 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Elegant in orange
By JANET K. KEELER © St. Petersburg Times, published October 11, 2000
The season's first fall snap, sure not to be permanent but welcome nonetheless, is more than the signal to switch off the air conditioning. It is the perfect excuse to let the great pumpkin, icon of the fall harvest, grace your table -- and in more than a pie shell. Don't wait too long to enjoy the pumpkin; the season is over by the end of November. At the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, they are celebrating with a special October menu featuring the sturdy winter squash. Recently departed executive chef Thom Chin developed the menu, which includes starters, entrees and desserts, as an accompaniment to the regular offerings at the Terrace Room and Marchand's Bar and Grill. Chin and his staff, including pastry chef Bill Hallion, unveiled the menu at a luncheon for the media last month. Among Chin's pumpkin specialties is a salad of mixed greens dressed with a hearty and flavorful pumpkin seed oil, surprisingly not diluted by zingy vinegar. Deep-fried pumpkin chips add even more interest. Autumn is heralded in the pumpkin ravioli swathed in buttery caramelized onions. A more obvious cream sauce would overtake the delicate pillow of pumpkin, and the crunch of toasted pine nuts completes the yin and yang of textures, a technique Chin said he employs often. Hallion's mint anglaise and lingonberry compote are inspired accents to a sinful pumpkin cheesecake. The freshness of the mint in sweet, creamy drops lightens the heaviness of the cheesecake. The only dish that neared failure was a seared New England cod in braised winter squashes and exotic mushrooms. The cod was a triumph of subtle sweetness, but the mushrooms stood out in a non-exotic way, and some of the braised vegetable morsels were dry. The honey-lacquered roasted tenderloin of pork erased all memory of disappointment. Pumpkin versatile, nutritiousIf the Vinoy restaurants aren't on your schedule this month, pumpkin easily can be incorporated into meals at home. The pumpkin's versatility and impressive nutritional values are naturals for muffins and breads, soups and stews and even desserts. It has almost no fat, just 40 calories for 1/2 cup pureed, and is rich in vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium. Pumpkin is a member of the winter squash family, which also counts butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash among its siblings. Slow baking, in an oven at about 350 degrees, brings out the best in texture and flavor of winter squash. On the other hand, its cousin the summer squash, most commonly zucchini and yellow squash, can be cooked many ways, from grilling to sauteing to roasting. All squash have high water content and are rather bland. The blandness allows the vegetable to be used in dishes from sweet (pumpkin bread) to savory (pumpkin soup). It is perfectly acceptable to used canned pureed pumpkin in most recipes. However, be careful not to buy pumpkin pie filling, which usually sits on the shelf next to the unsweetened puree. Obviously in recipes that call for pumpkin pieces, you'll have to use the real thing. You may notice more expensive and smaller pumpkins for sale here this year. More rain than normal in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan affected yields. Tennessee didn't get enough rain, and the pumpkins from there are smaller than usual. The pumpkin has been around for more than 10,000 years in Central and South America. Its growing season in the United States coincided with Thanksgiving and boosted it to co-symbol with turkey for the annual meal of thanks -- and excess. On Halloween, however, the pumpkin stands alone. Paint a jack-o'-lanternFor most children, their first experience with pumpkin is carving jack-o'-lanterns to light the way for Halloween. Newcomers to Florida learn quickly the distressing truth about pumpkin carving in a humid climate: Those toothy grins last at most two days before ghoulish mold and mush foster collapse. It's actually better to paint faces on pumpkins here. Those decorations will last a month. Here are some recipes to jump-start your fall, even if the Florida thermometer is stalled on summer. Not Your Mother's Pumpkin Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8- by 4-inch loaf pans. In a large bowl combine the sugars, pumpkin, eggs and nut oil. Beat with an electric mixer 1 minute. In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. With a large spatula combine the wet and dry mixtures and beat until smooth. Stir in the cream sherry. Beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly blended, 1-2 minutes. Mix in nuts. Scrape the batter into the loaf pans, filling each no more than 3/4 full. Bake immediately in the center of the preheated oven for 65-75 minutes until a cake tester inserted into each center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes in the pans before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let set at room temperature overnight. The loaves can be kept at room temperature for as long as 4 days or frozen. Makes 3 loaves. Source: Cox Newspapers. Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Place the oil and garlic, cut side down, in an 8-inch skillet. Heat, lightly browning the garlic. Remove garlic from the oil. Add the pumpkin seeds to the skillet and stir to coat well with the oil. Sprinkle the cayenne over the seeds and stir to mix. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pumpkin seeds have popped and begun to turn brown, about 8 minutes. Drain the seeds on paper towels, then place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt. These can be made as long as a week ahead. Makes 2 cups. Super Spicy Indian Pumpkin Pudding
