The Everlasting Pumpkin
- Pumpkin Sage Cream Sauce over Pastaworks Ravioli
This huge Jarrahdale pumpkin I bought for Halloween decoration and finally roasted for Thanksgiving yielded many more cups of sugary sweet puree than I know what to do with. It’s abundance is to be appreciated in these dire economic times.
I used it make pumpkin tiramisu for Thanksgiving dessert. I froze two containers full of the orangey mush. And I still have a big bowlful of the stuff in the fridge that thankfully hasn’t gone bad yet.
So I used it to make vegan pumpkin black-bottom-like cupcakes for a holiday party for the ESL school where I’ve volunteer taught. Check out the yummy recipe (who knew tofu cream cheese would taste so real) here.
And on a whim tonight, I made a pumpkin sage cream sauce (see above). I first sauteed onions, garlic and leftover sliced leeks in olive oil, added a cup of chicken broth, freshly cut sage leaves, ample scoops of that old pumpkin puree and then stirred in some creme fraiche for creaminess just before serving. It was a perfect compliment to the fresh apple-potato-cremini mushroom ravioli I had picked up at Pastaworks in Portland.
So what should I do with the rest of the pumpkin puree? Any suggestions or recipes would be appreciated. Did I also mention the fridge full of turkey meat and stock? Not that I’m complaining. I’ll host Thanksgiving any year!
Those moist vegan pumpkin cupcakes.
BaltimOregon to Maine 
Laura – I use Pumpkin puree to make pumpkin muffins (from Bon Appetit recipe that appeared in the “you asked for it” column a couple of years ago. I also make a really wonderful pumpkin bread from a Maida Heatter recipe from her New Book of Greatest Desserts. Recipes follow.
Pumpkin Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup vetetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Note: I use a 15 oz. can of pumpkin, not just one cup.
Put oven rack in middle position and prehet oven to 350 degrees F. Put liners in muffin cups
Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl.
Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.
Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablesoon sugar in another bowl.
Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full) then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into ctr of muffin comes out clean, 25 – 30 minutes.
Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.
Note: freezes well.
Pumpkin Bread (freezes well)
2 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
2 eggs (graded large)
2 cups granulated sugar, or light brown, sugar, firmly packed
½ cup salad oil (Mazola, peanut oil, corn oil)
1 pound (2 cups) canned pumpkin (solid pack, not pumpkin-pie filling)
8 ounces (1 cup) pitted dates, each date cut into 2 or 3 pieces (optional)
4 ounces (generous 1 cup) walnuts, cut or broken into medium-size pieces (optional)
Adjust an oven rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan, or any other loaf pan that has a 10-cup capacity, measured to the very top of the pan. Or use two or more smaller pans if you wish. Dust the pan (or pans) with fine, dry bread crumbs, and tap over a piece of paper to shake out excess crumbs.
Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves and set aside,.
It is not necessary to use an electric mixer for this although you can if you wish (I do). In any large bowl beat the eggs just to mix. Add the sugar and oil and beat lightly just to mix. Mix in the pumpkin and then the dates (if using). Now add the sifted dry ingredients and stir, mix, or beat only until they are smoothly incorporated. Stir in the nuts.
Turn into the prepared pan (or pans) and smooth the top (tops).
Bake for 1 ½ hours in the large pan, less time in smaller pans (in two 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ¾-inch [6 cup capacity] pans, bake for 65 to 70 minutes), until a cake tester gently inserted into th emiddle comes out just barely clean.
Cool in the pan (pans) for 15 minutes. Cover with a rack, turn over the rack and the pan, remove the pan, and then turn the loaf right side up again on a rack. Let stand until cool.
Wrap the loaves in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day or two, or freeze. To serve, cut into slices a generous ½-inch thick.
Note: Makes 4 small loves – bake about 40 minutes. For 2 loaves, bake about 50 minutes.
Judy
December 7, 2008 at 9:13 am
Looks great Judy! Sorry you had to type that all up. I recommend the vegan pumpkin cupcake recipe I linked to. And especially the pumpkin tiramisu.
Laura
December 7, 2008 at 9:38 am
Delicious!
I’m impressed. I usually buy my pumpkin canned!
Juia
Julia
December 7, 2008 at 11:33 am
As a beneficiary of the pumpkin tiramisu, I can enthusiastically endorse both the recipe and the odd looking pumpkin- best pumpkin dish I ever had!
Virmania
December 7, 2008 at 11:44 am
Ooh! Looks great! Thanks for the recipes Laura and Judy!
Carolyn
December 7, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Wow a comment from Carolyn!
baltimoregon
December 7, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I witnessed the baking of that ugly white gord which really was a pumpkin; it turned out to be the sweetest pumpkin I’ve ever had, even plain before “doctoring it up” with the recipes. The pumpkin tiramisu was really good but next go-round with pumpkin, I might like to try a pumpkin jellyroll recipe with a cream cheese filling like I sampled once many years ago. Has anyone out there ever made one?
Mom
December 8, 2008 at 8:02 pm