Category: Food

Mini pumpkin whoopie pies

The season of eating has begun! Or at least in my eyes it has. Halloween kicks off a series of holidays and parties that are food-centric. Why not add a fall-themed recipe to the list of treats you can make to share at these gatherings?

These whoopie pies are really quite simple to make — not much more effort is required than in making a batch of cookies. However, a tray of these mini whoopie pies garners much more attention than a plate of cookies. Trust me.

When making these whoopie pies there are a couple items of note. First, make sure you buy canned pumpkin puree. You don’t want pie filling, which will be too sweet, and you don’t want to use fresh pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin sounds nice, but it takes a lot more time to cook it, and it probably won’t be as smooth as the canned version. Second, when baking the cakes, if you don’t trust your judgment when testing their springiness, you also can use a cake tester or toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. Don’t overbake the cakes; you want them to be moist.

Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.

Mini pumpkin whoopie pies
Makes 15

Cakes
½ cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1½ cups canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour

Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1¾ cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place ½ cup butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat with paddle attachment on speed 2 until smooth.
Add egg, mixing until fully incorporated on speed 2.
Add pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, ground cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mixing well on speed 2.
Use a spatula to scrape down the sides, and mix again.
Add flour, mixing on low; scrape sides with spatula and mix until fully blended.
Scoop approximately 1½ tablespoons batter, spaced evenly, onto baking sheet.
Bake for 18 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched.
Allow to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet.
Transfer to baking rack to cool completely.

To assemble
In a stand mixer cream together the cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter on speed 2 for about 4 minutes.
Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix on low speed until combined.
Spread the flat side of 15 cooled cakes with the cream cheese frosting.
Top each with another cake.

Photo: Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Trina Bird

Trina Bird of Goffstown is the owner of the Bird Food Baking Co. (birdfoodbaking.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @birdfoodbakingco), a homestead business she launched earlier this year specializing in multiple unique flavors of artisan doughnuts, as well as cookies, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes and other pastries. A former baker at The Black Forest Cafe in Amherst, Bird now accepts custom orders and works with multiple local businesses to sell her baked goods, including the Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester), Apotheca Flowers (24 Main St., Goffstown) and Revelstoke Coffee (100 N. Main St., Concord). Custom orders can be placed with a preferred two-week notice.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

My offset spatula.

What would you have for your last meal?

Pizza. If I had to pick one … it would be a white pizza.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something that you’ve baked?

Jason Momoa, because I love him and he brings me so much joy.

What is your favorite thing that you bake?

Definitely my doughnuts. After pizza, doughnuts are my favorite food. … I do flavors like maple bacon, Nutella, creme brulee, pumpkin, apple, glazed … [and] I just did a chicken and waffle one last week that was a pretty big hit.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Right now, I’d say my favorite is Surfside Burger Bar, over in Meredith. They are amazing. Every single thing on their menu is so good, and the vibe is so cool.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Taking something that’s average and doing something extra. … One of my favorite places that does that is Industry East Bar [in Manchester], with their hot dogs. They did a crab rangoon one and I lost my mind. That was my favorite.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I make a really killer chicken noodle soup.

“Any cereal” Krispie treats
From the kitchen of Trina Bird of the Bird Food Baking Co. in Goffstown

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 cups marshmallows
2 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups cereal (Rice Krispies, Fruity Pebbles, Lucky Charms, or any cereal of choice)
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Line an 8×8- or 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper and nonstick spray. In a large pot over medium heat, brown the butter and stir in the eight cups of marshmallows until just melted. Remove from the heat, add the cereal and salt and stir until just coated. Fold in the remaining two cups of mini marshmallows. Press the mix into your pan and let it set. Cut into squares to share and serve.

Featured photo: Trina Bird. Courtesy photo.

Celebrations to remember

Bedford’s Boho Pop-Up Picnic offers luxury picnic setups

A new business based in Bedford is aiming to take away the stress of planning a special event while turning celebrations into uniquely customizable experiences.

Boho Pop-Up Picnic — short for “bohemian,” which is the style of the company’s locally built picnic tables — is owned and operated by Tanya Tobin and her husband, Matt. Since their launch earlier this year, the couple has provided elevated picnic setups for events large and small with all kinds of themes and add-ons to fit the occasion. They’ll also often partner with local businesses for small food enhancements like cakes, cupcakes and charcuterie boards.

Tobin, who has always had a passion for the holidays and for hosting events, said she became inspired after following other similar luxury picnic setup concepts out on the West Coast.

“I hadn’t seen anything like this on the East Coast and in New Hampshire, so I wanted to bring it to this area,” she said. “It has had a bigger and quicker response than I anticipated. … I’ve found that a lot of people either didn’t know about it or they came across it during a search of trying to find ways to celebrate an anniversary or a birthday or a bridal or baby shower.”

Whether it’s a romantic indoor or outdoor picnic for two or a more involved gathering in a public park, Tobin has handled it all. Inquiries can be filled out on Boho Pop-Up Picnic’s website.

A standard picnic setup would include low sitting tables and all plates, utensils, placemats and napkins, plus any wine glasses, baskets, and small chalkboards with a custom written message. Umbrellas, fresh flowers, bar carts, cornhole sets and ice buckets can be added too.

