Pumpkins are most commonly consumed in pumpkin pie during the Thanksgiving holidays and as ghoulish decorative pieces through Halloween. For many people Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie. You can forget the cranberry sauce, maybe over cook the turkey and have lumps in your gravy which will all be forgotten but if you do not have pumpkin pie on the table for dessert you may consider never hosting the family Thanksgiving Dinner ever again. So ingrained is this tradition that once during the early colonization of North America, Thanksgiving celebrations were delayed due to a shortage of molasses which at that time was a key ingredient to making pumpkin pie.
Canned pumpkin is available year-round and is typically used for pumpkin desserts and baking. Fresh pumpkins are available in such great quantity right now that one should take full advantage of them. Fresh cooked pumpkins can be puréed and used in any recipe calling for canned pumpkin. This puree can be frozen and stored in your freezer for up to 3 months. Smaller sized pumpkins are best for cooking, as they are sweeter, more tender and easier to handle. A 5-pound pumpkin will yield about 4 cups of mashed, cooked pumpkin. With fresh pumpkins one also gains the use of pumpkin seeds. Shelled pumpkin seeds known as Pepitas can be toasted and added to salads, breads or casseroles.
Pumpkins alone are quite healthy for us as they are high in Vitamin A, potassium and antioxidants. This member of the gourd family has an exceptionally high water content making it ideal to use in juicers and blenders for making smoothies and cocktails. The creamy texture of cooked pumpkin flesh is enhanced even more when added to soups and stews. You can even choose to bake pumpkins like squash with some butter and spices in the oven to be served as the vegetable component of a meal.
I have purchased a number of pumpkins from different farms in the area since late August, but the best tasting pumpkins in the area were once again grown in our backyard by my children in their very own pumpkin patch which again has yielded us a two pumpkin harvest. They were perfect for baking up a batch of pumpkin bread which we slathered with butter and took the chill out of the autumn morning.
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
15 fl oz. pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups sugar
1 tbsp. molasses
3 ½ cups all-purpose flower
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. Humble Pie spice blend from The Spice Co. naturally
Method:
In a large size bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, sugar and molasses. Separately in another bowl sift together all of the remaining dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until it is just mixed together but do not over mix it.
Pour the bread batter into lightly greased and dusted bread pans or muffin tins and bake them for 45-50 minutes in a preheated oven at 350°f. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool down a bit before serving with lots of butter.
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