EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

October's challenge will be pumpkin.

http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/rock...kins%20web.jpg

We'll be doing this challenge old school Iron Chef OOT style. Anyone who wants full consideration for the challenge must submit both an appetizer and an entree that features pumpkin. Entries will be evaluated on creative use of the ingredient, execution, and presentation. Incomplete entries will fight it out in their own poll but will not be considered for challenge winner. Everyone is welcome to participate. The contest will run for the entire month of October.

For reference, you may want to check out these Iron Chef OOT challenges: Cabbage, Sweet Potato, Bacon, Rice, Beef, Avocado, Ricotta, Garlic, Catfish, Radish, Duck, asparagus, & chili peppers.

Also check out the first two EDF cooking contests Tomato Challenge and Grill Challenge.

Congratulations to SamIAm, winner of tomato challenge. If you haven't voted yet in the Grill Challenge please do so here.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

I've never cooked pumpkin before. The only thing I've heard about it is that canned actually tastes better than fresh. Confirm/deny?

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

My mother says that my great-grandmother wouldn't have been caught dead using canned pumpkin for her pies. That said canned vs. fresh pumpkin really depends. The thing canned pumpkin has going for it is convenience. For my part, I tend to use canned pumpkin for baking and fresh pumpkin for other purposes. Pumpkin can be used in most recipes that call for other squashes (acorn/butternut). I think the reason you don't see pumpkin more is because of its size. I would go for smaller baking pumpkins anyway as the large jack o' lantern pumpkins weren't bred for their taste.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've never cooked pumpkin before. The only thing I've heard about it is that canned actually tastes better than fresh. Confirm/deny?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm looking forward to cooking with pumpkin pretty much because I have no idea what the *(&$# I'm doing. Pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin soup, pumpkin creme brulee, pumpkin risotto... What could possibly go wrong?

I can't figure out how to effectively pair pumpkin with a protein though. That seems to be my hangup. Maybe adding duck to a pumpkin risotto - that sounds nice. For some reason I feel like you need to pair it with game. Maybe it's seasonal. Braised venison and pumpkin? Hmm.... Maybe a hearty meat filling inside a ravioli that has a fresh pumpkin puree mixed into the pasta dough?

Hell if I know. All this stuff sounds good after a few glasses of wine.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
I can't figure out how to effectively pair pumpkin with a protein though.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's what I was thinking, too. I even decided that maybe this was my chance to make a vegetarian IC entry. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I'm psyched about pumpkin. The desserts are endless, but the other dishes should be really interesting.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

I haven't cooked pumpkin either - I don't even know what part of the pumpkin gets used. Should be interesting!

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
I don't even know what part of the pumpkin gets used.

[/ QUOTE ]
Um, the part inside the can?

A while ago, Cook's Illustrated had a question about how to prep fresh pumpkin for pie. They said to get the smaller, sweeter pumpkins, cut them in halves or quarters, and carve out the seeds and strings. Then roast covered, rind side down, at 325 for 75 minutes. Then uncovered for 40 and cool. THEN mush the pulp and let it drain through triple cheesecloth under weight for an hour. 5lbs pumpkin = 1lb drained puree.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

All,

FWIW, I think the following are relatively standard, and thus less likely to win my vote:

Pumpkin ravioli
Pumpkin latte
Pumpkin cheesecake

I LOVE pumpkin ravioli, but at least around here, squash-filled ravioli is very standard fall fare.

I'm expecting you guys to take things to the next level in terms of originality and creativity!

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

I'm thinking of taking a different tactic to this challenge. I really have no idea how to make pumpkin, so I thought I would share my initial thoughts and ask for input. Feel free to build upon any of these ideas for your own dishes.

Random ideas so far:

lamb with pumpkin sauce and pumpkin seeds (with some chilis for heat? or would it be good with some type of balsamic base?)

pumpkin risotto, grits, or polenta (served in a small decorative pumpkin?? Or as a side dish, possibly with lamb)

pumpkin soup (obvious choice, but I found a variety of pumpkin at the farmers market today that apparently tastes alot like butternut squash. I forget the name, but will look it up later)

More to come later when I have a chance to do a little research. Anyone have ideas for these three options?

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
All,

FWIW, I think the following are relatively standard, and thus less likely to win my vote:

Pumpkin ravioli
Pumpkin latte
Pumpkin cheesecake

I LOVE pumpkin ravioli, but at least around here, squash-filled ravioli is very standard fall fare.

