With Halloween and Thanksgiving just around the corner, pumpkins are everywhere. If you're looking for new ways to use your fresh pumpkin, here is a great new recipe for you.
Candied pumpkin is served as a dessert in Turkey. No cream, crust and spices here.
This dish is pure pumpkin!It makes a pretty and delicious alternative to classic pumpkin pie without the extra carbs and fat. Candied pumpkin is made with only a few ingredients, mainly pumpkin and sugar, so the taste and texture of the pumpkin really shows through.
Turkish cooks prepare this dish all through the fall and winter when pumpkins are in season. You can find it everywhere from homes to the fanciest restaurants.
When the pumpkin is cooked just right, it becomes translucent and glistens on the plate. The classic way to serve candied pumpkin is to sprinkle each serving with crushed walnuts and add a big dolop of Turkish "kaymak," similar to the best English clotted cream.
Serve it on decorative plates and you have a dessert that's fancy enough for special occassions and holidays. Try this recipe for Turkish candied pumpkin dessert and surprise your family and guests this holiday season.
It's sure to get good reviews.You can also prepare candied pumpkin for children's parties. Just cut the pumpkin chunks into smaller pieces or if you can, cut them in whimsical shapes before cooking them. Kids love to eat the sweet, syrupy pumpkin shapes with toothpicks or little forks.
Photo © Elizabeth Taviloglu, 2012