October 2012
How does the window delight in the season?
The winter window tries to protect our needs for sleep and nestling and hibernation. The winter window offers a curtain of darkness to keep us in a slumber, but the world forces us to push beyond the curtain to face the day. As the light emerges, we may catch quiet views in slow motion- a creek slowly flowing or neighbors slowly trudging.
Before long, spring breezes against the window, and it opens. The window stretches and awakens, perhaps creaking as it moves. The changes are not immediate but rather like a song filled with anticipation in its chords. The spring window shows more light, shows the neighbors as they too stretch and emerge from the more dormant months. The window sings with the birds and the bicycles and the children who play until the evening light slips away.
The window boasts in summer! The summer window is a full expression. Hot breezes, humming fans, active streets, and the rattling glass of an electrified sky.
Those warm breezes grow colder and begin to carry leaves until the window must close. The window grows quiet, but there is still pride in the dampening view it frames. The window is a hushed pause. It is a painting of bright hues in stark contrast with an interior darkness. The window is a temporary collector of condensation, the effect of cooling fall flavors…
Chocolate Butternut Squash Brownies
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
8 oz. Ghirardelli 70% cacao chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs (local/free-range)
1 1/2 cups organic raw sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup local butternut squash puree
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 9″x9″ cake pan with nonstick spray.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chocolate and remove from heat. Let sit for a few minutes, then stir until smooth.
In a large bowl beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla for 3-4 minutes, until thick and pale yellow.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until just combined.
Put one third of the batter into another bowl. Stir in the squash puree, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Stir the chocolate mixture into the remaining batter and spread a little more than half of it into the prepared pan.
Top with the pumpkin mixture, then drop large spoonfuls of the remaining chocolate mixture on top. Swirl a knife through both to create a swirled effect.
Bake for 40 minutes, until just set and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
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