I'm expecting you guys to take things to the next level in terms of originality and creativity!

[/ QUOTE ]

ElD,

Also, do you have any food allergies we should be aware of?

Pumpkin risotto is standard fare? Tough crowd.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]


Random ideas so far:

lamb with pumpkin sauce and pumpkin seeds (with some chilis for heat? or would it be good with some type of balsamic base?)\

[/ QUOTE ]

For this chilis >>>>>>>> balsamic, imo. I just don't see pumpkin and balsamic together.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Sapo: Read my post again. Pumpkin risotto is definitely not standard fare!

BK: All of those sound great. One nice thing about pumpkin in savory dishes is you can easily take it in either a spicy or sweet direction, both work well. Of the three things, the only one I've seen a fair amount is pumpkin soup, which is generally approached exactly the same way as butternut squash soup - you can go rich, creamy, and sweet or very spicy/savory.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sapo: Read my post again. Pumpkin risotto is definitely not standard fare!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ack. Risotto on the brain. My bad. Thus ruining what I thought was a funny joke.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

BK - I like the pumpkin sauce idea. Something I've always wondered: where do you draw the line between "sauce" and "soup?"

I was thinking about pumpkin seeds: maybe toast them, then grind and use them to crust a protein? I.e. pumpkin-seed crusted lamb chops with a spicy pumpkin sauce.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Sapo, I was thinking about that "sauce" vs "soup" idea earlier actually. I've never heard of a pumpkin sauce, but why not? Especially if you can make the soup so many different ways.

Good idea re: the pumpkin seed crust.

Diablo: Never thought about it that way exactly, but I think that it is something I will focus on for this challenge. I'd like to explore both the sweet and savory in the same dinner if possible (ideally in the same dish - not sure how realistic that is though)

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Went out today to Whole Foods and got a small pumpkin and a bottle of pumpkin seed oil, which I'd never seen before.

In trying to think of "flavor profiles", I came up with pumpkin + hot chili + mango + duck. Does that sound good?

I'm gonna consult my raw food books for ideas. Those hippy vegans really like pumpkin seeds.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

From "Culinary Artistry," which I highly recommend anyone get...

Flavors that match well with pumpkin:

Apples, bacon, bourbon, brown sugar, butter, caramel, cinnamon, cloves, coconut, Cognac, cream, duck (including confit), garlic, ginger, Gruyere cheese, honey, leeks, mace, maple syrup, mint, molasses, mushrooms, nutmeg, nuts, olive oil, onions, pecans, pepper (black), pumpkin seeds, rum, sage, sherry, sour cream, sugar, thyme, vanilla, vinegar (especially white), walnuts, yogurt.

I don't necessarily agree with all those, but it's a great book - not about recipes but more about constructing dishes and menus with harmony.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

I'm not going to make it because I didn't particularly like it, but my Mom made pumpkin soup served inside small hollowed-out pumpkins that were nice to like at/photograph.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Chefs,

Are you guys all scurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred?

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

I've ggot one dish done, but as we need an appetizer and entree I was going to post them together. So far cooking with pumpkin has been pretty interesting - it melds well with more flavors than I thought it would.

Cleaning the seeds out of the pumpkin was a pure flashback to childhood - nothing else quite feels like that.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
scurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred

[/ QUOTE ]Aw snap!

Breakfast: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Muffins</font>

First, buy the smallest pumpkin in your megamart. Note that this is not especially small.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/3179/pumpkin0dr4.jpg

Chop in it quarters, carve out the seeds and strings, and roast.

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3626/pumpkin1kw2.jpg

I used this pumpkin for my next couple dishes, but those are still ... in process.

2 C AP flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
.5 t allspice
.5 t nutmeg
1 t baking soda
.25 t baking powder
.5 t salt
1.5 C sugar
.75 C vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
3 C roasted pumpkin
1 C pecans

Preheat your oven to 325. Sift the dry goods together. Mix the wet goods. Roast the nuts. Puree the pumpkin.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8559/pumpkin2ue6.jpg

Mix just until together. You don't want to over stir, or you'll make too much gluten and have cavernous muffins.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8380/pumpkin3sb1.jpg

Bake for 30 minutes, till a toothpick comes out clean.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/91/pumpkin4zv3.jpg

"Plate" by eating in the car on the way to work.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/1614/pumpkin5rj1.jpg

I feel like my choice of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice in a pumpkin dessert is pretty revolutionary. If you guys want to copy my 'flavor profile' for your own dishes, I'll understand.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Actually, I just got back from the store. I bought a bunch of small sweet pumpkins "Excellent for baking and soups! Great flavor!" or so said the little handwritten sign at Trader Joe's. My son is obsessed with Halloween. After he found out I intended to cook and eat the pumpkins, he took them and hid them somewhere in the family room. I will find them and make something tasty.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

This one didn't work out as well. Still, I'll include it for the sake of discussion.

