Warm Blanket – A Recipe

Here we are, coming up on the shortest day of the year. It seems like winter should ease up once we reach this annual nadir and begin the ascent out the other side, but in some ways it does quite the opposite. January and February are when the real cold sets in, the earth's mass having thoroughly depleted the warmth it was storing from summer. Christmas and New Year's will be behind us and we'll have to search a little harder for ways to "make the season bright".

But happily, for those of us who love snow (and, as Canadians, I figure why not just love it?), this is when the landscape is apt to be transformed by the white, sparkling stuff. To walk or ski in it can be transcendent, as though you're moving through an iconic painting or photograph.

'Tis also the season to relish winter foods. Fruits that are in their prime – oranges, grapefruits, pomegranates – are perfectly bright antidotes to any hibernation-induced doldrums. They're not local, to be sure, but local becomes a relative term when the southern US is about as close as you can get to non-frozen soil (and at other times of year these same foods might be coming from as far afield as South Africa).

The time will come once again for tender greens, radishes, and tomatoes. But this is not that time. Instead, this is our chance to roast things in the oven without fear of overheating our home, and warm ourselves to the core with the sweeter, more substantial pleasures of baked squash and braised cabbage. (Pulling stashed summer produce from the pantry or freezer is duly satisfying as well).

In the spirit of coziness, then, I offer you this simple recipe. Originally meant as a dessert, I see it as a perfectly legit breakfast – the amount of maple syrup in a serving is surely no more than would go on a plate of pancakes, after all. This is one of the reasons breakfast is my favourite meal of the day – practically anything goes, from leftover garlicky veggies with an egg on top, to berry cobbler. It just depends what you wake up feeling like. I always offer my B&B guests one savoury and one sweet option and it's fun to observe which way each person or couple leans over the course of a few days. For some, a little sweetness is exactly the comfort and satisfaction they seek, while for the staunchly savoury folk, no amount of maple syrup or garden rhubarb could sway them. Of course, there's often a bit of back and forth – a give and take as partners negotiate their preferences, or through the natural flux of one's own desire from one day to the next.

Okay, the recipe. If you need any nutritional convincing, I can endorse pumpkin as a stellar source of vitamin C, potassium, and fibre. I have yet to use my own cooked squash in place of the canned pumpkin, but I suspect a dense one like butternut or kabocha could work nicely. Next time you wake up to a chilly (or downright arctic) outdoor world, set aside the cold berries for now and try the breakfast equivalent of a warm blanket. (Also good any time of day!)

BAKED PUMPKIN CUSTARD

3/4 cup canned coconut milk (I like to go full-fat, no preservatives)

2/3 cup pure canned pumpkin purée

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (could reduce just slightly)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Pinch of cloves

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

2 large eggs

Combine everything in blender until smooth. Let settle 5 minutes.

Butter 3 ramekins (or one small pie plate/casserole dish) and divide mixture evenly between them. Place into a baking pan large enough to accommodate them and pour boiling water into pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake in preheated oven/toaster oven at 350º for about 35 minutes or until custard has set. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Serve warm (can store in fridge and reheat in toaster oven). Make it a little more substantial and well-rounded by serving with:

• yogurt or more coconut milk

• chopped toasted nuts or granola

• diced pear or apple

  
  

Happy Winter Solstice, all!