Marisa Churchill).

[2] No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake. Here’s the recipe (photo © Kenwood World).

[3] Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. Here’s the recipe (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[4] Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream. The recipe is below (photo © Taste Of Home).

[5] Or, buy this limited-edition Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream, with a graham cracker swirl, from Ben & Jerry (photo © Ben & Jerry’s).

[6] Assorted pumpkins: Thanks for everything (photo © Starling Farm)!

October 21st is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. Here’s the history of cheesecake. The history of pumpkins is below.

With Halloween in 10 days and Thanksgiving and Christmas following (sooner than we’d like), it’s perfect timing.

There are different styles of pumpkin cheesecake, from the dense New York style with two pounds of cream cheese to a lighter ricotta cheesecake, to pumpkin mousse cheesecake.

Here are some recipes from our collection.

 
Plus:

 
Plus:

> The year’s 16 cheesecake holidays.

> The year’s 8 pumpkin holidays are below.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM

Don’t want cake? How about some pumpkin cheesecake ice cream?

Many pumpkin cheesecake recipes do not include cream cheese, relying simply on the cream and spices to simulate cheesecake flavors.

Ben & Jerry’s sells a perfectly charming Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream.

But this recipe, from Taste Of Home, is the real deal with cream cheese and egg yolks, just like a cheesecake.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. HEAT 1-1/2 cups cream, the cream cheese, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a large heavy saucepan, until bubbles form around the sides of the pan. Meanwhile…

2. WHISK the egg yolks, salt, spices, and the remaining cream and brown sugar in a small bowl. Whisk a small amount of the hot mixture into the eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly.

3. COOK and stir over low heat until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Quickly strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; place in ice water and stir for 2 minutes.

4. WHISK in the pumpkin and vanilla. Continue to whisk until the mixture is completely cooled.

5. FILL the cylinder of the ice cream maker two-thirds full; freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. When the ice cream is frozen, transfer it to a freezer container. Freeze for 2-4 hours or overnight.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CHEEESECAKE
 
 
THE HISTORY OF PUMPKINS

Pumpkins and other squash types originated in the Americas. They are among America’s oldest cultivated crops.

Pumpkin seeds have been found at archaeological sites in the American southwest dating back six thousand years, as well as at sites throughout Mexico, Central and South America, and the eastern United States [source].

It is believed that the seeds of the wild pumpkin were the only part consumed, as the flesh of most varieties was too bitter to eat.

Once cultivation and breeding eliminated the bitterness, Native Americans ate not just the flesh and seeds, but the flowers, leaves, and in the case of zucchini and yellow squash, the skin.

Varieties of all sorts could be baked or roasted whole in the fire, cut up and boiled, or added to soup. Strips were also dried into a type of pumpkin jerky.

The outer shells were dried and used as water vessels, bowls, and storage containers.

European explorers to the New World found squash varieties growing in profusion from East to West, from South America to Canada.

Brought back to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 16th century*, the name was derived from the Greek word pepon, large melon.

They also turned the pumpkin into a vessel to make a type of pudding. They sliced off the top, removed the seeds and pith, and filled the cavity with milk, honey, and spices. They baked it in the hot ashes of the fire.

Pumpkins were fermented into beer and grown as fodder for livestock.

By the 19th century, however, the pumpkin had diminished into a minor crop. Now, it is largely a “fourth quarter crop,” mostly eaten during the holiday season.

But only because we have so many other seasonal foods to eat during the other seasons!
 
 
THE YEAR’S 8 PUMPKIN HOLIDAYS

 
Plus:

 
 
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*Along with pumpkins and other squash varieties, Spanish explorers brought back cacao beans, corn, peanuts, peppers, pineapples, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and other food items.

*There appear to be two different pumpkin pie days: November 21st and December 25th. The December 25th observance has some documentation going back to the late 1990s in Chase’s Calendar, a well-known reference book for tracking special days and observances. The November 21st date is more obscure, but can be found on several calendar websites. Both are unofficial food holidays, i.e. without any formal governmental or organizational proclamation. The former can simply been “proclaimed” by anyone online and registered with different calendar websites.
 
 

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National Prunes Day is June 17th. October 17th is Four Prunes Day. It may sound like a funny name for a food holiday.