Drink: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Ginger Ale</font>

I found this description of how to make ginger ale. I'd been waiting for a good IC ingredient to try it out.

2 C roasted pumpkin
.5 C sugar
1.5 T ginger
.25 t instant yeast
bottled water

Strain the pumpkin through cheesecloth.

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/3514/ale1ey6.jpg

Pour all the ingredients into a 2L bottle. The juice wasn't too strong, so I decided to add the pulp, too. Plastic is nice because you can squeeze and see how much pressure has built-up.

After a couple days, I couldn't even dent the bottle with my thumb, so I figured it'd fermented long enough. Pour the liquid through a strainer (or coffee filter).

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3186/ale2id8.jpg

Halfway through, the ginger and pumpkin had clogged the neck. I put it down to clear out the strainer and then the bottle. Unfortunately, a clump of pulp stayed in the neck. As I righted the bottle, the carbonization popped-out the pulp like a champagne cork. I left a little pumpkin on the ceiling.

Eventually I got it all strained.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/8117/ale3yw2.jpg

Pour &amp; drink.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1180/img0775tx4.jpg

The ale definitely had a pumpkin and ginger taste to it. Unfortunately, it needed much more sugar and the yeasty taste was way too strong. I might try ordering special brewer's yeast to see if that improves the flavor. Still, it was a fun experiment that cost almost nothing in ingredients.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Wow. SamIAm - serious respect for trying something totally new. Sorry it didn't work out as well as you'd liked. I'd love a trip report on making that dish - and maybe an extended version with a second attempt.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

What I think is sweet is that Sam has submitted 2 dishes already, neither of which is an appetizer or an entree. Way to go! Plus making homemade pumpkinale was a very cool idea. I can't wait to see what's to come!

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Ok EDF chefs - I need some advice. I'm finishing up the pumpkin entry this weekend, and I'm going to try the pumpkin-seed crust discussed earlier in the thread. So the question: how to crust this?

I soaked the pumpkin seeds in salt water, dried them and then roasted them. Tasty. Then I tossed them into a food processor and made myself some "pumpkin salt," for lack of a better term. But it's not all salt, of course...

...So if I crust the beef and then grill it, won't I wind up with burnt pumpkin on the outside? I could crust afterwards, but I don't know if the result will be as good. I can crust it and coat the outide with oil and see if that helps...

I could roll the beef through the pumpkin dust/salt and let t stand a while, and then coat with something, like honey and other spices, and try and get a crust/glaze that way...

Any thoughts?

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
respect for trying something totally new.

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks. I tend to keep a list of cool new cooking ideas, and try them out when the IC ingredient allows. (I want to work more on sausage making and my pizza making, but neither sounded especially good with pumpkin. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Maybe next IC.)

[ QUOTE ]
2 dishes already, neither of which is an appetizer or an entree.

[/ QUOTE ]
The plan tonight is to serve an app, a side, a main, and a dessert. I managed to invite friends who are a) vegetarian b) willing to let me take pictures while I plate food c) willing to eat pumpkin in every single dish. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[ QUOTE ]
how to crust this?

[/ QUOTE ]
Before I vowed veggie with this one, I thought about coating some creature with pumpkin dust, but then roasting. The lower heat seemed safer than a sear. Maybe pan-fried fish, but again, that'd be a less intense heat than grilling.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
...So if I crust the beef and then grill it, won't I wind up with burnt pumpkin on the outside? I could crust afterwards, but I don't know if the result will be as good. I can crust it and coat the outide with oil and see if that helps...

[/ QUOTE ]

When you are cooking with high heat, as you would generally want to with steaks, you will likely burn the seeds as you suggest.

A couple of suggestions (neither am I convinced would turn out great):
Don't do steak, do chicken (or even pork chops) and either cook indirectly on grill or in the oven (kind of like a nut crusted chicken.) I doubt the ground up seeds would burn over indirect heat (though they might as I think pumpkin seeds are probably a little more prone to burning than something like chopped nuts)

Do two-zone grilling --- sear the steaks first on hot side for a minute on each side, then crust then finish off on the other side. I don't know how well adding the seeds to a seared steak would work though.

