The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-29
The Golden Pumpkin.


To the imagination of those TO whom
food is something besides mere salts
faction to the appetite, what visions
more personal, more intimate with home
| life, are summoned to the mind than
those suggested when We see that
golden promise O. Thanksgiving pump
kin pies"
The very name is like the magic crys-
tai in which we see again. things. dear
in memory if the past is marked with
red-letter days to denote country visits
to old ancestral homes where the good
old customs of our forebears were still
continued, and fullness and plenty with
out lavishnesS made every day thanks
giving.
we have grown to believe that the
pumpkin is an American speciality,
while, i'll fact, 1t is Il vegetable which
has been used in combination with nuts,
| largely to support life in various COun-
tries. not alone by the natives, but made
| use OF by the colOniSt5, who found at
certain times of the year, the supply of
other fruits and relishes wholly made
| Quate or entirely lacking.
| We claim the pumpkin by right of in
| heritance because our fOrefatherS found
it growing in the Indian corn fields, and
greatly rejoicing over this palatable and
much needed addition to their too scant
| list of food supplies, undoubtedly put
| their wits to work in inventing variety
of seemingly different foods from this
source, in order that its 200 frequent
| use, from necessity, should not pail. No
doubt the pumpkin pie, which is strict
| ly an American institution, was evolved
| from the inner consciousness of some
ambitious colonial dame, who desired to
surprise her guests with a new and
| tasty dish. The idea of its construction
was not new, but suggested to her
mind by the memory of the cheese
| cakes enjoyed in her faraway English
home People of all nationalities seem
| to take kindly to the American pump
Ii It'll
perhaps, because the pumpkin is quite
| generally known and used in other
countries than our own, in various other
ways, and the addition of pastry makes
| it still more acceptable to French and
German taste. With the former it is
known as pOtiron and is used with
great skill in the production of soups,
| purees, creams, tartS and other entire
NETS. The pumpkin cake or potirOn a
! l'antiquaille, is an excellent compound
pudding; the pumpkin puree is made
with some liquor or with Parma cheese.
The Germans have also many uses for
| the pumpkin or kurbis.
| All who understand how to prepare
| the pumpkin properly are particular to
retain the essential part of its attrac
tive qualities, the rich yellow color.
To increase the palatableness of the
! pumpkin when it is used for pie. spices
are used in the combinations and herein
lies the true test for the cooks ability
| and good taste; for the pumpkins gold
| much as a shadow of the spice groves
of Ceylon. Only a suspicion of its arc
matte f1avors is allowable. The aver
| age pumpkin pie of commerce might,
more appropriately, be called spice Gus
tard, as the too prOdigal use of these
| flavors destroys the color and flavor of
the pumpkin, the two features which
should be carefully retained in order to
please the American lover of the crown
of all Thanksgiving feasts, pumpkin
pie.
PUMPKIN PURGE
Pare off the rind and cut into pieces
three pounds of pumpkin, put in a stew
ing kettle with water enough to cover
add a teaspoonfuT of salt and boil about
20 minutes until soft: then turn into a
cloth and squeeze out every drop of
water; rub through a colander: add
about three pints of hot milk and let it
boil up; season with salt and pepper to
taste; a very little sugar and serve with
croutons.
STEWED PUMPKIN
Peel and remove the seeds from d
pumpkin; parboil it; drain well and
wipe on a cloth: then cut into small
pieces. Put three ounces of butter in a
saucepan and when melted put in the
pumpkin; season to taste with salt and
pepper and a little grated nutmeg and
toss over the fire until quite soft. Butter
4 a baking dish and turn in the mix
ture; sprinkle generously with grated
parmesan cheese and few fine bread
crumbs. Place in a brisk oven and
brown on top. Serve very hot.
BAKED PUMPKIN.
Cut the pumpkin into quarter inch
slices and pare off the rind; put a layer
in the bottom of a baking dish, then
sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon
and dot with bits of butter; repeat this
until the pan is full. Have the top well
covered with sugar. Bake in a moderate
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