Pumpkin

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By Ari LeVaux More Content Now

hen people say they like pumpkin spice-flavored foods, what they mean is they like pumpkin pieflavored foods, the difference between spice and pie being a few hundred calories’ worth of cream and sugar, not to mention actual pumpkin (or squash, as is the case with much canned pumpkin pie filling).

Take a look at the ingredient list of most any iconic vehicle for pumpkin spices, such as the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, and you will see more than just a sweet, spiced coffee drink. There are actual pumpkin particles in that cup, in the form of puree. Ditto for your breakfast cereal, pretzels, doughnuts, protein powder, ice cream, kombucha, kale chips, cream cheese, bagels, yogurt, popcorn and Pop-Tarts.

I suggest combining pumpkin pie spices with corn, which is sweeter than squash and, if prepared properly, creamier as well.

What is pumpkin spice?

Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. These roots, seeds and bark all share the trait of somehow tasting sweet without actually being sweet. In the presence of actual sweet ingredients, they really pucker up. A dose of cream makes these qualities more palatable, without obscuring them. That is part of the magic of pumpkin pie.

The only difference between pumpkin pie and chai spices is the inclusion of cardamom. Chai spices are often served in conjunction with sweet, creamy ingredients, along with steeped bits of a caffeine-bearing plant — tea, in this case. While pumpkin spices have recently found a niche as a coffee flavoring, chai spices — and their accompanying milk, vanilla and honey — have flavored black tea for centuries.

For expediency in the recipe on the next page, I used a commercial pumpkin pie spice mix. But extreme DIYers can mix up 3 teaspoons each of cloves and allspice, 4 teaspoons each of nutmeg and ginger, and 6 tablespoons cinnamon, all finely ground.

Corn Spice Porridge

Serves 2

• 2 ears sweet corn, shucked (or 2 cups frozen corn) • 2 cups water • ¼ teaspoon salt • 2 teaspoons pumpkin spices • For corn spice latte or mocha base: ¼ cup (or more) heavy cream, 2 tablespoons (or more) sugar • Optional: 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Cut off the tip of the cob and hold it tip down on a cutting board. Place a filet knife or the narrowest knife you can find about halfway down the cob, and cut straight down, as close to the cob as possible, slicing off a sheet of kernels. Rotate your grip on the cob and slice off another sheet. When you have sliced the corn off the entire half, put the other end down on the cutting board and slice the corn off the other end. You should get about a cup and a half from an average size ear.

Add this corn, along with the salt, spices and chocolate, if using, to a pot with the water. On medium heat, stir it together with a fork and bring to a simmer. Leave it there for 5 minutes, covered. Turn off heat and allow to cool. When cool enough to work with, add to a blender, preferably a powerful one like a Vitamix. Start on the lowest speed, gradually increase the speed to high, and blend at high until it’s utterly smooth.

If you are in need of a blender upgrade, you may have to filter what’s left. Pour the liquefied or strained corn spices back into the pot and return to a simmer. Serve hot or cold.

Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Snack Cake

For the streusel topping:

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour • ½ cup packed light brown sugar • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon • ½ teaspoon salt • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes • ½ cup chopped pecans

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon • ½ teaspoon ground allspice • ½ teaspoon ground ginger • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg • ¼ teaspoon ground mace • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves • ¾ cup lightly packed light brown sugar • ¾ cup granulated sugar • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce • ½ cup vegetable oil • 4 large eggs

For the glaze:

• ¾ cup powdered sugar • 3 to 4 tablespoons half and half or whole milk

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick oil spray. Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the inside of the pan with 5 inches of overhang on both long sides of the pan. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick oil spray.

To make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar,

cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and, using the tips of your fingers, roll and crumble the butter into the dry ingredients until it reaches the consistency of wet sand. (You should be able to take a handful in your fingers, press tightly, and the mixture will hold together, but it should also separate easily when you sprinkle it from your hands.) Add the pecans and toss to combine.

To make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, mace and cloves.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, pumpkin puree, applesauce, oil and eggs. Add the sugar mixture to the flour mixture and whisk together until thoroughly combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and evenly smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating the cake pan halfway through baking. Let cool to room temperature.

To make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of the half and half until the sugar is completely incorporated into the glaze. Add the remaining half and half by the teaspoon, if needed, to create a pourable glaze.