I don't like the idea of adding a glaze because that defeats the purpose of creating a crust in the first place. If you just wanted to add pumpkin flavor you could create a roll with the pumpkin seeds on the inside so that they never come into direct contact with the high heat.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

What about chilling (freezing?) the ground pumpkin seeds and making sure the meat is at room temperature. Then you'll get your sear quicker and your seeds will take longer to burn?

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

<font color="orange"> Pepita Pistachio Encrusted Rack of Lamb with Glazed Roasted Pumpkin and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds </font>

New Zealand Frenched Rack of Lamb
Pepitas (these are hulled pumpkin seeds, I used the term pepita for alliteration's sake)
Roasted and Salted Pistachios
Emperor's New Clothes Garlic
Whole peppercorns
Dried Thyme
Fresh Thyme
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil

2 small baking pumpkins
butter
brown sugar

Rub the rack of lamb with kosher salt and sear in a frying pan on high heat in a little oil, a few minutes each side. Meanwhile put equal amounts of pistachio and pepitas in the food processor and process until finely chopped.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...Pumpkin014.jpg

I bought this new garlic from Trader Joe's. I think it was called Emperor's New Clothes Garlic. Each head of garlic is just one enormous clove. It comes in this basket.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...in--Garlic.jpg

It was fun to try, but a generous quantity of regular garlic would work just as well. I chopped it fine and put the pepita/pistachio mixture and the garlic in a mortar. I added 10 or so whole peppercorns and crushed them with the pestle. I added some kosher salt, dried thyme, and also some fresh thyme from the garden. I added some olive oil and mixed it up.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...mpkinCrust.jpg

Then I put the mixture on the seared lamb:

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...redCruston.jpg

I tossed the whole pan into the oven at 400 degrees until medium rare. (This should have taken maybe 15-20 minutes or so but took a bit longer because I was doing the pumpkins in the same oven and kept opening the oven to baste.)

I halved and cleaned 2 small pumpkins and put a tablespoon and half of butter in each with a few tablespoons of brown sugar. I put these in the oven at 400 until tender, basting with the buttery-sugary goodness often until the pumpkin was tender and golden. Then I removed them from the oven and cut them in half again basted them again and put them back in the oven until the cut side became golden. A few minutes.

I also roasted the seeds from the pumpkins and served them by sprinkling some on the plate.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...pkin--Lamb.jpg

This was excellent and I'm definitely doing this again. I was really helped by having really good meat. I've been really happy with the lamb at Trader Joe's. It has a nice subtle lamb flavor without being too gamey. My in-laws are in town and they loved this. Everyone was disappointed there wasn't more of the lamb. I was very pleased.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

El Sapo-- Sorry I put up my entree before yours. I had the same idea before you posted. I don't think it makes much difference. Your dish will likely be significantly different and you'll crush me with your superior plating and photography--you always do. Anyway, I thought this method worked great. There was no fear of burning what with the oil in the nuts and the addition of a bit of olive oil too to the mixture. I added the pepita-pistachio mixture after searing for obvious reasons--I didn't want to lose all that good stuff! Can't wait to see your dish!

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

<font color="orange"> Pumpkin Pie </font>

I bet I'm the only one who thought up this one, am I right? Seriously though, I told you that my son hid all the pumpkins. He finally gave them up for cooking purposes, but to him that meant pumpkin pie. So, we made pumpkin pie. Here are the pumpkins, cleaned and halved. His hand is on the pumpkin. He helped me make the pie.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...n--Cleaned.jpg

For the pie crust I used a family recipe from my mother-in-law. In fact, she pulled out a photo album from my own shelf to show me how my husband had copied down her crust recipe in his own handwriting when he was seven.

3 cups flour
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of shortening
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp vinegar
6 tablespoons of water

Sift flour into bowl. Add salt, butter and shortening and combine using a pastry blender. Add water and vinegar combine. Roll out on floured surface. This makes enough for 2 crusts. (We cut up the extra and sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar and baked until golden, which is pretty tasty.)

I'd never made this kind of crust before. Usually, I've made cold shortening crusts--where it is chilled and you have to work quickly and not work the dough too much. Anyway, this crust was really good. It was really flaky and very easy to work with.

