Pumpkin. Pie.
The two words are as closely linked at this time of year as turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Pie always was and always will be pumpkin`s greatest moment (though jack- o-lanterns, another matter altogether, are justifiably famous in their own right). Time has immortalized this autumnal marriage of the puree made fragrant with sugar and sweet spices.
Though it hardly would be recognizable today, a precursor of pumpkin pie was at the first Colonial Thanksgiving-though some historians argue that it likely didn`t appear until the second feast. Sweetened with molasses, pureed pumpkin was cooked over an open fire. The pie `crust` was the hollowed-out pumpkin, cooked until it too was tender enough to eat along with the filling. Cooks who put pumpkin into pies this year hardly will be acting alone. According to Libby`s, the largest producer of canned pumpkin, about 88 million people will be bringing pumpkin pie to their tables as the appropriate endpoint to a meal that is dictated by culinary tradition. Fully 90 percent of the annual consumption of pumpkin is during the last three months of the year. Rebel cooks might veer from the norm, not by banishing pumpkin pie from the menu, but by making chiffon pies instead of custard pies or garnishing them with little collars of pecans.
That`s about as radical as they get, even though pumpkin, like turkey, is a supremely versatile food. The recipes that follow highlight some new ways that pumpkin can appear on your Thanksgiving table.
Dick Curd, a spokesman for Libby`s, notes that 85 percent of the company`s canned pumpkin will be baked into pies. Except for a small amount-less than 1 percent-the remainder is used to make golden-hued muffins, spiced quick breads and other baked goods such as pumpkin bars or scones.
But what of that minuscule 1 percent? In adventuresome hands, the bland and mildly sweet flesh of cucurbita maxima can find its way into myriad other foods, some of them rather surprising:
– Italians long ago discovered that the meat of this oversized gourd-like squash makes a sublime filling for ravioli.
– The French, always fond of smooth potages, turn it into rich soups. Similarly, cooks throughout South America use pumpkin for soup.
– Pakistanis, with their penchant for spices, use cubed pumpkin in kaddu raita, a relish-like salad.
– Americans, often open to gustatory venues, have added pureed pumpkin to waffles, spoonbreads, custards, mousses, cakes, bread puddings, cookies and puddings. Pumpkin has been featured in American cookbooks for at least 200 years, one of the earlier uses being for thin griddlecakes. Today, options abound.
Almost all pumpkin is used in pureed form. This makes canned, solid-pack pumpkin a useful pantry staple. More than 150,000 tons of it are processed annually and the use of it is growing. Last year, in the biggest year yet for canned pumpkin, total usage was up 8 percent.
Unlike many canned foods, no salt, stabilizers, thickeners or preservatives sully it. Pumpkin in a can is just pumpkin. Even chefs who tend to express disdain for anything packed in tin usually give canned pumpkin the nod.
James Beard wrote in ”American Cookery”: ”If the dish is to be well seasoned, the canned product is very useful.”
Fresh pumpkins can be cooked and pureed, though, and some cooks feel obligated to try it at least once. The taste of fresh
is close to the canned, with a slightly milder, less-cooked flavor.
Tempting though they may be in the weeks after Halloween, the big, jack-o-lantern type pumpkins aren`t the best choices for cooking. The smaller variety known as sugar pumpkins-with sweeter, drier and less stringy flesh-are recommended most often. The peeled flesh then can be baked or steamed until it is tender enough to puree.
The following recipes, all of them appropriate for Thanksgiving, can be made with canned or fresh pumpkin puree. If you choose canned, be sure to use plain pumpkin rather than pumpkin pie-filling mix, which contains sugar and spices.
THAI-SPICED PUMPKIN SOUP
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
3-3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2-1 teaspoon red curry paste
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin puree
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 small piece fresh ginger root, about 3/4-inch cube, peeled
Salt to taste
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic and cumin seed;
cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onion is very soft, 10 minutes.
2. Add 3 cups chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon curry paste; cover and heat to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer gently until onion is very tender, 15 minutes.
