Smashing Pumpkins

Do you have some decorative fall pumpkins still lurking about?  Or perhaps you never got around to carving them all for Halloween?  Well then whether canned, homegrown or from the pumpkin patch, enjoy dishing up these tasty holiday treats

The first is CHILLED PUMPKIN SOUP and comes from a delightful source: http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/chilled-pumpkin-pie-soup-holidays/

Chilled pumpkin soup – delicately sweet with the surprise ingredient of coconut milk. The warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg add depth to this creamy smooth dish. Very easy soup to make and even easier to love!

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• Prep Time 20 Minutes
• Cook Time
• Difficulty Easy
• Servings 
• System US Metric

Ingredients

• 2 whole Pumpkins
• 1 can (about 13.5 Oz. Can) Coconut Milk
• 1 can Water (Use The Coconut Milk Can To Measure)
• 4 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 dashes Cinnamon
• 1 dash Nutmeg
• 1 pinch Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mosey on out to the garden and pick two small pumpkins. Or drive on over to the local grocer and purchase some..... or ok, toss a can of pumpkin puree in your basket!

Cut the pumpkins in half lengthwise and take out the innards (save seeds for roasting after they’ve been cleaned and dried).

Put pumpkin halves on a baking sheet, cover lightly with foil and roast at 400 degrees until soft (45 minutes to an hour or so).

When they are cooled, peel and cut into chunks.

Into a blender, put 1 can of coconut milk, then with the same can, measure out 1 can of water. Put in your pumpkins chunks, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. (The spice amounts will depend on you and how you like it. You can also use pumpkin pie spice blend.) Now add a tiny dash of salt.

Blend until perfectly smooooth! Chill thoroughly.
Serve in small bowls. We like ours topped with a few fresh blueberries and a spoonful of yogurt!

Enjoy this easy, healthy, and oh so yummy soup!

Maple-Pumpkin Creme Brulee  

from: http://www.suite101.com/content/old-fashioned-thanksgiving-desserts-updated-dessert-traditions-a298644

This dessert is a simple custard with a twist of maple, pumpkin and crunchy sugar topping. You can prepare as individual brulees or make one large dish for multiple servings

Ingredients

• 8 egg yolks
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 can pumpkin filling
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

Preparation

Preheat oven 325 degrees

Bake 25-30 minutes

Yield 8 servings

1. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar.
2. In a saucepan heat cream over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of pan. Remove from heat; stir a small amount of hot cream into egg yolk mixture. Return all to pan stirring constantly. Stir in pumpkin, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
3. Transfer mixture to eight 6-oz custard dishes or a shallow 9"X13" baking dish. Place dish(es) in a larger pan filled with 1"of water. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until center is set (jiggly). Remove from water pan; cool for 10 minutes. Refrigerate for about 4 hours.
4. To make crunchy top coating, after refrigeration of custards let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar until a thin coating covers the top(s) of the custard. Set the oven to broil and place custard(s) in the oven 8" from the top of the broiler for 5-6 minutes or until sugar is caramelized (will be a rich brown color). Let cool and serve.

Another method is to use a creme brulee torch. Instead of placing custards back into the oven, after layering with sugar, use the torch to melt.