Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle with Cardamom Cream

Once again, December has snuck up on us and the Holiday Season is now in full swing!  This tends to be the time of year when you drive down the road and see one house with pumpkins and gourds out, and the next with their Christmas tree and lights proudly displayed.  The time when you aren't quite ready to put to rest all things pumpkin-flavored, but know it is time to change it up and begin mixing in the Gingerbread and Peppermint flavors.  This trifle recipe, created by our Cooking School chef, Bill Irish, is the perfect in between treat - combining the comforting flavors of pumpkin with the warm spices of homemade gingerbread.  Enjoy!

Individual Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle with Cardamom Cream - Serves 8

Ingredients
For Cardamom Cream:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

For Pumpkin Gingerbread

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 cup cooked, drained pumpkin (or canned, plain pumpkin puree)
• 2 tsp fresh finely grated or minced ginger
• 1/2 cup very hot water

For Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp confectioners' sugar (to taste)
• Vanilla Extract (to taste)

Directions
For Cardamom Cream:

1. Mix milk, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium pot and cook over med-high heat until mixture comes to a low boil.  Simmer until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, beat the 5 egg yolks in a medium size bowl.  Slowly temper the eggs by whisking hot milk into the yolks.  Pour the mixture back into the pot and whisk over medium heat for one minute.  Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla and cardamom.  Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

For Pumpkin Gingerbread:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour a 9-inch square glass or ceramic cake pan.
3. Sift dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves) together and set aside.
4. Place sugar with shortening in a mixing bowl and cream together.  When the mixture is light and blended, add ginger and mix well.  Add eggs, molasses and pumpkin.
5. Mix dry and wet together.  The batter will be very stiff, add hot water to thin it.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until firm and toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.

For Whipped Cream:

1. Place cream into cold mixing bowl, starting on low.
2. When the cream firms up a bit, add vanilla and then confectioners' sugar to taste.  Your cream should be a littler stiffer than normal for this dish.

Assembling your Trifles
Take your cooled gingerbread and cut roughly into 1-inch cubes (for a more rustic look, simply break up gingerbread with your hands).  Place a tablespoon of cardamom cream at the bottom of each of the eight individual trifle dishes.  Top with some of the gingerbread and a layer of whipped cream.  Repeat the process once, ending with the whipped cream on top.


Looking for a great gift for the holidays?  Try gifting our Cooking School Gift Certificates.  We a large variety of classes year-round in our state of the art Cooking School in York, Maine.

Safety Tips for your Thanksgiving Leftovers

Food safety is important any time of year but with the holidays come expansive menus, leftovers and the potential for food poisoning or foodborne illnesses. As part of your meal preparation, we recommend keeping the following food handling tips in mind this holiday season.

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        Follow the two-hour rule. Hot, perishable food that sits out longer than two hours is considered unsafe and in the “food danger zone” (between 40 and 140 F) when bacteria can quickly multiply.  Quickly refrigerate perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs. Uncooked foods, such as cold salads or sandwiches, also should be eaten or refrigerated promptly.

When storing leftovers, don’t overfill the refrigerator, cold air needs to circulate around the food. Also, the faster leftovers can cool, the better. The best way to decrease the cooling time for leftover turkey is cut it into smaller pieces to decrease the surface area that needs to be cooled and then store it in shallow pans or containers.

 Leftover turkey can keep for three to four days in the refrigerator and should be kept in airtight, leak proof containers or wraps. After four days risk of food poisoning increases. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them immediately. In the freezer, leftovers should be eaten within six months.

     

 

    

      

       When you're ready to eat leftovers, reheat them on the stove, in the oven or in the microwave until the internal temperature reaches 165 F (74 C).

Sending leftovers home with guests is nice and lessens the amount of space taken up in your refrigerator but the two-hour rule should still apply. If your guests have a long drive ahead of them, suggest they use a cooler with some ice. 

Be aware that foodborne illnesses are caused by harmful organisms, such as bacteria in contaminated food. Because bacteria typically don't change the taste, smell or look of food, you can't tell whether the food is dangerous to eat. In short, if you're in doubt about a food's safety, it's best to just throw it out.

A few of our favorite recipes for your leftovers

Turkey Panini

Turkey and Broccoli Turnovers

Hot Open Faced Turkey Sandwich