Here’s a two-fer for National Pasta Month and Halloween: Tuscany Pumpkin pasta sauce from Cucina Antica. You can buy it, or make your own.

The sauce can also be used to top other foods including sautéed or roasted vegetables, and to blend into mashed potatoes, rice or risotto.

In Cucina Antica’s sauce, pumpkin and carrot purées and San Marzano tomatoes, seasoned with garlic, rosemary and sage, are simmered with a touch of heavy cream, onions and parsley. There are also hints of basil, cinnamon and honey.

You can use it with plain pasta, stuffed pasta (gnocchi, ravioli, tortellini) or baked dishes like lasagna. At Cucina Ant5ica, they also turn it into cream of pumpkin soup with the addition of more cream or half-and-half.

It’s a nice foodie gift, too, available from Cucina-Antica.com in 25-ounce jars. They sell 3-, 6- and 12-packs; a 3-pack is $16.80.

Or, make your own.

Or, get inspiration from this recipe from Food and Wine, which includes mascarpone cheese and toasted hazelnuts.

And this recipe from Rachael Ray adds sweet sausage and white wine.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN PASTA SAUCE

Ingredients

 
Plus

Preparation

1. COOK the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water; then drain the pasta and set aside.

2. HEAT the olive oil in the pasta pot over medium heat. Add the rosemary and fry, stirring, until the rosemary starts to brown (1 to 2 minutes). With a slotted spoon, drain the rosemary, the leaving the oil in pot, and drain it on paper towels. It will be used as garnish, and also imparts rosemary flavor to the oil. You can use this technique whenever you are making an oil-based recipe.

3. ADD the pumpkin purée, garlic, half-and-half, Parmesan cheese, vinegar, optional red pepper flakes and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pot. Take care because the oil is hot and can spatter. Stir the sauce until heated through (2 to 3 minutes).

4. ADD the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. Season generously with salt. Serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary and, if desired, more red-pepper flakes.
 
THE ORIGIN OF PUMPKIN

Pumpkin originated in Central America more than 7,500 years ago. The oldest domesticated pumpkin seeds found to date were in the Oaxaca Highlands in southwest Mexico.

The original pumpkins bore little resemblance to today’s large, bright orange, sweet variety; they were small and bitter. Domestication and breeding produced the pumpkins we know today.

Brought to North America, pumpkins were a welcome food for the winter. Their thick skin and solid flesh were ideal for storing for consumption during months of scarcity.

Lasagna made with pumpkin sauce. Here’s the recipe from Taste Of Home. Bottom photo of pumpkins by Rowann Gilman | THE NIBBLE.

Europeans immigrating to New England were introduced to pumpkin by Native Americans. The first known pumpkin recipe they made was found in a book from the early 1670s. The recipe was for a side dish made from diced pumpkin, cooked down and blended with butter and spices—much like acorn squash, butternut squash and sweet potatoes are prepared today.

During the 17th century, housewives developed an inventory of pumpkin recipes, the most popular of which remains [drum roll…] pumpkin pie.

In the 1800s it became stylish to serve sweetened pumpkin dishes during holiday dinners. The first proclamation for “national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving” led to an observance on November 28, 1782. Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been an official annual holiday, by proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln.

[Source]

If that sounds too simple, there’s this Balsamic Strawberry, Basil & Black Pepper Cheesecake. Or you can combine two seemingly unrelated flavors, as in this Lime and Chocolate Cheesecake.

But the real excitement in cheesecake these days is the crust. It’s typically a simple graham cracker or cookie crust—chocolate wafers or shortbread are most common. But expand your horizons and start crushing these alternatives:

RECIPE: CHRISTINA FERRARE’S PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE WITH COOKIE & NUT CRUST

This pumpkin cheesecake recipe from Christina Ferrare uses a combination crust of graham crackers and gingersnaps, plus nuts. Christina notes, “I always make two because this is the first dessert to go. When it’s baking, you can smell the spices all over the house.”

This recipe makes 10-12 servings in a 9-inch springform pan. Make it the day before, so it can rest in the fridge overnight.

For The Crust

 
For The Filling

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Place an oven rack in the lower-middle part of the oven. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. MAKE the crust: In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, gingersnaps, pecans, sugar, ginger and cinnamon. Process until evenly ground. Add the melted butter and process for 5 to 8 seconds. Turn the crumbs into the prepared springform pan, and spread them into an even layer using your hands and pressing gently.

3. BAKE for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes. When the crust is cool, wrap the outside of the pan with two 18-inch square pieces of foil, and set the springform pan in a roasting pan (you’ll be using it to make a bain-marie in step 5).

4. MAKE the filling: In a food processor, process the cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, processing after each addition. Add the cream and pumpkin and process until well blended. Add the vanilla and lemon juice. Pour the filling into the crust and spread evenly. Tap the pan on the counter 4 to 5 times to remove air bubbles.

