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RECIPE: Pumpkin Soup With Bacon, Sage & Gnocchi

November 4, 2019 at 10:37 am · Filed under Halloween & Fall, Recipes, Soups, Thanksgiving & Fall, The Nibble


[1] You can serve either gnocchi or tortellini in his rich pumpkin soup (photos #1 and #2 © DeLallo).


[2] If you like, substitute tortellini for the gnocchi in the photo.

Fried Sage Leaves
[3] Flash-fried sage leaves. Here’s the recipe (photo © Saveur Magazine).

  

This bowl of soup is hearty enough to be the main course at lunch or dinner, with a green salad.

It’s gnocchi in a bowl of thick, silky pumpkin cream soup (here are the different types of soup).

The soup is a creamy pumpkin purée with fresh sage and bacon. The gnocchi are topped with grated parmesan.

“It’s like autumn in a bowl” says DeLallo, creator of the recipe.

You can buy the gnocchi or, if you’re a hand at pasta-making, make it with this kit from DeLallo.

We bought ours, and we also bought some pumpkin tortellini to try it both ways. Both were great!

You may wish to serve the soup with crusty bread and a dish of olive oil for dipping.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN SOUP WITH BACON, SAGE & GNOCCHI

Ingredients

  • 1 package DeLallo Mini Potato Gnocchi or 1-1/2 pounds purchased gnocchi or tortellini
  • 1 pound bacon, diced
  • ¼ cup sweet vermouth
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 can (28 ounces) pumpkin purée
  • 1 carton (32 ounces) chicken stock
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh black pepper
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • Garnish: freshly-grated parmesan cheese
  • Optional garnish: fried sage leaves (Fried Sage Leaves

    •  
    Preparation

    1. BOIL a large pot of salted water to cook the gnocchi or tortellini.

    2. HEAT a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes.

    2. REMOVE the bacon, set aside and pour in the vermouth. As the alcohol simmers, scrape up any crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula (these bits are known as the fond*). Let the vermouth reduce by roughly half, about 3 minutes. With the pot on medium-high heat…

    3. ADD the onions to the pot and cook until translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the pumpkin and stock, stirring until thoroughly until combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

    4. ADD the cream to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the sage, pepper and bacon. Then add the vinegar and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the gnocchi to the soup and serve with the sage leaves. When the soup is brought to the table:

    5. PASS around the parmesan cheese so people can choose how much they’d like. We prefer to pass around a wedge of parmesan and a hand grater for the fun of grating one’s own—and also because freshly-grated cheese tastes better.

    Parmesan is salty so this recipe has no salt added, and chicken stock is salted as well. You may wish to have a salt shaker on the table for those who want more.
     

    ________________

    *Fond is the French word for bottom, indicating food which sticks to the bottom of the pot and has to be scraped off to be eaten.

      

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    FALL RECIPE: Pumpkin Dessert Waffles & Spiced Whipped Cream

    November 4, 2019 at 8:44 am · Filed under Desserts, Food Fun, Recipes, Thanksgiving & Fall

    Here’s a fun seasonal dessert: Pumpkin Dessert Waffles.

    The waffle batter is made with pumpkin pie spices, topped with ice cream and regular or spiced whipped cream.

  • You can mix and match: choose plain or spiced whipped cream, vanilla, maple walnut, pumpkin (photo #4) or salted caramel ice cream, etc.
  • Don’t want waffles? Cut a cider donut in half.
  • Have leftover pumpkin puree? See uses for it below.
  • You can add a drizzle of caramel or chocolate fudge sauce to the plate.
  • Yes, you can also serve them for breakfast with maple syrup, instead of the dessert toppings.

    •  
    The recipe for Chinese 5-Spice Whipped Cream is below, along with uses for leftover pumpkin purée.
     
     
    WHIPPED CREAM

    Make the whipped cream in advance, using an iSi whipped cream maker.

    It’s so much better than commercial aerosol whipped cream. If you use enough whipped cream to give it a bit of space in your cabinet, you’ll be happy to have one.

    Alternatively, you can beat the whipped cream yourself with electric beaters.

    To make whipped cream up to a day in advance, make this stabilized whipped cream recipe, with added gelatin. The gelatin prevents it from collapsing.
     
     
    RECIPE: PUMPKIN BUTTERMILK DESSERT WAFFLES

    This is our approximation of the recipe in photo #1. You can pre-plate by zig-zagging the caramel or chocolate sauce and set the waffle on top of the sauce. This recipe is courtesy Taste Of Home.

