Jarrahdale Blue Pumpkin

29920192314_2b93493007_b_fhc0905-editWhile touring the beautiful California coast near Santa Cruz, I came upon a few pumpkin farms right on the ocean. I wanted to buy a pie pumpkin because they are more flavorful than the larger pumpkins used for decorations. They are also smaller and easier to handle. I was met with a few choices of these baking pumpkins that I had never seen before, which were blue and white pumpkins! Take a look at these magnificent specimens, piled high in the farmer's bins:30515142296_ac92dd3845_o 30515143166_df0e7acf48_bThey are smaller like a pie pumpkin but they are available in beautiful blue and ivory colors.So, I bought a blue pumpkin and roasted it in my oven. I simply rinsed it, added vent holes with a sharp paring knife, and then placed it in a large wok in a 350 degree oven until it was fork tender, which took about 2-3 hours.img_0637 img_0638I refrigerated the pumpkin overnight so it would be easy to handle but it can be used right away.I removed the top and cut the pumpkin in half. Then I scraped away the seeds from the pulp. Finally, I removed the pumpkin from the skin. I discarded the skin, stem, and seeds._fhc0204_fhc0214_fhc0220My blue pumpkin yielded about 8 cups of pumpkin.

  • 2 cups were used to make crustless Roasted Pumpkin Pie that is only 77 calories a slice!
  • 2 cups were used to make Pumpkin Almond Soup.
  • And then 2 2-cup bags of pumpkin were frozen for later use.

_fhc0224The pumpkin almond soup is delicious and you can see the recipe and nutrition analysis here. It was made by sautéing onions and slivered almonds with seasonings, then adding pumpkin and broth, and pureeing with cream. It's delicious!_fhc0228_fhc0235The crustless pumpkin pie is very easy:

  • 2 cups pumpkin
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1 cup eggs
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tablespoons of honey

Simply puree in a blender, then bake on top of a Panko bread crumb crust._fhc0215 _fhc0210_fhc0216  _fhc0260Serve warm with a little whipped cream._fhc0265 _fhc0261I hope you enjoyed this blue pumpkin adventure as much as I did!

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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