As summer’s bounty comes to an end, autumn brings its own special gifts that rival the other seasons, such as the rich spectrum of fall colors. Ranging in hues of neon orange and golden yellow to dusty tones of gray and white, the pumpkin, with its varieties of shapes, shades, and sizes, is the epitome of fall color. And cooking with pumpkins is easier than ever. Though pumpkins are beautiful, I recommend using the canned version versus cooking and pureeing fresh pumpkin for your fall treats. The delicious smells will invite hungry friends and family into the kitchen when sweet pumpkin muffins are in the oven or velvety pumpkin soup is on the stove. Fall, in all of its glory, is nature’s way of taking a break, of slowing down and preparing to rest for a season. Like James Taylor’s song “Walking Man” says, the frost will be on the pumpkin, telling us to slow down a bit and enjoy the bounty of the season. Happy fall, y’all!
SPICED PUMPKIN PANCAKES
A delicious deviation from plain pancakes
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1¼ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cups milk
¾ cup canned pumpkin
4 large eggs, separated
¼ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Butter
Maple syrup
Whisk first five dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk milk, pumpkin, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold egg whites into batter, being careful not to deflate mixture. Spray a large non-stick skillet with oil, and place over medium-high heat. Working in batches, pour batter by cupfuls into pan. When bubbles appear on surface of pancake, immediately turn and continue cooking until bottom is browned, about 1 minute per side. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.
Yield: about 12 pancakes
PEPPERY PUMPKIN SOUP
6 tablespoons butter
6 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin
2 cups milk
1¼ teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
¼ cup honey
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup sour cream
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon hot sauce
For garnish: croutons and chopped chives
In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and sauté until translucent. Mix in pumpkin, milk, crushed red pepper, and honey. Using a hand blender, purée mixture until very smooth. Add broth and cream and simmer for 10 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix sour cream with lime juice and zest and hot sauce. When ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream mixture, croutons, and chives.
Yield: 12-20 servings
PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Great for Halloween or Thanksgiving
1 cup self-rising flour
⅔ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
½ cup canned pumpkin
⅓ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, pumpkin, oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients, and stir well. Spoon mixture into baking cups and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Beat cream cheese, butter, and confectioners’ sugar until very smooth and spreadable. Chill frosting until ready to use. Frosting may be colored with food coloring, if desired.
Yield: 12 cupcakes
HARVEST PUMPKIN BREAD
One of my favorite cookbook authors, Sara Foster, made this delicious bread for me, and it’s become one of my easy, sweet favorites.
3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
½ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour two 9×3-inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl, and set aside. Whisk together sugar, eggs, and oil in a separate bowl until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, water, and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, and stir until all ingredients are moist and blended. Do not overmix. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake for about 1 hour. Remove from oven, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pans.
Yield: 2 loaves
PUMPKIN FLAN WITH MAPLE CARAMEL
¾ cup pure maple syrup
1½ cups canned pumpkin
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups milk
⅓ cup sugar
3 eggs, plus 5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium heat, boil maple syrup until it reaches 230 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately pour boiling syrup into bottom of a 1½-quart baking dish, tilting pan to coat entire surface of dish. Let harden. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over hardened syrup. Put dish inside a larger pan and place on the middle oven rack. Pour enough water inside outer pan to reach halfway up baking dish. Bake until just set, about 1½ hours. Remove pan from water bath and cool on a rack. Cover pan and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, run a thin knife around edge of pan and invert.
Yield: 8-10 servings
