The fall season is synonymous with gourds of all varieties, with pumpkin being the most popular of them all. Before and after enjoying the sweet taste of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and during the few days following, many Americans cook up a batch or two of warm and savory pumpkin soup. If you use the same recipe every year and are looking to introduce some flair to the pumpkin soup you serve, here are three tips to get your creative culinary juices flowing.
1. Make it Creamy
Many pumpkin soup recipes call for a dash of cream. But if you are cooking for a crew that loves to indulge in comfort food when the weather is chilly, you can bet that doubling or tripling the amount of cream that a traditional pumpkin soup recipe calls for will be a hit. If you are worried about the cream you add becoming too much of a defining factor in the flavor of your soup, you can always balance it out with some extra pepper–the master spice.
2. Serve it in a Pumpkin
Nothing can do as much for the presentation of your pumpkin soup as serving it up in hollowed-out pumpkins in lieu of bowls. This recommendation calls to mind the bread bowl, but hollowed-out pumpkins are far less susceptible to spoon puncture and caving in than bread bowls are. In fact, eaters with large appetites can even use the same pumpkin for a second serving without having to worry that it will succumb to the pressures that are placed on it by dining utensils and the moisture of the soup. Serving pumpkin soup this way can also cut down on your post-dinner dishes.
3. Put a Spin on It
If the title of this post hooked you in because you enjoy spicy hot food, we aren’t going to let you leave the blog disappointed. There are several different ways in which you can kick things up a notch as far as your pumpkin soup is concerned. Perhaps the simplest way is to incorporate anywhere from a dash to a tablespoon of cayenne pepper to a traditional pumpkin soup recipe, depending on the spice tolerances of the people for whom you are cooking. If you are feeling more adventurous, try a spicy fusion recipe. Examples include a Thai-inspired curry pumpkin soup that substitutes coconut milk for cream and calls for dried chili. Another option is a spicy southwest pumpkin soup recipe that is part chili, part pumpkin pie, and is made hot by spicy cayenne and jalapeno peppers.
Have you done something different to your pumpkin soup this year? If you think it turned out well, tell us about it in the comments section. With gourmet kitchens that are equipped with state-of-the-art cooking appliances, residents of AMLI’s many luxury apartment communities are often eager to try out new recipes!
View All Posts by Jason Ernst