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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Oct 4, 2017 8:39:54 GMT -5
Where the garden thread and pumpkin thread meet -- my report on Winter Luxury pumpkins!
I roasted ours last night. It was an unusually handsome pumpkin, bigger than a sugar pie one but smaller than most cheesewheel or jack o' lantern-y ones. And it was really heavy for its size. Turns out that heft was for good reason -- the flesh was easily an inch and a half or two inches thick. So much meat on this pumpkin's bones! I cut it into wedges and roasted until soft, and then discovered that the seed catalog boasting of its superior baking qualities was not exaggerating. It gave off almost no liquid at all, just turned into an incredible amount of creamy, perfect pumpkin mush. I doubt it's going to need to be strained at all before using it for baking. And the flavor! THE FLAVOR! It is impossibly sweet. By a wide margin it is the tastiest pumpkin, on its own merits, just straight up, that I've ever tasted. Truly, truly spectacular.
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Oct 4, 2017 9:40:56 GMT -5
NYT had a "what to cook this fall" recipe round-up today, and it included a pumpkin bread with brown butter and bourbon. Now, I have a great recipe for pumpkin bread already (one I profess is the greatest but which my coworkers famously did NOT award any prizes to at that ill-fated pumpkin bake-off I entered a few years ago, so we now call it "loser pumpkin bread"), but I think, in light of having a whole bunch of fresh pumpkin puree on hand, it's time to try a different one. Also, seriously -- brown butter and bourbon? Sign me up! |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 4, 2017 9:42:11 GMT -5
NYT had a "what to cook this fall" recipe round-up today, and it included a pumpkin bread with brown butter and bourbon. Now, I have a great recipe for pumpkin bread already (one I profess is the greatest but which my coworkers famously did NOT award any prizes to at that ill-fated pumpkin bake-off I entered a few years ago, so we now call it "loser pumpkin bread"), but I think, in light of having a whole bunch of fresh pumpkin puree on hand, it's time to try a different one. Also, seriously -- brown butter and bourbon? Sign me up! Would you possibly be able to post the recipe? I do not have an account and don't want one  |
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Oct 4, 2017 9:45:07 GMT -5
Would you possibly be able to post the recipe? I do not have an account and don't want one But of course! INGREDIENTS ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter ¼ cup bourbon (or use water or apple cider) 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 ¾ cups pumpkin purée, homemade or canned (1 15-ounce can) 4 eggs ½ cup olive or other oil (such as canola) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 ¾ cups light brown sugar 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cardamom PREPARATION Heat oven to 350 degrees and arrange a rack in the center. Grease the insides of two 8-inch loaf pans with butter or line with parchment paper. In a large skillet, melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the frothy white milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and turn a fragrant, nutty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Brown butter can burn quickly, so watch it carefully. (A tip: You will know your brown butter is almost ready when the frantic sound of bubbling begins to die down, so use your ears as well as your eyes and nose.) In a glass liquid measuring cup, combine bourbon and vanilla. Add water until you reach the 2/3 cup mark. In a large bowl, whisk together bourbon mixture, pumpkin purée, eggs and oil. With a spatula, scrape all the brown butter from the skillet into the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. In another large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Divide batter between the two greased loaf pans. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow bread to cool completely before removing from pan. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 4, 2017 9:47:58 GMT -5
Thank you, that sounds divine.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 4, 2017 9:52:15 GMT -5
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Post by songstarliner on Oct 9, 2017 20:40:36 GMT -5
Noooooope. No. Enough already.  |
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Post by pairesta on Oct 10, 2017 7:38:09 GMT -5
Anybody have experience with this kind of pumpkin?  They're everywhere, and I just saw one being cooked on one of my food shows, so I'm considering giving it a go. I'm worried because they are rather large, and in my experience larger pumpkins tend to be starchy, watery, and not very flavorful. But when they cut into it on the show, it had the lovely intense orange flesh, very thick. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 10, 2017 8:46:38 GMT -5
I made pumpkin beer marshmallows last night.
