The Great Pumpkin
The fall declares that it is undoubtedly pumpkin season, even in warm Los Angeles. It is extraordinary that a pumpkin, so cumbersome and perhaps the least flavorful of the gourd family, has become a symbol of the autumn season and a staple in every nosh and nutriment.
As a food, it gained popularity in New England during the abolitionist movement by northern farmers in the 1800s. It has stood the test of time through tradition, and enhanced with the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, flavors of orange, maple and vanilla, the pumpkin sings its sweet song to our taste buds. With its backseat flavor, it also lends itself well to savory herbs and aromatics as sage, garlic and cream.
To celebrate The Great Pumpkin, we created a full evening menu below with the big orange gourd as our not-so-secret ingredient. Try it for yourself, or reach out to have Taste and Company cater for your fall event in Los Angeles.
Beware of the takeover: First, signs of the Great Pumpkin show up in sweet spiced lattes in cafés. Next they take root on store shelves as they usurp the tomato for pumpkin pasta sauce, the corn in pumpkin tortilla chips and sneak attack the chili for pumpkin salsa. Then jack-o-lanterns are hired to stand guard, glowing on porches. And as the candles flicker out after Halloween, the spell is broken and they become sweet squash again, gracing every Thanksgiving table as desserts made with love and nostalgia… til next year…
Enjoy the menu!