6. RELEASE the cake from the springform pan by running a knife under warm water, and run the knife all around the cheesecake to loosen the sides. Release the sides of the springform and gently lift it away from the cake. Garnish as desired.
 
 
PEPITA CRUST FOR PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE OR PUMPKIN PIE

This crust was developed by McCormick for a pumpkin pie, but we like it for cheesecake, too.

INGREDIENTS

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Place the pepitas, almonds, brown sugar, ginger and salt in food processor; cover and pulse until coarsely chopped.

2. ADD the butter; mix until well blended. Press firmly onto bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

3. FILL with your choice cheesecake batter and proceed with that recipe’s directions; or make this pumpkin pie recipe from McCormick.

Caramel to crème anglaise, hard sauce to sabayon: For many centuries, good cooks have known how to garnish a dessert with a sauce.

Even if the dessert tastes delicious as is, a bit of sauce dresses up a brownie, ice cream, pudding, or slice of plain cake or pie.

While you can buy them off the shelf, all dessert sauces except one require that someone create it. The one that is ready-made: honey.

You can use generic honey—whatever you have on hand. Or, match the honey to the dessert:

HOW TO GARNISH WITH HONEY

Drizzle the honey straight from the cap of the Honey Bear* or other squeeze bottle, or from a teaspoon.

 
See the different types of dessert sauces Dessert Sauce Glossary.
 
*Never throw away an empty Honey Bear bottle. Fill it with a varietal honey and use it to drizzle. The Honey Bear bottle design is a registered trademark of the National Honey Board, which licenses the design to honey bottlers.
  

In our childhood, we could spend an hour meticulously separating those seeds from the jumbo pumpkin, just for the joy of making homemade pumpkin seeds (the ones from the store were so over-salted). As a busy working adult, we realized the value of time and bought unsalted pumpkin seeds to flavor at home.

But you can separate the seeds while watching TV, or delegate the task to the kids. The recipe for homemade toasted pumpkin seeds is below. And, good news for squash lovers: The seeds from all other winter squash—acorn or butternut, for example—can also be used.

PUMPKIN SEEDS FOR BREAKFAST

Raw pumpkin seeds, cleaned and ready for toasting. Photo courtesy EnlightenedCooking.com.

 
PUMPKIN SEEDS FOR LUNCH

 
PUMPKIN SEEDS FOR DINNER

 
PUMPKIN SEEDS FOR DESSERT & SNACKS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Place the pumpkin seeds and clinging fibers in a colander and rinse them under cold water. Remove the seeds and pick off the remaining fibrous strands. Wipe the seeds with a damp towel and let air-dry as needed.

2. SAUTÉ the seeds in a bit of oil until they are lightly browned. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BUTTER an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet; set aside.

2. MELT the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and honey. Bring to a boil and cook about 6 minutes, without stirring, until the mixture is a medium amber color and a candy thermometer registers 280°F.

3. STIR in the pumpkin seeds. Cook until the mixture reaches 300°F about 2 minutes. Pour onto the greased baking sheet. When completely cool, break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

  

Ask a room full of people what they think a vacation at a Caribbean luxury resort might be like, and you’d probably hear comments about lying under a palapa all day with waiters bringing endless glasses of Champagne, or having a personal genie who caters to their every wish.

How about consulting a pillow menu for the just-right cloud to rest your head on as you slip into your rose petal-strewn bed? He might mingle with the aromas of the cigar lounge, she might watch her diamonds refract in the sun over the pool with a swim-up refreshment bar.

One thing no one would likely say is that they’d expect an unforgettable gourmet experience.

Iberostar’s Grand Hotel Bavaro in easily reached Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is a white-glove, 5-star resort that offers all of the above, but it has done something to make it a little different. It has become a gastronomic destination.

At the Grand Bavaro, as well as at Iberostar’s dozens of luxury resorts sprinkled throughout Mexico and Latin America, the family-owned company wanted to showcase its Spanish history and sensibility. What better way to emphasize these two ingredients? Write up a menu!

Iberostar’s Chefs on Tour program lets gastronomes enjoy special menus created and prepared by a roster of multi-Michelin starred chefs from Spain throughout the year.

These world-class dining occasions with exquisite Spanish wine pairings use local ingredients and visiting chefs’ own techniques.

A recent seven-course dinner put the spotlight on Jordi Cruz who, at age 37, is the world’s youngest 4-Michelin-star chef.

A bit of a maverick, Barcelona-born Chef Cruz took up some formal culinary training but quickly realized that the best way to learn was to do.

And so he did, in some of Spain’s most highly praised restaurants, working with chefs such as Ferran Adrià and Martín Berasategui.

The charismatic Cruz has won more than four major awards in his young career, and from what I tasted, all were well-deserved.

For more information, visit the resort’s website.

— Rowann Gilman