Pumpkin recipes for fall
When the leaves start to fall and there's a chill in the air, my mouth starts craving pumpkin. Rather than stopping at the coffee shop every day on the way to work for a pumpkin muffin to satisfy that craving, I dug out some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.
Though canned pumpkin works for most recipes, there's nothing like the taste of fresh pumpkin when you have the time.
When selecting a pumpkin for cooking, pick a "pie pumpkin" or "sweet pumpkin." If you can't find one, a carving pumpkin will yield good results as well.
Remove the stem and cut the pumpkin in half with a sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds and scrape away all the stringy stuff. (Don't throw the seeds out — they make a wonderful snack with the recipe at the end of this column.) Throw the strings in the trash — they'll clog up a disposal drain.
Roast the halves skin-side up at 350 degrees, until they're tender when pierced with a fork. (This could take an hour.) Let it cool, then cut away the skin and puree the flesh in a food processor. Strain the puree in a cheesecloth or coffee filter-lined colander to let the excess water drain out.
So, now that you have some cooked pumpkin, here are some recipes to use it in. (Note: 1 pound of pumpkin will yield about 1 cup of cooked pumpkin puree.)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
1 cup butter
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
2 cups canned or cooked pumpkin
1/3 cup apple juice or cider
1 bag dark chocolate chips or chunks
Beat butter at a medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears.
Combine pumpkin and apple juice in a bowl. Combine flour, salt, spices, baking powder and soda in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture, alternating with pumpkin mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at lowest speed just until blended after each addition. Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes, then remove from pan. (I've also done this recipe using several small loaf pans instead of one large pan.)
Optional: Drizzle the top with melted dark chocolate. Also, the chocolate chips can be replaced by dried fruits, nuts or other add-ins.
Pumpkin spice cake
Cake:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of canned or cooked pumpkin
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Spice Frosting:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of ginger and cloves (I did about 1/2 tsp of each)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Cream butter, sugar, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla together. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add dry ingredients to wet; blend well.
Bake at 375 degrees in a greased and floured 9x12" pan for 20 to 25 minutes. The batter will be pretty thick, so make sure you spread it evenly around the pan. After cake has cooled, frost .
Directions for frosting: Make this once the cake has cooled, since you need to put it on the cake right away. Combine brown sugar, butter, milk and spices in a saucepan. Heat and stir until the mixture bubbles. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Slowly beat in powdered sugar. Pour and spread icing onto the cake quickly.
Roasted pumpkin seeds
Once you've scooped your seeds out of the pumpkin, clean all the orange goop off of them and rinse them in warm water. Mix them in a bowl with some olive or vegetable oil, just enough to coat them. Add some salt and whatever seasonings float your boat — garlic, cayenne or seasoning salt would all work well. Spread them on a cookie sheet and put them in a 300 degree oven for anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on how well-done you like them. Be sure to stir them every 5 to 10 minutes so they toast evenly. Store any leftovers in a sealed container for as long as a month.
