Samhain ~ Halloween ~ All Hallows Eve ~ Pumpkin Walnut Squares

 

Samhain - Halloween - All Hallows Eve - October 31 to November 1, in the Northern Hemisphere - is a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter and is considered to be the darker half of the year. The skies are turning grey, the leaves have fallen from the trees and the garden is bare. It is a time where we honour the dead, protect the living and petition the spirits for wisdom and prediction. 

Death is a reoccurring theme during this time as boundaries dissolve and the veils between worlds during equinoxes and solstices are at their thinnest. That is why it is believed that the spirits, faeries, ancestors and darker entities could more easily roam our lands as the portal between our world and theirs is considered to be at its thinnest; therefore we want to honour and hold offerings to our ancestors, the dead, the departed and the otherworldly for this reason. 

Samhain is a magical time. As the dark half of the year begins, death is followed by rebirth, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, it's a time of rest and reflection as we go inward to honour the darkness as we descend into winter and the darker half of the year. Remember... light is born from darkness and darkness has potential and growth... through death we find rebirth.

Other festivals celebrated during or around this time are: Day of the Dead (Mexico), Day of those who have Died/Undas/Araw ng mea Yomao (Philippines), Dia de Finados (Brazil), All Saints' Day (Christian), All Souls' Day (Roman Catholic & Christian), Hallowmas (Christian), Martinmas/Armistice Day (Scottish/British/UK), Remembrance Day (Canada/World, November), The Huron Feast of the Dead (Wyandot Nation - Canadian, Ontario, Canada) and another Celtic tradition, Feast of the Dead/Féile Na Marbh, (Irish) and Diwali (Hindu, mid-October/mid-November, movable).  

I've said optional for the caramel sauce because honestly you don't need it to devilishly devour one of these squares however I found it an absolute must as it gives them such a luscious bewitching sweetness, so scrumptious and wicked! They did not last long around our house, with many, including myself preferring these squares over a slice of pumpkin pie. Perfect for Samhain / Halloween celebrations. 

Samhain Blessings and Happy Hallowe'en! 

Pumpkin Walnut Squares

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1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup cold butter, cubed

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten

1 can (398 ml / 15 oz) solid packed pumpkin

1 can (300 ml / 14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground all spice 

1/2 teaspoon salt

Icing sugar, optional

caramel sauce, optional

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

In a medium bowl mix the flour, sugars together. Cut in the butter until crumbly, it should resemble an oatmeal texture. Stir in the walnuts. Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture for topping and press the remaining crumb mixture on the bottom and half way up the sides of a 9 x 13 inch rectangle baking dish.

In a large bowl beat the eggs, pumpkin, condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and salt together until smooth. Pour onto the crust and sprinkle with the reserved crumb topping. 

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Cut into squares and lightly dust with icing sugar and drizzle caramel sauce over top before serving. The squares are best served warm however they may be refrigerated and served cold. Leftovers should be stored in an air tight container and stored in the fridge.   

St. John Bakery ~ Neal's Yard Bakery ~ Seven Dials

 

We searched for this bakery before we left on our vacation. St. John Bakery is located in Neal's Yard, Seven Dials, tucked around the corner. It's quite an impressive little bakery but then again most bakeries don't have to be large to create such tempting tasty bake goods. A focus of selected baked breads, croissants, sticky buns, Eccles, pies, brownies and doughnuts. It was all our eyes could do was cruise the daily selection of choice quickly before deciding on a doughnut, although I could have taken one of everything. We decided on the blackberry jam, I believe, filled doughnut. They were lovely with a cup of tea. Not overly sweet, cushiony soft but doughy and oozed with gooey jam. Very pleasant.

They have two more bakeries locations, Bakery Arch on Druid Street and Borough Corner on Borough High Street. They also have three restaurants and a winery in France. To find out more about St. John visit their website: stjohnrestaurant.com         

Here is the jammy doughnut we bought and ate with much delight. Next time we must try the bread and a croissant. 

Worlds End Bookshop ~ London

 

Another bookshop we visited was the Worlds End Bookshop located in the heart of Chelsea on Kings Road. A delightful cozy corner shop with a mix of antiquarian, vintage and current books on a variety of subjects and as with most second hand bookstores the books change in frequency depending on what is bought or collected by the shop. The antiquarian side was impressive with gems scattered here and there and the rest of the shop I found equally so. And just like their cookery section the shop space is modest; that being said I feel their antiquarian and rare-ish books are their focus and I get that. The atmosphere is inviting and I had a lovely chat with the shop assistant about recipes, her cooking and baking and a slight mention of the movie The World's End starring Simon Pegg. Which, I am sure, I am not the first to draw a roundabout connection, in name only, between that movie and the name of the bookshop, the two are absolutely different. I did find a few gems, one being a Beeton cookbook from the Cookery & Household section titled, On the Beaten Track - Delicious Ulster Recipes from the Family Home of Mrs. Beeton's Great Niece by Sally Grylls. Which is signed by the editor. It is a flawless niche book that will complement the Beeton cookery collection I have. I will post about that book in a separate post. 

For more information about the Worlds End Bookshop, visit their website: worldsendbookshop.com     

Books for Cooks ~ Notting Hill

 

I finally made it to Books for Cooks located in Notting Hill. Such a quaint bookshop that was founded in 1983 by Heidi Lascelles. The shop offers plenty of titles catering to any and all cooks, chefs, and cookbook connoisseurs a like. With a few trinkets and knick knacks scattered around the shop, the selection of cookbooks, vintage or otherwise was quite impressive. Unfortunately at the time of my visit their cafe located at the back of the shop was closed and the test kitchen for cookery classes or workshops, located upstairs, I assumed was closed as well. On a side note, the first test kitchen cook was Annie Bell who has since become a renowned food writer and cookbook author. Among the supporters was Clarissa Dickson, the future English celebrity cook best known as one of the Two Fat Ladies, along with Jennifer Patterson from the English television cooking programme, and her original offer to look after the shop one afternoon turned into a four year stint. A lovely place to sit a spell and delve into culinary literature, linger over cookbooks and mull over countless recipes. A recommended visit however for more information about Books for Cooks visit their website: booksforcooks.com