For the pie filling...

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin (2 small baking pumpkins)
6 oz of evaporated milk
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of cloves
1 tsp of allspice (These are approximate. I don't measure these out.)
3/4 cup of milk
3 large eggs

I put the pumpkin halves in a pan with a little bit of water and put them in the oven at 375 degrees until they were tender.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...pkinCooked.jpg

I spooned out the pumpkin and pureed it in the food processor.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...mpkinPuree.jpg

I put this in a sieve and let the pumpkin drain. Toss the excess liquid. Take a wooden spoon and force the pumpkin puree through the sieve. This makes it smooth.

Mix brown sugar, white sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Add the pumpkin puree and stir well. Add milk, evaporated milk. Lightly beat the eggs and then add those too. Mix until everything is incorporated.

Pour into the pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees and then reduce the temperature to 350 for 45 minutes or until a knife or tester comes out clean in the center. I used some extra pie dough to cut out maple leaves. I put these on the pie mid-way through baking.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...PumpkinPie.jpg

Serve with homemade whipped cream.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...nPiePlated.jpg

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

I'll make two other posts giving some details on the two main dishes here, but I wanted to start with the finished product.

Amuse - Savory "pumpkin pie" ravioli. (With apologies to Mr. Diablo). Filled with a nutmeg-spiced mashed sweet potatoes, topped with cinnamon sour cream. I sliced the pumpkin thin with a cheese slicer and poached it. Seasoned and finished under the broiler....

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4...inamusewu3.jpg

Appetizer: Pumpkin arincini. I made pumpkin risotto (which was good in its own right), chilled it, formed into balls and deep fried. The sauce is a sweet &amp; spicy pumpkin sauce...

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8...rincinizh8.jpg


Entree: Pumpkin-crusted beef, served with sweet potato-potato-pumpkin puree. The sauce is made with pumpkin ale and mushrooms....

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7...kinbeefno9.jpg


Dessert: Butter poached pumpkin "gnocchi" served with a brown sugar and bourbon caramel sauce...

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6...gnocchimi2.jpg

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

For the arincini:

I made a really thin pumpkin puree by blending chicken stock and roasted pumpkin. I then started my risotto as normal - onion, garlic, mushrooms, stock. When it was about 80% cooked I mixed in the pumpkin puree to bring it the rest of the way.

The result was really successful I think. The starches in the pumpkin broke down and made the risotto really creamy. This could have been an entree here, but I had my heart set on some deep-fried goodness.

Chill the risotto, form into balls, roll in flour and fry until golden brown.

The sauce - take some of that thin pumpkin puree and spice it up with honey, red pepper, salt, cinnamon.




http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9051/p1gh3.jpg

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1403/p2ho3.jpg



http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/1584/p4pp4.jpg



http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/98/p5qx7.jpg

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6018/p6fc6.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4...inihalfiz4.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8...rincinizh8.jpg

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

For the beef:

I soaked the pumpkin seeds in salt water for a few hours, dried and roasted them. Ran them through the food processor until I had a sawdusty-like mix.

Beef was grilled to get a nice sear, rolled in the pumpkin "salt" and then coated in honey. Roasted to medium rare in the oven.

Interesting note: I watched the thermometer as I let the beef rest - it went up 7 additional degrees before stabilizing. So for those wondering about carry-over cooking, from the time I took it out of the oven it got 7-degrees hotter in the center of the beef in about 15-20 minutes. It went from about 125 or so to 132.

The potato/pumpkin mix is about 1/4 sweet potato, 1/4 potato and 1/2 pumpkin.

The sauce - I bought two kinds of pumpkin beers to try for this sauce, but one was the clear winner. The "Cottonwood Pumpkin Spices Ale" actually tasted like pumpkin. The Dogfish "Punkin Ale" was a spiced brown ale, and a good one, but very little of what I think of as "pumpkin" flavor.

I sauteed mushrooms and onion in some butter, added a 1/2 cup stock and 3/4 cup of the ale. Let this simmer, strained it and then thickened it with a blonde roux. It was a little thick, so I loosened it up with a little more of the ale.

If you compare the two beers, the Cottonwood is on the left...

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8181/beers2se6.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4112/beerix6.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/1102/p3wb3.jpg

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2954/sauceti6.jpg

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1497/sauce2ch8.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7110/beefzh5.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7...kinbeefno9.jpg

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

WOW. An absolute slam dunk. Best 2+2 Iron Chef entry I can remember in a while, especially given a fairly unusual ingredient.

