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Chef Is Out Of His Gourd With Great Pumpkin Recipes

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — You've carved that huge pumpkin...now what to do with...all that pumpkin?

Well, don't just throw it away! There is a lot of great food and good eats inside that big orange gourd.

Soup, dessert, main dishes! It's all in there.

Chef Martin Gilligan, the resident Chef and Culinary Manager for Sur La Table's Los Angeles Farmer's Market, was an in-studio guest on the KCAL 9 News at Noon Monday.

He showed us a great savory soup (specifically, Pumpkin Soup with Mexican Cinnamon Creme Fraiche and Toasted Pumpkin), an awesome dessert (who knew cupcakes could make a haunted house!?) and a silky puree, to boot.

For more information about Sur La Table, click on the following link: http://www.surlatable.com/

Here are those great recipes the chef shared with our audience.

All recipes courtesy of Sur La Table.

Pumpkin Soup with Mexican Cinnamon Creme Fraiche and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Yield: 4 servings

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, coarsely chopped|
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
7 cups vegetable stock, or water
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not flavored pie filling)
1/4 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon, plus 1 teaspoon (canella)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons chipotle puree
3/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnish: 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat the butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook until soft. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Strain the stock into a clean medium saucepan and whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth. Bring to a simmer and add the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, spices, honey and chipotle. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add water, if the soup is too thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together the remaining creme fraiche and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon until combined. Divide the soup among 4 bowls and garnish with the cinnamon creme fraiche and a handful of pumpkin seeds.

Roasted Pumpkin Potato Puree
Yield:
8 servings

3 pounds raw pumpkin meat
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (Optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons butter

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat to 425 degrees. Place pumpkin on a foil-lined pan; bake 45 to 60 minutes, until tender.

Puree with salt and pepper in a food processor. With motor running, gradually add milks through feeder tube, then butter. Process until silken. (Can make up to 2 days ahead; store in an airtight container.) Reheat and serve.

Cook the Yukon gold potatoes till knife tip tender and rice to mash.  Mix these potatoes thoroughly with the pumpkin puree mixture for a more mellow and stiff puree.

Pumpkin Spice CupcakesThese cupcakes are sure to be a hit at your next fall gathering. This recipe also makes a great every-day muffin with the addition of some chopped nuts or raisins.
 Yield: 12 cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup canned evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a standard 12 cup cupcake pan with paper liners.

In the bowl of a large food processor combine together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, pulse until thoroughly combined. With the food processor running, drop in cold cubes of butter in small amounts until mixture resembles a cornmeal.

In a 4 cup glass measuring cup, combine the eggs, canned pumpkin, and evaporated milk and stir together. With food processor running, slowly stream in the pumpkin liquid until a smooth batter is formed. Turn off food processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed; mixing by hand if necessary.

Spoon the finished batter into the cupcake pans, filling each cup with approximately a 1/2 cup of batter, or until the cups are 2/3 full. Place in the oven and bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes, comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.

Pumpkin Cupcakes [Decoration]

2 cups flavored buttercream frosting
1/2 cup chocolate jimmies or sprinkles
2 – 3 pieces large shredded wheat cereal
36 mini pumpkin candies 

To decorate your cupcakes, start with a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip.  Fill pastry bag with buttercream of your choice and pipe a 1" layer of frosting in a single layer atop each cupcake.  Place the chocolate jimmies into a shallow pie pan, and roll the sides of each cupcake through the sprinkles to attach. 
Break up the large pieces of shredded wheat into a bowl, into various "strips" until it resembles broken up straw or hay.  Place a small pile of shredded wheat on top of each cupcake, keeping within the border already created by the jimmies.  Place 3 pumpkin candies in the center of each cupcake on top of the shredded wheat, placing one on its side to add character.  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Yield: 16

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.

With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

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