Don't you just love the autumn harvest? The feeling of a crisp breeze in the air, the sound and sight of rustling leaves in a rainbow of colours, and a plentiful array of gourds, squash and pumpkins available at the produce counter.
Pumpkins are obviously one of the more popular harvests this time of the year.
Walking through suburban neighborhoods on Halloween night and gazing at all the eerily lit creations sitting in windows and on front porches can make one hungry - well, at least for me!
I feel that pumpkin as a food is quite neglected in our everyday diets. So, in the spirit of Halloween, I have decided to share a couple of recipes with you to make use of all the fresh pumpkins available right now.
Pumpkin Purée from Scratch (not from a can) (Since pumpkins are very inexpensive, this is very economical.)
1 fresh whole pumpkin
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and scrape out the stringy pulp.
3. Place the cut sides down on a baking sheet and bake until the flesh is very tender, approximately one hour.
4. Let cool until safe enough to handle. Spoon the cooked flesh off the skin and into a food processor, in batches. Purée each batch until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
5. Transfer the purée to a large fine wire mesh strainer set over a bowl, cover and let drain in the refrigerator overnight. Discard the liquid, and use the drained purée in any fashion that you would with canned.
PUMPKIN WEDGE DESSERT
(Easier than pumpkin pie for dessert, and uniquely different.)
1.2 kg of raw pumpkin
¼ cup brandy ¼ cup apple juice
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground allspice 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1 250 g package cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup dark corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of two lemons, finely grated or chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove the seeds and the stringy pulp from the inside of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into eight to 12 equal wedges or chunks. Make cuts in the flesh of the pumpkin every half inch without cutting through the skin, and then every half inch in the opposite direction to make a "cross-hatch" design in the flesh while keeping the chunks intact.
3. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and salt together. Spoon/spread this mixture evenly over the flesh of the pumpkin pieces.
4. Pour the brandy and apple juice in a covered oven-safe dish big enough to accommodate the pumpkin pieces in a single layer. Add the pumpkin pieces skin side down. Cover and bake for approximately 70 minutes until tender.
5. While the pumpkin is baking, beat the room temperature cream cheese until smooth and then add the corn syrup, vanilla and zest. Mix well and set aside.
6. Remove the baked pumpkin pieces and plate them individually. Pour the residual liquid from the baking dish into a small sauce pan and reduce by half to three quarters over high heat until syrupy.
7. Distribute an equal amount of the cream cheese mixture on each pumpkin piece. Drizzle with the liquid reduction and serve immediately.
Makes eight to 12 portions.
Send your food/cooking questions to dez@chefdez. com or PO Box 2674, Abbotsford, B.C., V2T 6R4
Chef Dez is a food columnist, culinary instructor and cooking show performer. Visit him at www.chefdez.com.