Aside from the front/left piece, the beef looks like it is perhaps a little too done, but that's the only flaw I'm seeing. Were you happy with the doneness?

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

[ QUOTE ]
WOW. An absolute slam dunk. Best 2+2 Iron Chef entry I can remember in a while, especially given a fairly unusual ingredient.

Aside from the front/left piece, the beef looks like it is perhaps a little too done, but that's the only flaw I'm seeing. Were you happy with the doneness?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it was less overdone and more just not a good piece of meat.

I agree with you on the appearance, absolutely. But I think it wasn't the best piece of meat. It may have been a little old, if that can affect it.

Or, I overcooked it. Entirely possible. But it never got higher than 132 degrees on my thermometer (which could be innacurate) ...

I didn't spend much on the meat. On sale, and a cheaper cut. So it's tough to tell. But your criticism is spot on, it does look overcooked.

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

I'll follow El Sapo's lead, and post all my final pics together, then post the details. (I'll also copy his slick black borders. Everything looks artier with a black border. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] )

[b]Breakfast: <font color="orange"> Pumpkin Muffins</font>

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5425/finals0io4.jpg


Drink: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Ginger Ale</font>

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9675/finals1cg7.jpg


Appetizer: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Hummus with Pumpkin Chips</font>

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3121/finals2fg7.jpg


Side: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Gratin</font>

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/1936/finals6ti5.jpg


Main: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Gnocchi &amp; Side Salad w/ Pumpkin Seed Oil Dressing</font>

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/3031/finals3db0.jpg


Dessert: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pumpkin Seed Brittle</font>

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/6624/finals4cc6.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/9451/finals5mz7.jpg

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Appetizer: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Hummus w/ Pumpkin Chips &amp; Pita</font>

I had cool ideas about making a pumpkinseed pita, but eventually went with store bought. Sorry.

I used a mandolin on the thinnest setting to slice the pumpkin. Then I used a cookie cutter to cut disks.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/1783/hummus0ut5.jpg

I wanted to make potato chips out of pumpkin. Potatoes = starch; pumpkin = starch. Right? So fry those disks.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5494/hummus1qh1.jpg

Wrong. You get soggy, nasty pumpkin. Instead I layered them on a cooling rack in the oven and baked them till they got crisp. (No pics of that. Sorry.)

For the actual hummus, start with a bunch of scrap pumpkin from the previous cookie cutting. (These are actually from the gratin, to be posted.)

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9617/hummus2zu2.jpg

Chop it up a little and roast for 15 minutes at 350.

2 T Tahini
1 Lemon
1 Garlic Clove
1lb roasted Pumpkin
Cumin
Olive Oil
Salt

I didn't measure much, but hummus is always to taste. Juice the lemon and dump everything in a food processor. Then process the food.

Plate with store bought pita because you're a coward. (And ran out of time as guests arrived. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img])

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3121/finals2fg7.jpg

Re: EDF Cooking Contest--Pumpkin Challenge
 

Side: <font color="orange">Pumpkin Gratin w/ Leeks &amp; Chevre</font>

I got this idea from Bon Appetit. This was actually the first thing I used the mandolin on.

2 Pie Pumpkins
2 Leeks
Sage
Chevre
Butter
1/2 C Hazelnuts

I cut the pumpkin in quarters, then cut the quarters into roughly straight hunks (pictured right). Then I cut them into slices with the mandolin set on the thickest setting (left).

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/8783/gratin0sa5.jpg

Do the cookie cutter trick again, this time with a much smaller disk.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6413/gratin1sx7.jpg

Toss the disks in olive oil and salt. Roast in a sheet pan for half an hour at 350.

Coarsely chop the leeks. Mince the sage. Sweat with the sage in 3 T of butter.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1364/gratin2py0.jpg

Roast, hull, and chop the hazelnuts. Butter the sides of a baking dish, and layer with (leek, cheese, pumpkin, leek, cheese, pumpkin, hazelnuts). (I only used half the cheese pictured below.)

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7733/gratin3pb2.jpg

You've seen hazelnuts before; I just really liked this picture. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6702/finals7hv1.jpg

Pour in the cream and bake at 325 for 40 minutes.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/1936/finals6ti5.jpg

It's a shame this wasn't such a photogenic dish, because it tasted great. (Goat cheese makes everything taste better. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]) It might have been my favorite from the list.