Drizzle the cooled cake with the glaze. Using the overhanging parchment paper, gently lift the cake out of the baking dish and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Serves: 4-6

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour • 2 tablespoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg • ½ teaspoon kosher salt • 1 ¼ cup buttermilk • 1 cup pumpkin purée • ½ cup milk • 3 large eggs • ¼ cup sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the griddle • Maple syrup, for serving

Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Place a baking sheet or large platter in the oven. Heat an electric griddle to medium heat.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk in the salt.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin purée, milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla until completely smooth. Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, followed by the melted butter. Don’t worry about whisking out all of the lumps; it’s important not to overwork the batter.

Brush the griddle with melted butter. Scoop ½ cup of the batter onto the griddle. Add additional pancakes, in ½ cup increments, to fill the griddle. (You will likely be able to fit 2 to 3 pancakes per batch.) Cook until bubbles have broken the surface of the pancake, about 4 minutes, then flip to cook on the second side until the pancakes are fluffy in the center, 2 to 3 more minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve with maple syrup.

Pumpkin Banana Bread Muns

Serves: 12

• 1 cup sugar • ½ cup vegetable shortening • 3 overripe bananas • ¾ cup pumpkin puree • 1 large egg • 2 teaspoons vanilla • ½ cup heavy cream • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.

With stand or hand mixer, beat together the sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Beat in the bananas, pumpkin, egg and vanilla until well-combined. Beat in the cream, followed by the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves until just combined.

Fill the prepared muffin tins threequarters of the way full and bake until the muffins are browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Serves: 8 For the crust:

• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted • ¼ cup sugar

For the filling:

• 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened • 2 ½ cups sugar • 1/3 cup sour cream • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée • 6 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten • 1 tablespoon vanilla • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon • 1 teaspoon ground ginger • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

To make the crust: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9- by 3-inch round cake pan with nonstick oil spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper and lightly spray the paper with additional nonstick oil spray. Line a roasting pan with a kitchen towel.

In a large bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar until the butter is thoroughly incorporated and mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Pour the crust mixture the prepared pan and use the back of a measuring cup and your hands to evenly and tightly pack the crust mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees.

To make the filling: Bring a medium saucepan of water to a simmer. Keep warm.

Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 45 seconds. Add the sugar and sour cream and continue to beat on medium-high until smooth and well-combined, 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and salt until smooth, scraping down the paddle and sides of the bowl as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the filling on top of the cooled crust. Place the cake pan inside of the prepared roasting pan.

Pour the simmering water into the roasting pan, two-thirds of the way up the outside of the cake pan. Bake until the sides of the cheesecake are set but center is still loose, about 2 hours.

Turn the oven off, then open the oven door for 1 minute to release some of the heat. Close the oven door and keep cheesecake in the

cooling oven until the cheesecake jiggles only slightly when touched, about 1 hour.

Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

To serve, run a hot knife around the inside edges of the pan. Invert the pan onto a round plate or cardboard cake round. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the crust and invert the cheesecake back onto another plate or cardboard cake round. Slice and serve.

White Chocolate and Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Serves: 8

• 1 ½ cups heavy cream • 1 cup milk • 1 cup white chocolate chips • 4 ounces cream cheese • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • 2 (16-ounce) cans pumpkin puree • 6 large eggs • ½ cup sugar • 1 tablespoon vanilla • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg • 1 teaspoon ground ginger • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 8 ounces croissants, torn into rough 1-inch pieces • Powdered sugar, for serving • Freshly whipped cream, for serving

Heat the oven to 225 degrees. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, milk, white chocolate, cream cheese and butter to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally to melt the cream cheese and butter.

While the cream mixture is heating, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a large bowl.

When the cream mixture is hot, slowly whisk it into the pumpkin mixture. Once the mixture is completely smooth, add in the croissants. Let sit until the croissants have begun to soak up the custard, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the croissant mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake until the pudding has set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 ½ hours. Let cool for 15 minutes. Dust the pudding with powdered sugar and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

13 roasty, toasty and spicy ways to use pumpkin seeds

By Rachel Forrest More Content Now

Save those pumpkin seeds and savor them with these 13 ideas. The following two techniques will be needed for some of the later recipes: • Roast: Wash the seeds and soak for an hour. Let dry for a day. Toss with a teaspoon of cooking oil. Spread on a cookie sheet and salt. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes or so. Let cool. Use in salads or atop ice cream. • Toast: Wash and drain the seeds and brush or spray a cookie sheet with olive or coconut oil. Spread seeds on the sheet and coat with more oil. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or until lightly brown. Remove, drain or blot on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

1Spice: You’ve got many many options here. Use Worcestershire sauce and butter instead of oil to toss before roasting or toasting. Toss with cayenne, chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder or curry powder. Sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan. Add a little truffle oil to the cooking oil as you roast.