It was semi-hilarious because I nearly boiled the sugar over, my poor hand mixer couldn't handle it and one of the whisk attachments broke off, I made a big, sticky mess and didn't quite get the volume I wanted...
but, they did turn out and taste very good.
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Oct 10, 2017 9:45:15 GMT -5
Anybody have experience with this kind of pumpkin? They're everywhere, and I just saw one being cooked on one of my food shows, so I'm considering giving it a go. I'm worried because they are rather large, and in my experience larger pumpkins tend to be starchy, watery, and not very flavorful. But when they cut into it on the show, it had the lovely intense orange flesh, very thick. Always, always, always go with cheesewheel shaped pumpkins if you can. Those are superior baking pumpkins! They're going to be fleshier and drier than conventionally round pumpkins. If you can find the ones that have the same shape as your picture but have those gnarly warts on the skin? Those are OUTRAGEOUS. My CSA grew them one year and they were the most incredible pumpkin I've ever eaten, and yielded epic amounts of puree. Alas, they must be tricky to grow, because they haven't done them since... |
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Oct 10, 2017 9:48:29 GMT -5
Oh and my report on that NYT recipe for brown butter bourbon pumpkin bread? Yikes, that is an amazingly good recipe! I made a batch with some of my Winter Luxury pumpkin, and while it's not as pumpkin-forward as my usual recipe is, it has so much else going for it that it doesn't matter. It yielded basically the platonic ideal of an autumnal tea bread.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 13, 2017 12:53:23 GMT -5
Einstein Bros. Pumpkin Latte has a much more pronounced pumpkin-pie flavor than Starbucks's Pumpkin Spice Latte. Recommended. I haven't had Einstein Bros but I think Dunkin Donuts has a better pumpkin flavored syrup than Starbucks, and their pumpkin coffee is like half the price of a PSL. |
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Oct 13, 2017 13:02:16 GMT -5
Einstein Bros. Pumpkin Latte has a much more pronounced pumpkin-pie flavor than Starbucks's Pumpkin Spice Latte. Recommended. I haven't had Einstein Bros but I think Dunkin Donuts has a better pumpkin flavored syrup than Starbucks, and their pumpkin coffee is like half the price of a PSL. Agreed. I just had one this morning and it was great. |
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Post by ganews on Oct 18, 2017 6:08:48 GMT -5
Last night I had a Brooklyn Brewery pumpkin ale in one hand and a big pumpkin cookie from Potbelly in the other. Then repeat.
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Crash Test Dumbass
AV Clubber 
ffc what now
Posts: 7,058
Gender (additional): mostly snacks
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Oct 21, 2017 12:32:58 GMT -5
Some things I can accept are fine for others, even if they're not for me. Your kink is not my kink, but your kink is OK.  BUT SOME THINGS JUST GO TOO FAR  WHY IS THERE PUMPKIN SPICE CHEESE WHY |
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Post by Incense on Oct 21, 2017 12:59:20 GMT -5
Some things I can accept are fine for others, even if they're not for me. Your kink is not my kink, but your kink is OK. BUT SOME THINGS JUST GO TOO FAR WHY IS THERE PUMPKIN SPICE CHEESE WHY I just bought some of those pretzels Friday! They're good. |
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Post by pairesta on Oct 22, 2017 9:23:19 GMT -5
So I couldn't resist any longer yesterday and bought a fairy tale pumpkin (pic above when I asked about them). It's squat, wide, and tan colored, with pronounced ridges that hopefully make it easier to cut into and make wedges from. I plan on using a good bit of it to make pumpkin soup on Halloween, but I don't know what to do with the rest yet.
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Post by Pastafarian on Oct 27, 2017 20:00:29 GMT -5
I saw Pumpkin Spice Cheerios today at the grocery store. I immediately thought of ganews and smiled. |
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Post by ganews on Oct 27, 2017 20:33:33 GMT -5
Wifemate is back from Japan with reports of pumpkin croquettes. I know one thing I'll be making with the pumpkin from my neighbor...