    Ingredients For 6 Waffles

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

    • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (photo #2; not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1-1/4 cups buttermilk (you can substitute regular milk)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (i.e. not hot)
  • Garnish: candied pumpkin seeds (here’s the recipe) sunflower seeds (photo #3), mini chocolate chips or garnish of choice

    •  
    For The Whipped Cream (2 Cups)

  • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    •  
    Preparation

    1. CHILL the bowl, beaters, and cream thoroughly before beginning.

    2. USE an electric mixer to whip the cream, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg on medium-low speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff but still creamy. Set aside.

    2. MAKE the waffles. Mix together in a large bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

    3. COMBINE the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, and butter in another bowl. Beat well. Gently fold in the flour mixture.

    4. COOK according to the waffle iron directions until golden brown. Let the finished waffles cool from hot to warm: Hot waffles will melt the ice cream.

    5. ASSEMBLE and serve immediately.
     
     
    RECIPE 2: CHINESE 5-SPICE WHIPPED CREAM

    Here’s an alternative to whipped cream with pumpkin pie spices.

    Chinese 5-spice powder adds a flavoring adds a little spice to chocolate, coffee, pumpkin, sweet potato and vanilla desserts.
     
    Ingredients For 2 Cups

  • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (photo #5)

    •  
    Preparation

    1. CHILL the bowl, beaters, and cream thoroughly before beginning.

    2. USE an electric mixer to whip the cream, sugar, and five-spice on medium-low speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff but still creamy.
     
     
    10 USES FOR LEFTOVER PUMPKIN PURÉE

    What do you do when you have half a can—not enough to bake, make ravioli, etc.? Here are some ideas.

  • Breakfast Spread: Blend into softened butter with a bit of brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
  • Chili: Mix it in.
    		•   


    [1] Pumpkin Dessert Waffles topped with burnt caramel ice cream, from 13 Restaurant | Philadelphia.

    Canned Pumpkin
    [2] If you have leftover pumpkin purée, we have 10 uses for it below. (Photo © Jessica Gavin, Certified Culinary Scientist. Check out her blog of family-friendly recipes.)


    [3] For a garnish or for snacking, we love Superseedz, sweet or savory flavored pumpkin seeds. These are coated with dark chocolate and sea salt (photo © Good Eggs).


    [4] How about some pumpkin ice cream on your pumpkin waffles? Ben & Jerry makes Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream, Talenti makes Pumpkin Pie (photo © Ben & Jerry).

    A jar of McCormick Chinese Five Spice Powder
    [5] Chinese Five-Spice powder is a versatile Chinese seasoning. The five spices vary by region and individual preference. The version from McCormick is perfect for this recipe, since it doesn’t have pepper and savory ingredients. It’s a blend of anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and star anise (photo © McCormick).

  • Crostini or Toast Spread: Mix with ricotta. For a savory spread, season with salt and pepper. For a sweet spread, add a bit of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.
  • Dessert: Stir it into crème brûlée, flan, panna cotta or rice pudding.
  • Mac & Cheese: Stir it into the cheese sauce.
  • Mashed Potatoes: Blend it in.
  • Milkshake or Smoothie: Make a pumpkin milkshake with vanilla ice cream and a pinch of cinnamon.
  • Oatmeal: Stir it in.
  • Sauce. Make a gravy for meat and poultry. Here’s a recipe.
  • Yogurt: Stir it in.

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    FOOD FUN: Hot Chocolate With A Donut Topper

    November 1, 2019 at 10:24 am · Filed under Beverages, Desserts, Food Facts - Food History


    [1] It’s easy to make: hot chocolate topped with a donut, plus garnish (photo © Adrianna Calvo | Pexels).


    [2] Pirouette cookies. These are the Pirouline brand; Pepperidge Farm sells Pirouettes, which are similar (photo © Pirouline | Facebook).

    		  

    Is it breakfast? Dessert? A snack?

    This cup of hot chocolate is topped with a donut, then garnished (photo #1).

    Here’s how to make your own.
     
     
    RECIPE: THE NEW HOT CHOCOLATE & DONUT

    Ingredients For The Hot Chocolate (4 Servings)

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa (no sweetener added)
  • Dash salt
  • 1/3 cup hot water
  • 4 cups milk*
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 donuts (cinnamon-sugar is best)
  • Whipped cream

    •  
    For A Dessert Garnish

    You can add whatever you like here. What’s in the photo:

  • Amaretti (buy them or bake them)
  • Chopped nuts
  • Pirouline/Pirouette cookie (photo #2)

    •  
    Preparation

    1. MAKE the hot chocolate. Don’t save time by using instant: This is meant to be a quality recipe.

    2. TOP with the donut and the whipped cream. Garnish as desired.
     
     
    MORE SPECIAL HOT CHOCOLATE

    You may also like this delicious European Spiced Hot Chocolate recipe.

    Don’t want a donut? Check out our 25 ways to enhance and garnish hot chocolate.
     
    ________________

    *For really rich hot chocolate, substitute a cup of half-and-half for one or two of the cups of milk.

      

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