It’s Pumpkin Season Again
October 28, 2011
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Scottsdale
• 0 Comments
It’s Pumpkin Season Again
Fall is here once again, and with it comes the trappings of the season: colorful piles of leaves, a chill in the air, withered cornstalks, ghost, goblins, devils, and, best of all, pumpkins. The pumpkin is one of the most versatile fruits, making it popular for a lot more uses than just Jack O’ Lanterns.
Five Uses for Pumpkins
The pumpkin isn’t featured heavily in Arizona’s culinary arts, but their wide availability this time of year makes it easier for you to learn how to cook with them. Here is a list of five uses for those beautiful, orange pumpkins this fall:
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Pumpkin Bread
Nothing says autumn better than the smell of spiced pumpkin bread wafting through the house on chilly weekend morning. Serve it warm from the oven with just a touch of real butter for true taste of fall.
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Pumpkin Pie
Sure grandma makes one every year for Thanksgiving, but why wait that long? Make yours either from leftover Halloween pumpkins or from the can. The canned puree, however, will give you a stronger pumpkin flavor.
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Pumpkin Butter
Like it’s autumnal cousin, apple butter, pumpkin butter isn’t actually butter at all but a flavored puree. Use traditional fall flavors like apple cider, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves compliment the gentle flavors of the pumpkin.
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Pumpkin Soup
Serve this creamy treat warm or cold with a garnish of crème fraiche and julienned carrots. For a festive feeling at Halloween parties, serve the soup bowls made of real pumpkins.
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Decorations Galore
With over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins produced in the U.S., there are literally pumpkins everywhere in the fall. Buy a few for Jack O’ Lanterns, but don’t stop there. Buy half a dozen small pumpkins and use them as floating votives for a Halloween centerpiece. Get a selection of pumpkins and other gourds to make a traditional cornucopia for Thanksgiving.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
If you’ve taken a cooking class recently, you may have used pumpkin seeds as an ingredient. They are popular ingredient among today’s health conscious chefs and culinary instructors. Don’t throw away those seeds this year when you carve your Jack O’ Lanterns. Save them and make this delicious and healthy snack.
Ingredients:
- 1 or more medium- to large-sized pumpkins
- Salt
- Olive or macadamia nut oil
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Remove seeds and pulp from pumpkin
- Separate seeds from the pulp and wash them
- In a large saucepan add two cups of water for every ½ cup of seeds. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 cups of water
- Bring water and seeds to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes
- Drain the water and rinse the seeds
- Spread about 1 tablespoon of oil on the bottom of a roasting pan or sheet pan
- Spread seed in a single layer across the pan
- Roast on the top oven rack until the seeds turn golden brown, between 10 and 20 minutes
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little more salt or your own seasoning mix
- Let the seeds cool completely before serving
Make multiple batches if you can’t fit all of your seeds in a single layer. Enjoy!
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale offers culinary arts, pâtisserie and baking, hospitality and restaurant management, and online training programs. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Scottsdale for more information.
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