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Post by Pastafarian on Oct 28, 2017 8:55:30 GMT -5
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Post by pairesta on Oct 30, 2017 7:08:32 GMT -5
Yesterday we carved jack-o-lanterns so I decided to use that as an excuse to break down the fairy tale pumpkin I'd bought.
Indeed, the deep ridges it has made it very easy to get a knife into and break into perfect wedges. It had very thick flesh, radiant orange, even more orange than a butternut, and for all its size, the seed pocket was a small, baseball-sized hollow in the direct middle of it. Moreover, there was a pool of dark orange liquid in it, which I took to be a very good sign. I wrapped each wedge in cling wrap and put it in the bottom crisper drawer of our backup fridge where they will hopefully keep for the next month or so. I'll take about three wedges and use them for my annual pumpkin soup tomorrow night, then figure out the rest later.
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Post by pairesta on Nov 1, 2017 20:01:56 GMT -5
I made the pumpkin soup Halloween night. I cubed and roasted two wedges of the fairytale pumpkin, and then discovered the downside of how moist the pumpkin was: it won't roast and caramelize. Instead, the cubes collapsed.
It was a pumpkin/roasted pepper soup, and unfortunately the pepper took over the flavors, so I can't offer a firm verdict on the fairytale just yet. But I have many more wedges left, so I will think of something to do with them soon.
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Post by Delicious Waffle on Nov 2, 2017 11:55:04 GMT -5
I had a Pumpkin Spice KitKat direct from Japan yesterday and it was like being punched in the face with pumpkin spices but with very little of the sweet I associate with pumpkin. I don't know whether to blame pumpkin spices or Japan.
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Post by ganews on Nov 2, 2017 12:12:05 GMT -5
I had a Pumpkin Spice KitKat direct from Japan yesterday and it was like being punched in the face with pumpkin spices but with very little of the sweet I associate with pumpkin. I don't know whether to blame pumpkin spices or Japan. I had some of those last year, and I would they were analogous to pumpkin the way white chocolate is analogous to whatever white chocolate is supposed to taste like. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 2, 2017 12:13:39 GMT -5
Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice granola is pretty tasty.
I'm about ready to move on to Maple Everything, though.
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Post by pairesta on Nov 2, 2017 12:36:48 GMT -5
I had a Pumpkin Spice KitKat direct from Japan yesterday and it was like being punched in the face with pumpkin spices but with very little of the sweet I associate with pumpkin. I don't know whether to blame pumpkin spices or Japan. Hey! Haven't seen you around in forever, it feels like. |
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Post by Delicious Waffle on Nov 2, 2017 13:46:43 GMT -5
I had a Pumpkin Spice KitKat direct from Japan yesterday and it was like being punched in the face with pumpkin spices but with very little of the sweet I associate with pumpkin. I don't know whether to blame pumpkin spices or Japan. I had some of those last year, and I would they were analogous to pumpkin the way white chocolate is analogous to whatever white chocolate is supposed to taste like. White chocolate doesn't have much of a taste. Unless fat is a taste. |
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Post by Delicious Waffle on Nov 2, 2017 13:47:27 GMT -5
I had a Pumpkin Spice KitKat direct from Japan yesterday and it was like being punched in the face with pumpkin spices but with very little of the sweet I associate with pumpkin. I don't know whether to blame pumpkin spices or Japan. Hey! Haven't seen you around in forever, it feels like. Honestly, I keep forgetting it exists. Things have been busy! But I'm glad all these lovely people are still here. |
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Post by Pastafarian on Nov 4, 2017 9:18:24 GMT -5
I had some of those last year, and I would they were analogous to pumpkin the way white chocolate is analogous to whatever white chocolate is supposed to taste like. White chocolate doesn't have much of a taste. Unless fat is a taste. Fatty. creamy, sweet. It's almost kinda like a very sweet whipped cream, made solid. |
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Post by pairesta on Nov 4, 2017 12:01:35 GMT -5
Tonight I'm going to turn one of the wedges of fairytale pumpkin into a savory pumpkin custard. There's just eggs and salt in it, so that should let the flavor shine through more and give me a better idea of what I'm working with.
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