Pumpkin is one of those ingredients that makes just about anything better. It can be added to soups, used in baked goods, in smoothies or even ice cream. I love to cook with pumpkin, but there is nothing like using fresh pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin puree is simple to make and most pumpkins yield a large quantity of puree so you'll have plenty of pumpkin to make all the pumpkin deliciousness you can imagine!
To make pumpkin puree choose a good sized sugar pumpkin (don't use the larger pumpkins, they have too much water content and do not lend well to cooking). Scoop out the seeds and pulp and cut into chunks to fit onto a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400f and bake pumpkin cut side down until you can pierce the flesh easily, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely and scoop the pumpkin off the skin. Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.
One of my favorite soups to make when the weather gets chilly is pumpkin black bean chili. It's healthy and filling and can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the ground turkey.
Pumpkin Black Bean Chili:
1 can diced tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves minced
1 lb. lean ground turkey
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups pureed pumpkin
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
Plain Greek yogurt (optional as garnish)
1. Process tomatoes and beans in food processor until mostly smooth.
2. Heat oil in a dutch oven on medium high. Add onion and saute 5 minutes. Add cumin and garlic and saute 1 minute. Add ground turkey and cook until browned.
3. Add bean and tomato mixture, stock, sherry vinegar, black pepper, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in sherry and ladle into bowls.
5. Garnish with plain greek yogurt and enjoy!
I often ask my husband what he would like me to make him for dessert, and usually its the same kind of things; cookies, cheesecake, brownies. Well, recently he asked me to make him a pumpkin mousse cake. I was baffled, I couldn't think of what he meant by mousse cake so I went on a search and finally found a Williams Sonoma version of Pumpkin Mousse Cake. It was fabulous, a little involved but well worth the hard work because it was a delicious light pumpkiny goodness!
Pumpkin Mousse Cake
Williams-Sonoma
- Génoise (see related recipe below)
- 2 1/4 tsp. (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin
- 2 Tbs. cold water
- 1 3/4 cups fresh pumpkin puree or
canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 Tbs. dark rum
- 1 2/3 cups plus 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp. confectioners’ sugar
1.Make
the génoise as directed, let cool completely and place the cake, right
side up, on a work surface. Cut the cake into 2 equal layers.
2.In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water, stir and let soften until opaque, about 3 minutes.
3.In a saucepan over medium heat, combine about 1/2 cup of the pumpkin
puree, the granulated sugar and salt and heat, stirring, until the sugar
dissolves. Stir in the softened gelatin and let cool to room
temperature. In a bowl, stir the pumpkin mixture into
the remaining
pumpkin puree. Whisk in the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and rum.
4.Using a stand mixer or by hand, whip the 1 2/3 cups cream to soft peaks.
Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold one-third of the whipped
cream into the puree, then fold in the remaining cream, making a mousse.
5.Peel off the paper from the bottom cake layer. Put the layer, cut side
up, into the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan. Spread half of the
mousse evenly over the cake. Trim 1/2 inch from the outside edge of the
remaining layer. Center it, cut side down, on top of the mousse. Top
with the remaining mousse, pushing it between the cake and the pan and
smoothing the top. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or up to
overnight.
6.Warm the sides of the pan with a kitchen towel
soaked in hot water and wrung out. Remove the pan sides and smooth the
sides of the mousse with a frosting spatula.
7.Whip the 1/2 cup
cream and the confectioners' sugar to medium peaks. Spoon into a pastry
bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip (see related tip at left). Pipe
shells around the top edge and a few in the center of the cake. Run a
thin knife under the cake to free it from the bottom of the springform
pan and transfer to a serving plate. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves 10 to 12.
Genois:
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1⁄2 cup sugar
- 3⁄4 cup cake flour, sifted
- 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
1.Preheat an oven to 375°F. Line the bottom of a 9-by-3-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
2.In
the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar by hand
until combined. Place the bowl over but not touching simmering water in a
saucepan and gently whisk until the mixture registers 140°F on an
instant-read thermometer, about 3 minutes. Put the bowl on the mixer
fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the
mixture is pale and almost tripled in volume, 5 to 8 minutes.
3.Remove
the bowl from the mixer. Sift the flour over the egg mixture in two
additions and carefully fold in with a large rubber spatula. Fold a
large dollop into the melted butter, then fold back into the egg
mixture. 4.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the
top. Bake until the top is browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan
to a wire rack and let cool completely. Run a table knife around the
edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a work surface. Turn the cake
right side up. Use as directed in the specific recipe for a layer cake
or jelly roll.
Makes one 9-by-3-inch cake.
