Pumpkin – The New Bacon – News headlines rang out this week declaring pumpkin the “it” ingredient du jour. Well then. This may just be the case as pumpkin is seasonal and has always been an essential part of fall menus. And these days it seems pumpkins gone on a marketing blitz and it’s not just pies and soups where we see this tasty squash, but a whole whack of items; everything from pizza to milkshakes.
Doing a survey of what our local chefs and bakers are doing with this big orange globe, we’ve come across the following so far and will continue to add as we hear of more pumpkin news! Follow #pumpkinisthenewbacon on twitter for more.
Marina Restaurant – spiced pumpkin tiramisu with espresso crème anglaise, salted seed brittle
West Restaurant – pumpkin flan with spiced cake, caramelized pear and orange chiffon
Beta 5 – pumpkin caramels
Xoxolat – pumpkin truffles
Chef Hamid Salimian Diva at the Met – pumpkin caramel pudding, praline, yam ginger ice cream…..
Thomas Haas – pumpkin pie with cinnamon chantilly with white chocolate (picture by Erin Ireland)
Urban Tea Merchant – pumpkin mousse cup
Sweet Obsessions – pumpkin maple cheesecake AND deep dish pumpkin pie with paté briseé crust and candied walnuts
Kingyo – pumpkin carbonara udon and pumpkin maple cake
Erin Ireland’s To Die For pumpkin banana bread
David’s Tea – pumpkin spice chai tea
Cartems – pumpkin spice donut
La Baguette – pumpkin danish
Soirette – pumpkin cheese cake and pumpkin macaron
Cobbs – pumpkin scones
Cupcakes – pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting
Lucky’s Donuts – pumpkin old fashioned donut
Earnest Ice Cream – pumpkin spice ice cream
I ate this before getting a proper picture as I couldn’t help myself (note though it is a mini-pie).
The Pie Hole – bourbon pecan pumpkin pies
Bel Cafe – spiced pumpkin cheesecake – cranberry and raspberry compote and bruleed at the top
Chef Ned Bell at Yew Restaurant + Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver – pumpkin & portobello salad with venturi shultze balsamic and Parmesan
Chef Alex Tung at Burnaby’s Cotto Enoteca – Neapolitan pizza w/roasted pumpkin, Sloping Hill pancetta, housemade ricotta, chili flakes, fonduta, crispy sage, toasted seeds
Kingsway’s French Made Baking – pumpkin macarons
Bella Gellateria – pumpkin gelato
Cin Cin – cinnamon cream on a caramelized puff pastry with pumpkin gelato
AND even fast food chains jumped onboard
Starbucks – pumpkin loaf, pumpkin scone, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin cream cheese muffin
Jack in the Box – pumpkin shake (sip carefully as its 800 + calories)
Pringles – pumpkin pie spice potato chips
Pop Tarts – frosted pumpkin pie pop tarts
Eggo Waffles – pumpkin spice waffles
Pumpkin Beers
Granville Island
Steamworks
Central City
Parallel 49
Howe Sound
Phillips
Red Racer
Pumpkin Cocktails
Shaun Layton L’Abattoir – Zacapa 23, pumpkin syrup,Becherovka,whole egg,nutmeg, old fashioned bitters
Hamilton Street Grill – Harvest Salad
If you’ve got some pumpkin at home, there’s tons online to inspire you! Here’s some of the sites I source inspiration from.
Beta5 has Pumpkin Pie Caramels!