“They tell me what the theme is, and I try to incorporate their idea the best that I can to match what’s being celebrated,” Tobin said. “I do the setup about an hour before the event, and then they have the event for two hours. Then I pick up and clean up everything after.”

Tobin has also formed relationships with local bakeries like Frederick’s Pastries, Queen City Cupcakes and the Bearded Baking Co., as well as 603 Charcuterie and The Grazing State, which offer customizable charcuterie boards and boxes to go. Personal snack-sized charcuterie boxes, boxed waters or seltzers are provided to each member of the party.

While many of the more specialized picnics take place at clients’ homes, Tobin has done setups in public places. A recent picnic she organized overlooked Lake Massabesic in Manchester, and she’s also travelled to the Seacoast to put together picnics by the beach.

You don’t even need to wait for someone’s birthday or baby shower to come up either, as Tobin offers a few of her own preset picnic themes. The “Game Day” pop-up, for instance, is football-themed with a faux green grass football field table runner and a mini chalkboard scoreboard, while the “Popcorn & Movie Night” pop-up, available for up to four hours, features a popcorn machine, a movie projector and a 10-foot screen all provided by Tobin herself. She has also done sleepover pop-up parties for kids that will often have themes of their own.

Indoor and outdoor events can still be booked both now and during peak dates early next year.

Boho Pop-Up Picnic

Visit bohopopuppicnic.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @bohopopuppicnicnh to submit an event inquiry.

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Tanya Tobin.

Clams on wheels

Former Clam Haven owner returns with new seafood truck

Lobster Roll

For more than three decades Derry native Rick Metts owned and operated Clam Haven, a seasonal takeout eatery that has served generations of fried seafood lovers since 1954. Now, after passing the Clam Haven torch on to Lisa DeSisto of Rig A Tony’s in early 2020, Metts has returned to the local food scene with his newest business venture.

It’s called the One Happy Clam food truck, and more than a catchy play on words, its name perfectly suits Metts, who views the experience as a new chapter of a career doing what he loves. The truck officially hit the road last month and has made appearances at several spots across Derry and Londonderry since then, its menu items featuring the culinary prowess of Metts, with his children, grandchildren and wife of 45 years all helping out.

“I had talked about possibly doing a food truck … [and] had done a lot of research and spent a lot of the time my last few years at Clam Haven planning it,” Metts said. “My wife and I took a trip down to Florida. … We went to a couple of food truck builders down there, looked at what it would cost and came back home with lots of ideas.”

He found what would become One Happy Clam, a truck with a nearly brand new kitchen built out in mid-2019, through a private seller on Facebook Marketplace.

Grilled Cheese with Lobster

In many ways Metts has simply picked up where he left off — he’s using the same seafood suppliers he has been in touch with since his first season at Clam Haven back in 1987. Each and every menu item is made to order, and while it’s a scaled back version of what Metts cooked at the restaurant, you’ll still find many of his tried and true staples here, from lobster rolls with mayonnaise or butter to whole belly clam rolls and fried haddock sandwiches.

“We tried a new item that’s called a clam cake down in Rhode Island, but basically everywhere else it’s called a fritter,” Metts said. “It’s just a fried dough ball and I put bacon in it.”

Other options have included fried pickles, chicken tenders, burgers and lobster grilled cheeses, and Metts is looking into adding a few more seafood dishes like shrimp rolls and fish and chips.

While he hasn’t yet found a regular spot to park the truck, Metts said his goal is to eventually get into a routine, cooking at four or five designated locations in and around Derry and Londonderry while also scheduling some private catering jobs.

“It’s been a good experience so far, not being tied to a brick and mortar,” he said. “If I can get four or five years out of this, I can walk away and go do something else.”

One Happy Clam food truck

Follow owner Rick Metts on Facebook @onehappyclam and on Instagram @1happyclam for updates, or email him at [email protected].

Featured photo: Rick Metts. All photos courtesy of One Happy Clam.

The Weekly Dish 21/11/04

News from the local food scene

• Fire up your immunity: Learn to make fire cider during one of two upcoming workshops at the Beaver Brook Nature Center’s Brown Lane Barn (52 Brown Lane, Hollis) on either Sunday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to noon, or Thursday, Nov. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. Fire cider is a traditional New England remedy and preventive medicine made with apple cider, honey, garlic, onions, ginger and horseradish, an immune stimulant that’s also a great added flavor to salads, stir-fries and veggies. Participants in each class will learn about the history of vinegar and honey remedies, then taste and fire cider to take home. Ingredients are provided — you bring your own grater, cutting board, knife, vegetable peeler and measuring cup. Masks are required when indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The cost is $22 for Beaver Brook Association members and $25 for non-members. Visit beaverbrook.org.