3. Transfer contents of pan to a blender or food processor. Add pumpkin, coconut milk and ginger; puree until smooth. Return to saucepan and cook gently 5 minutes to blend flavors. Add remaining broth if the soup is too thick and additional curry paste if a spicier soup is desired. Add salt to taste.
PUMPKIN POLENTA
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 16 squares
This can be served two ways: as a side dish with poultry or pork or grilled and served with fresh tomato or Gorgonzola sauce for a first course.
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon each: rubbed sage, salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse-cracked black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta mix
1/3 cup grated provolone cheese
1. Whisk together water, pumpkin puree, 1 tablepoon oil, sage, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil. Whisking constantly as you do so, add just enough cornmeal to make a film over the surface; whisk in, then gradually add the remaining cornmeal. If it is added too quickly, it will lump.
2. When all the cornmeal has been added, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon oil and the cheese.
3. Transfer to an oiled 8-inch square pan. Cool to room temperature. Polenta can be prepared 3 days in advance to this point, covered tightly and refrigerated. To serve, cut into 2-inch squares. Brush lightly with remaining oil and grill, pan-fry or broil until heated.
PUMPKIN CIDER BAVARIAN MOUSSE
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Chilling time: Several hours
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1 tablespoon each: orange juice, water, vanilla
4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2/3 cup whole milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
Pomegranate seeds, diced dried papaya for garnish, optional
1. Boil cider in a small stainless steel or enamel saucepan until it is reduced to 1/2 cup. Strain into a large mixing bowl.
2. Combine the orange juice, water and vanilla in a small dish. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface and let stand until all the gelatin is softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add gelatin mixture to hot cider and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.
3. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar and maple syrup; add milk. Transfer to a small heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; do not let curdle. Remove from the heat and add to the cider mixture along with the pumpkin; whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until mixture thickens and gels but does not set.
4. Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Gently fold into the pumpkin mixture. Transfer to an oiled 8-cup mold or serving bowl. Cover lightly and refrigerate at least 6 hours or as long as 3 days. If molded, briefly warm the outside of the mold with hot water to loosen mousse from the sides of the mold. Carefully invert onto a serving platter. Garnish with pomegranate and papaya as desired.
PETER PETER PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: One 10-inch cake
Crust:
2 ounces gingersnap cookies, crushed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 pounds (3 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon each: cornstarch, vanilla and bourbon or orange-flavored liqueur 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Freshly grated nutmeg
Topping:
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons bourbon or orange-flavored liqueur
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Crush the cookies in a blender or food processor; mix in melted butter. Transfer to a 10-inch springform pan and press to form an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Do not spread crumbs up the sides of the pan.
2. For the filling, mix the eggs and sugar in a food processor or large bowl of an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the cream cheese and mix 2 minutes, until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cornstarch, vanilla, bourbon and spices. Mix thoroughly.
3. Pour filling into crust. Bake until filling is just barely set in the center, about 50 minutes.
4. While cheesecake is baking, make topping: Mix sour cream, sugar and bourbon until smooth. After 50 minutes baking, carefully spread the topping over the cake and return to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
PUMPKIN SPICE ANGEL FOOD CAKE
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: One 10-inch cake,
10 to 12 servings
Excess lurks in every corner over the holidays. Here`s a delicious, convenient way to cut out at least one high-fat dessert. A little bit of pumpkin and spice tint a packaged angel food cake a delicate gold. Lower in both calories and fat than most desserts, this one is pretty close to guilt-free. Without sauce, the cake has approximately 150 calories and less than 1 gram of fat per slice.
Cake:
1 box angel food cake mix
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon each: cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg
Sauce:
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups confectioners` sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4-6 tablespoons orange juice as needed
1. Using an electric mixer, beat egg white packet from cake mix with the water called for in package intructions. Add pumpkin and spices; beat well. Mix in packet of dry ingredients. Bake cake as instructed. Cool completely before removing from pan.
2. For sauce, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. The sauce should be thick but flowing. Drizzle over sliced cake.
