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When I was young, Halloween was not in the French calendar. But
big American companies like Coca~Cola and McDonald's decided to open a new
market! So, Halloween exists in France now, but pumpkin (from my dad's garden),
whether as a soup or purée, has always been on the
table for the Fall. And if you have some pumpkin left over from Halloween, here
are some ideas for using it. Try to buy another pumpkin for eating only if your
Jack O'Lantern looks a bit tired.
Bon Appetit !
Appetizer:
Crème de potiron aux moules/Pumpkin cream with mussels
For 6 people: Prep time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 35 minutes
4 lbs pumpkin
6 lbs mussels
A few celery leaves
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, peppercorns to taste
Peel the pumpkin. Discard the seeds and the
fibres and cut into pieces. Put in a big pot with 2 cups of water and some salt.
Heat and keep boiling slowly for 20 to 25 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.
Strain and mash to a purée. Add 1 cup of the cooking water.
Clean and rinse the mussels. Heat a pan and
add the mussels. Cover and let cook until the mussels are open. Filter the jus
and add it to the purée with the cream. Heat the blend and stir.
Serve the cream in soup bowls. Add the
mussels in their shell, the celery leaves, and the olive oil.
Chef's Hint: No wine is necessary when you serve a soup.
Main course:
Mini-choux farcis à la dinde/Mini-cabbage stuffed with turkey
For 6 people: Prep time: 35 minutes; Cooking time: 45 minutes
1 lb turkey
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 eggs
6 large green cabbages leaves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chicken stock powder
1/2 cup pistachio
6 tarragon sprigs
Salt, pepper to taste
Cut the turkey into large chunks. Chop them in the electric
chopper, such as a Cuisinart. Add the whipping cream, the eggs and the
salt/pepper. Chop again. Stop when the mixture is fine and smooth. Transfer it
into a bowl and add the chopped tarragon (keep some for serving garnish), the
sour cream and the chopped pistachio. Mix slowly and keep it in the fridge.
Poach the green cabbage leaves for 2 minutes in boiling salted
water. Drain. Cut them in 2 or 3 pieces depending of their sizes. In the center
of each piece, put a small amount of stuffing. Close the leaf.
Boil 3/4 cup water. Add the chicken stock powder. Heat a large pan. Add the
butter, then add the little cabbage pockets. Pour the chicken stock over the
pockets and cover and let cook slowly for 40 minutes.
Serve hot with the tarragon for garnish.
Chef's Hint: Serve with a warm xérès
vinaigrette (this is a Spanish vinegar). For the wine, I will suggest a Pinot
Noir.
Dessert:
Tarte provençale au potiron/Provençal pumpkin pie
For 6 people: Prep time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 50 minutes
To make the pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs (beaten with a fork)
Stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the
centre, and add the butter and the eggs. Stir, mix and mash rapidly to form a
coherent mass. Form the dough into a ball, enclose it in plastic wrap and
refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling out.
For the pie:
2 cups crumbly pastry
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 lb pumpkin
2 tablespoons plain flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup toasted, coarsely chopped almonds
Icing sugar
Make the pastry and chill for 2 hours.
Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a large saute pan over very low heat.
Add the diced, peeled pumpkin, (seeds and fibres discarded); cover and cook,
stirring often, until the pieces form a purée, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover and
stir a few minutes longer to permit the excess humidity to evaporate. Sprinkle
the flour and stir in well. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Use a pinch of
butter to grease a 10" pie plate. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out
the pastry dough into a round about 1/8 in thick. Transfer to the pie plate and
press the pastry lightly.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs,
orange blossom water, rum, zests, granulated sugar, pumpkin and almonds. Pour
into the pastry-lined plate and smooth out the surface. Place in the oven and
bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out dry, around 45-50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve at room temperature.
For the wine, I think a Muscat goes
perfectly.
For previous picks by Jean-Paul, follow the links.
September Late
Summer picks
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