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 11/2-quart souffle dish or casserole and set aside. In a bowl, stir the cornmeal into the water, mixing well. Transfer to a heavy saucepan and stir in 2 cups of the milk and the salt, blending well. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, 10 minutes longer or until thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the pumpkin, egg, sugar, molasses, butter, ginger, allspice and cloves. Pour into the prepared dish. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the remaining 1 cup milk. Return to the oven and bake for 11/2 hours longer until thick and bubbly. Serve warm. Accompany with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Serves 6. Source: "Squash: a Country Garden Cookbook" by Regina Schrambling (CollinsPublisher, 1994). Pumpkin Raviolis, Caramelized Shallots and Toasted Pine Nuts
In a saute pan, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; add shallots and sprinkle with sugar. Continue to cook over medium heat until caramelized, remembering to stir occasionally. Remove from heat and keep warm. Place cooked raviolis into boiled water for 30 seconds, strain and hold warm. In another saute pan, heat remaining butter until it becomes lightly brown. Add heated raviolis; toss liberally with browned butter and add caramelized onions. Toss and place on a heated 12-inch plate. Garnish with chopped tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley. Serve immediately. Note: Pumpkin ravioli can be bought at some Italian specialty stores such as Mazzaro Coffee and Italian Market in St. Petersburg. Source: chef Tom Chin, Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Spa. Pumpkin and Shiitake Ravioli
To make the ravioli, in a large skillet over medium heat melt the butter with the oil. Add the mushrooms, shallots and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in the tamari and sage, raise the heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, 3-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to darken. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Let cool slightly, then stir in the pumpkin, cheese and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Blend in 1 egg white and set aside. Cut the pasta dough into 24 4-inch squares. Spoon a tablespoon of filling slightly off the center of each square. Brush the edges with egg white, fold over to form a triangle and press edges together tightly to seal. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cooking. (They can be stored overnight.) Bring a large pot filled with water to a rolling boil. Add salt to taste and return to the boil. Gently lower the ravioli into the pot and cook until just al dente. This will take 3-4 minutes, depending on the pasta. They are done when they float to the surface. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the ravioli and drain well, then arrange on a warmed serving platter. Serves 4-6. Note: Ravioli are surprisingly easy to make if you start with prepared pasta dough or even wonton wrappers. Canned pumpkin makes the finest filling, or you can use a denser, drier squash such as buttercup. Source: "Squash: a Country Garden Cookbook" by Regina Schrambling (CollinsPublisher, 1994). Pumpkin Cheesecake
For crust, buy prepared crust or combine graham crackers, flour and sugar together. Add melted butter and mix until ingredients are combined. Spray two 9-inch round baking pans with non-stick spray. Weigh out 8 ounces of crust and place on bottom of each pan and spread evenly. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. For filling, sift brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger and ground cloves together and put aside. Soften cream cheese until no lumps remain and add pumpkin. Mix well. Add brown sugar and spices and mix well. Add eggs, vanilla and heavy cream. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust pans. Fill to just below the top of the pan. Bake at 280-300 degrees in a water bath for about 1 hour or until the center of the cheesecake is firm. Let cheesecake cool in refrigerator overnight, then unmold. Cut into 12 pieces and garnish to your desire. Source: pastry chef Bill Hallion, Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Spa. Tossed Mixed Greens with Pumpkin Seed Oil and Pumpkin Chips
Place mixed greens in mixing bowl. Drizzle with 2 ounces pumpkin seed oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and toss lightly. Divide tossed greens onto 4 chilled plates. Place equal amounts of diced tomatoes and drizzle remaining pumpkin seed oil around mixed greens. Garnish with pumpkin chips and toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately. + Pumpkin Seed Oil: Add 1 cup of toasted pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped, to 11/2 cups canola oil. Place on stove and heat to about 120 degrees; let steep for 1 hour. Cool and place in refrigerator for 12 hours, then remove from refrigerator, strain through fine-mesh strainer. Place oil in airtight container and refrigerate. Will hold for 4-5 days. (Pumpkin seed oil can also be found in specialty food markets.) ++ Pumpkin Chips: Cut a 6-inch-long piece of fresh pumpkin without the rind. Slice lengthwise about 1/4-inch thick. Heat oil to 300 degrees. Lightly dust sliced pumpkin with seasoned rice flour, shake off any excess flour and place into hot oil; fry until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Store chips in airtight container. Serves 4. Source: chef Tom Chin, Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Spa.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
