First off, here are the pumpkins:
Appetizer: Pumpkin Popovers
I've been wanting to make popovers ever since I had some incredible ones at BLT Steakhouse in DC. I used their recipe, modified to incorporate pumpkin.
For four popovers:
2 cups milk
1/2 pumpkin, roasted
4 eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 tbsp salt
6 oz grated gruyere
I roasted the half pumpkin at 325 for about 40 minutes, then scooped out the meat, mashed it and added it to the warm milk.
I then slowly whisked the pumpkin milk into the eggs, and combined with the sifted flour. I poured the batter into a greased popover pan and topped each popover with about 1 1/2 tbsp of gruyere.
Baked at 350 for 50 minutes. The end result:
They rose nicely (though they need to be served *immediately* or they'll fall -- they'd already falled a bit by the time I took the pic above). The pumpkin added a little weight to the bottom parts -- they almost had a Yorkshire pudding-type texture. The pumpkin flavor was subtle, but it did come through. And it blended nicely with the cheese. Overall, these weren't as good as the original (non-pumpkin) recipe, but they were a nice change of pace.
Appetizer: Pumpkin-Mustard Bruschetta
This was really easy, though there was quite a bit of down time while I was waiting for the flavors to set. To make the relish, I used
1/2 small pumpkin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp Colman's dry mustard
pepper
I mixed the sugar with the pumpkin cubes in a bowl and chilled overnight; the sugar will liquify and turn into a kind of syrup.
I then simmered the pumpkin and syrup along with the water and wine for about 10 minutes, till the pumpkin pieces were slightly tender. I removed the pumpkin and reduced the liquid to about 1/2 cup. When it was cool, I whisked in the dry mustard and added the mustard liquid, along with the raisins, to the pumpkin cubes. I added some black pepper, then put the mixture in the fridge for about 6 hours for the flavors to meld.
I served this on top of toasted french bread slices spread with fresh goat cheese:
I was really pleased with these. The sharp mustard set off the sweet pumpkin and raisins really nicely, and – like someone said earlier in this thread – goat cheese makes everything taste better. Would definitely make this again.