• Turning the page: The Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester) has partnered with Restoration Cafe owner Tom Puskarich to reimagine the store’s food and drink menu. According to a press release, Puskarich now operates the Bookery’s cafe as a satellite location for his brand, allowing the store to shift its business model and focus exclusively on sourcing books, gifts and cards, and hosting community events. “Tom was instrumental in the build-out of the kitchen and has come full circle as he now operates in the kitchen he envisioned,” Bookery owner Liz Hitchcock said in a statement. Menu options include a variety of grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, pastries and snacks, many of which are rotated out weekly, as well as coffees, teas and espresso drinks. Visit bookerymht.com/cafe-menu.

• Farmers market news: The Deering Winter Market is set to return on Friday, Nov. 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Deering Fish & Game Club (Fish & Game and Long Woods roads, Deering), with both new and returning vendors selling items like baked goods, jellies, jams, eggs, milk, maple products and more. Markets in Milford, Contoocook and Concord, meanwhile, are all scheduled to resume their indoor seasons this week. The Milford Farmers Market begins inside the Milford Town Hall Auditorium (1 Union Square, Milford) on Saturday, Nov. 6, and will continue every other Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., through April 9 (except for Jan. 1). The Contoocook Farmers Market also moves indoors beginning Saturday, Nov. 6, to Maple Street Elementary School (194 Maple St., Contoocook) — that market will take place every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon through the winter. The Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market returns on Saturday, Nov. 6, as well, continuing at 7 Eagle Square in the Capital City every week from 9 a.m. to noon through April.

• NHLC recognized: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission has been nominated for Retailer of the Year in Wine Enthusiast magazine’s 22nd annual Wine Star Awards, according to a press release. Each year the publication honors individuals and retailers from around the world for their contributions to the wine and alcohol beverage industry. Winners will be announced in the magazine’s Best of Year issue and celebrated at an annual event in February 2022. The NHLC, according to the release, also received two national awards from StateWaysmagazine in the 2021 Control State Best Practices Awards and was recently named one of the Top 10 retailers in the country by Beverage Dynamics for the second time.

The Trick or Treat Margarita

There’s a guy who lives about a block over who goes all out for Halloween — the one who puts cobwebs all over his front porch and hides speakers, so he can play moans, or the sound of clanking chains, or Alice in Chains, or something similarly unnerving. There will be fake gravestones all over his front yard, and maybe a mottled, fiberglass hand forcing itself out from the ground. This was the guy who rigged a 15-foot tube from his second-floor window last year to slide candy to trick-or-treaters.

That seems like it would be exhausting.

And there’s the family down the street who dress up in themed costumes every year. Dad might be Chef Boyardee, Mom is a sexy can opener or something, the toddler is covered in tangled yarn and is spaghetti, and the baby is a meatball.

Seriously, there’s not enough therapy in the world to make that worthwhile.

There are the kids in their 20s at work who have been spending the last few weeks putting together extremely niche costumes to wear to excessively hip parties:

“No, you wouldn’t have heard of her — she’s a really obscure secondary character from Hello Kitty, but the joke is, I’m telling everyone that I’m wearing Korean underwear, but I’m not actually wearing ANY underwear!”

Presumably there will be a lot of drinking and associated lifelong regrets involved. That sort of thing is behind you; you promised yourself, “never again” after the Battlestar Galactica debacle of 2010.

So, what’s your role in Halloween this year?

Judging a reality competition show.

What you will need:

• 2 lawn chairs

• a best friend

• candy

• raspberry margaritas (See below.)

The object of the game is to pretend each trick-or-treater is a contestant on a costume competition show. You are the judges and neither of you entirely understands the rules. You can greet each kid with a slightly bewildering compliment:

“Batman! The little-black-dress of the costume world! You pull it off effortlessly, darling!”

“Charizard! Pokémon is so last season, but you make it work. I choose you, Little Man!”

To a parent: “Are you her manager? Make sure she gets this outfit trademarked.”

To the teenager with a pillowcase and no costume: “I’m sorry, we’re going to have to send you home this week. The others just wanted it more.”

Will the children be amused?

Not even remotely.

Will you and your friend?

More with each successive margarita.

Raspberry Margarita

2 ounces blanco tequila – I like Hornito’s for this.

1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

1 ounce raspberry syrup (See below.)

Combine all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker.

Shake enthusiastically.

Serve in whatever glass you feel like, from a standard martini glass, to a rocks glass, to a vintage Flinstones jelly jar.

The beauty of this drink is that while it is blood-red and seasonally spooky-looking, it is a straightforward margarita. There are only three ingredients, and it takes about 30 seconds to make. The bracing, smoky, slightly musky taste of tequila is balanced by the sweetness of the raspberry syrup. The raspberry flavor gives this drink a fruity roundness, without ever making it candy-like. If you want candy, you’ve got a giant, plastic bowl of it next to you.

Raspberry Syrup

Frozen raspberries

White sugar

Combine a bag of grocery store frozen raspberries with an equal amount (by weight) of sugar in a small saucepan.

Cook over medium heat. As the berries thaw, the sugar will pull out a surprising amount of juice.

Bring to a boil. Boil for 15 to 20 seconds to make sure all the sugar has dissolved.

Let the mixture cool, then strain it through a fine-meshed strainer. It will keep in the refrigerator for a month or so.

Featured photo: The Trick or Treat Margarita. Photo by John Fladd.

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