We have been jazzed about Halloween as you could tell from our window display packed full with Orange and Black goodies from Witch styled hats, pilfered casket wares, candles, jewelry and oh so much more all within the Halloween theme.
oct-31-2013-blog-5From the start of fall through early winter many people enjoy what is commonly beginning to be called “pumpkin everything” time of year. We slurp down Pumpkin Latte’s at the local java hut while plotting out gift lists, nibble on pumpkin scones as we linger at the breakfast nook with that special someone, we gleefully carve pumpkins into pieces of art to display, and we savor the last morsel of pumpkin pie with family and friends with just a dollop of cream (either whipped or iced).
oct-31-2013-blog-2Although the mighty pumpkin has been around for more than 7,000 years according to most scholars, the invention of the classic pumpkin pie has only been around since the late 1600’s. Northeastern Native American Indians grew squash and pumpkins. They would then roast them for eating as well as drying strips to weave into mats. When the colonists first had baked pumpkin they took the top off, removed the seeds, filled the insides with milk, spices and honey then baked this in the hot ashes of their fires.
oct-31-2013-blog-3The pumpkin pudding or custard that start the scrumptious pumpkin season in the early 1600’s shifted with a famous French chef and author – Francois Pierre la Varenne – wrote a cookbook called Le Vrai Cuisinier rancois (A True Cookbook). In this very evolutionary book was the first known recipe for a pumpkin pie that included the pastry.
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From that first book written by an inspired French man to chefs around Europe and America they all rapidly started creating variants on that initial pie, cookbooks such as “The Queen-like Closet” by Hannah Wooley and “The Compleat Cook” by W.M started to abound in many basic kitchen shelves to transform that simple and homely pumpkin into a traditional desert savored by people throughout America and Europe over the Holiday season.