Oh my, I now like pumpkin pie!

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Since I was a little kid I never liked pumpkin. I guess my mom didn’t like it either. I don’t recall her ever cooking it, and she was a great cook. My aversion to pumpkin changed this Thanksgiving when Marg baked “Pumpkin Bran Muffins“ from page 203 of Anne Lindsay’s Light Kitchen. It’s actually listed as “Rhubarb Bran Muffins” with pumpkin as a variation in the side column. These muffins were delicious. They were nothing like the custard-like texture of pumpkin I’d experienced before and disliked so much.

But how did the pumpkin even get into our kitchen? Marg loves pumpkin. I noticed “Pumpkin, Apple & Pear Tarte Tatin” in my folder of Thanksgiving menus. I thought the apple and pear would help me put up with the pumpkin so I decided to experiment.

I couldn’t find a small pumpkin squash, so bought a much larger than needed “Golden Sunset” pumpkin. Marg decided to use some of it to make the muffins.

The Tarte Tatin was next and it turned out reasonably well even though I over-caramelised the crust. Next time, I’ll get it into the oven more quickly. The recipe is available at:

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/pumpkin_apple_and_pear_tarte_tatin.php

I still had three quarters of the pumpkin left and decided  to bake “Mom’s Spicy Pumpkin Pie” on page 277 of “From Mom, With Love”. It was fantastic! No custard-like texture, instead more cake-like and very tasty. I was now hooked on the flavour of pumpkin.

There was still about half of the pumpkin left. I searched for recipes and chose “Pumpkin Cornbread” from:

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/pumpkincornbread.htm

It too was outstanding, especially when toasted.

This is when I enjoy cooking the most. You try something new. It works. You learn to add new ingredients, techniques, and tasty recipes to your repertoire.

There’s still a bit of pumpkin left. What new shall I bake with it?