2In holiday stung: Use hulled raw seeds in stuffing instead of walnuts or pecans. This works especially well in a cornbread stuffing with perhaps a bit of Poblano chile.

3Brittle: Peanuts schmeanuts. Use your pepitas! Heat the oven to 250 degrees and keep an oiled and foil-lined rimmed baking sheet warm in the oven. Toast a cup of hulled raw pepitas. Cook a cup of sugar, ½ cup water and a pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan, stirring with a fork, until melted and golden. Keep cooking by swirling the pan until even more deeply golden. Stir in the seeds and pour the mixture quickly onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread thin before it hardens. Let cool until completely hard and then break up the brittle into bite-sized pieces.

4Sauce: In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add a cup of shelled pepitas, a torn slice of bread, a crushed clove of garlic and a small chopped onion and cook, stirring, until the bread is golden brown. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped green chilies. Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add 14 ounces chicken broth, ½ cup of whipping cream and a dash of salt and blend again until smooth. Use for pork, pasta, chicken and/or grilled salmon.

5Garnish: Use your toasted pepitas as a garnish for pumpkin or squash soup, atop a taco, on a beet salad (any salad), or sprinkled over chili.

6As dressing: Use pumpkin seed oil in vinaigrette with fig vinegar. You can also toss it on potatoes for a potato salad, or brush it on meats before roasting.

7Party mix: Add toasted pumpkin seeds to dried chopped apricots and candied walnuts. And OK, even Chex Mix.

8Butter: This is great on crusty Italian bread hot out of the oven, or as a dip. Combine ½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds, ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro and 2 cloves of garlic in a blender or food processor and process until combined. Add ⅓ cup softened butter, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Process until well-combined. Store in the refrigerator, but serve at room temperature. Omit the garlic and cilantro and add nutmeg and use it on hot gingerbread.

9Poultry coating: Toast 2 cups of pumpkin seeds and a touch of ancho chili powder in a saute pan with a bit of oil. Crush up the seeds and add 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Dredge chicken breasts in the mixture and saute the chicken in olive oil until golden brown. Finish cooking in a 425-degree oven. It’ll take 15 to 20 minutes. 10 Pesto: This sauce can be used to toss in pasta or blended into sour cream or cream cheese for a dip, or it can be used as a flavor-booster in any stew, soup or sauce. This one has basil in it as well, but is particularly good with pork, and even for firmer fish like trout or bass. Combine ½ cup hulled, roasted pumpkin seeds, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan and 2 cloves garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until the seeds are finely ground. Add 1 cup basil, ½ cup parsley, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pulse a few times, then, with the food processor running, pour in ½ cup of olive oil. Continue to process until the herbs are chopped and olive oil is just incorporated. Serve immediately, or freeze for up to two months. 11 Spit-off: Line up the children and the rest of the family and see how far you can spit the pepitas. It’s not how far it goes or where it lands that matters, but the journey it took to get there.

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A few more recipe ideas:

High-Test Pumpkin Seeds

Makes about 1 ½ cups

• 1 ½ cups pumpkin seeds, raw and cleaned • ½ cup dark rum • ½ cup bourbon • 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon • ½ teaspoon ground ginger • ¼ teaspoon ground mace

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Mix the pumpkin seeds, dark rum, bourbon and brown sugar in a small saucepan set over low heat. Simmer until the pumpkin seeds begin to turn gray in the center.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and drain all of the liquid from the seeds. In a bowl, toss the seeds with the spices and then spread into a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake until crisp, stirring every 10 minutes, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Pumpkin Martini

Makes 1

• 1 teaspoon sugar • ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice • Ice cubes • 1 tablespoon vodka • 1 tablespoon maple syrup • 2 teaspoons heavy cream • 1 teaspoon canned pure pumpkin puree • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract • Toasted pumpkin seeds, such as High-Test Pumpkin Seeds (above), for garnish

Mix the sugar and half of the pumpkin pie spice on a small plate. Dip the rim of a chilled martini glass in water, then dip in the sugar to coat.

Fill a martini shaker with ice cubes and add the vodka, maple syrup, cream, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and the remaining pumpkin pie spice. Shake vigorously, then strain into the prepared glass. Serve.

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