Some people say “meh” to prunes, but for centuries it was based on medical advice that four to nine prunes a day would help with “digestive regularity.”

We love the flavor prunes and prune juice. But many Americans steer clear of them, perhaps because of their long association with regularity (and hence, National Prunes Day was founded).

A campaign launched by prune producers in 2001 promoted a name change from prunes to “dried plums” (which is what prunes are), to make them more appealing.

It was not successful in moving the needle, and “prune” has returned to common use.

But as anyone who has ever made a pork or chicken roast with stuffed prunes knows, the dried fruits are delicious on their own.

One of our favorite hors d’oeuvre is prunes stuffed with chicken liver mousse (you can marinate the prunes in Cognac overnight before stuffing them).

The 21st-century view of healthy prunes should be as a high-antioxidant fruit, full of fiber, potassium, and magnesium.

A clinical study currently underway indicates that prunes may have the ability to reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women and may help fight osteoporosis.

While dried fruits such as prunes are easy to tote around for a healthy snack, Sunsweet Growers has made it even easier with Sunsweet Ones, which are individually wrapped.

One prune contains just 23 calories.

> The year’s 4 prune holidays.

Below:

> The history of prunes.

> Prune nutrition.

> Enjoying prunes all day.
 
 
PRUNES AT EVERY MEAL

 
There are so many recipes in each of these categories. Check out:

 
You’ll find everything from every day to creative recipes (don’t knock Prune Pizza until you’ve tried it).

And one of our favorite easy desserts: Soak prunes in Cognac, Grand Marnier, prune liqueur, or orange liqueur for several hours or overnight. Then use them to top vanilla ice cream.

You can even flambé them, like Cherries Jubilee.
 
 
PRUNE NUTRITION

Prunes have been appreciated for thousands of years due to their nutritional, dietary, and medical properties, and were prescribed by Greek, Roman and Arab doctors.

Today, we know that they are:

 
In addition to nutrition, prunes are fun to eat: sweet, flavorful, and moist, and with a sticky, chewy texture.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF PRUNES

A prune is a dried plum of any cultivar, mostly the European plum (Prunus domestica).

More than 1,000 plum cultivars are grown worldwide for drying; an additional 1,000 or so are grown for plum fruit (different cultivars are created to do better in particular environments).

The Greeks and Romans were very fond of both variations of the fruit.

Wild plums originated in China and were cultivated from sour plums into sweet fruit.

Plums came to the Middle East along the Silk Road, and plum trees flourished all over the Mediterranean basin.

The plums were dried in the sun or in bakers’ ovens, transforming them into prunes.

Because they are highly nutritious and have a long shelf life, prunes and other dried fruits were ideal for travelers, and to store in case of poor harvests.

From the Mediterranean to Northern Europe:

The Romans planted the first variety of plum in Gaul near the town of Agen, which is still famous for its delicious prunes.

In the 12th century, Benedictine monks returning from the Third Crusade brought new varieties of plums from Syria and grated them onto the local rootstock to create new varieties.

[1] Pork roast stuffed with prunes. Here’s the recipe from Leites Culinaria (photo © Leites Culinaria).

[2] Asian noodles with prune-ginger sauce. Here’s the recipe from California Prunes (photo © California Prunes).

[3] Farro (substitute grain of choice) with prunes, butternut squash and pecans. Here’s the recipe from California Prunes (photo © California Prunes).

[4] Brownies with chopped prunes. Here’s the recipe from A Taste Of Madness (photo © A Taste Of Madness).

[5] Prune clafoutis, in custard. Here’s the recipe from Papilles Et Pupilles (photo © Papilles Et Pupilles).

[6] Whole, pitted, bite-size, diced, individually wrapped for grab-and-go: Sunsweet makes it easy to cook and bake with prunes (photo © Sunsweet).

It was brought by a man from the Agen area, who grafted it onto local wild plum trees.

While these California prunes were growing, so was the U.S. consumer demand for European prunes.

By the 1870s, there were enough imports to catch the eye of farmers, who began planting plum trees from the California stock.

Today, California is America’s source of prunes. They’re available year-round.

Try some sooner, rather than later.
 

[7] Fresh plums and the prunes that result when they’re dried (photo © California Prunes).
 
 
 

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