BWW Cooks: Surviving the Canned Pumpkin Shortage With Style

The word is out - we're about to have a Thanksgiving pumpkin shortage. It seems weird, looking at all those nice plump Halloween pumpkins in the stores. But most people aren't aware that the jack o'lantern pumpkin doesn't make pies, or pumpkin mousse (yes, you can!) or any of the other pumpkin dishes. A small, round variety called sugar pumpkin can be cooked or roasted and used for pumpkin cooking and baking, but the most common varieties used for cooking and pureeing are the crookneck pumpkin, which is really a variety of squash, and the Dickinson.

Yes, the pumpkin in your canned pumpkin is actually a variety of squash - usually Dickinson squash, developed by Libby's for the purpose of canning cooked, pureed pumpkin. (Squash and pumpkins are both gourds. There's no FDA requirement of saying "squash" rather than "pumpkin" on the cans, as they're all from the same plant family.) That variety is in short supply this year, so if you use canned pumpkin, grab it now... but what if the store is out of pumpkin before you can start cooking?

Never fear, Broadway World is here. Thanksgiving solutions abound. First, you can in fact use round pumpkins - sugar pumpkins, Cinderella pumpkins, or New England Pies, available at many farmers markets, to make your pumpkin dishes. They need to be opened, de-seeded (yes, this is where pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, come from, so make your own, don't waste them!), and cube it. Yes, you'll need to peel it. Later, trust me. Fill a large saucepan with about an inch of water and bring it to a boil. Add your chunks, and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Once it's cool, it's easy to peel. Then you can mash it or toss it in the food processor. Alternatively, heat the oven to 325 degrees, and put the pumpkin pieces in a baking tray, skin side down, with ¼ inch of water. Bake till tender (which can vary, you'll need to keep checking); once it's tender, cool and proceed as before.

Oh. Too much like work. There are a lot more alternatives to canned pumpkin, yes. And they are, in fact, pumpkin alternatives. Remember that canned pumpkin isn't really "pumpkin" but a variety of squash. It may be in short supply, but other fall and winter squashes are available, and some are partly prepared for you. Meet your very best friend: butternut squash.

Butternut squash can often be found chunked and bagged in the freezer section, and also in the produce section. You can buy one or more whole ones and process them, or skip the effort and get your peeled, chunked butternut squash at the store, with the hard work already done. You already love butternut squash soup and roasted butternut squash, but it's also a traditional American pie filling. Cook it in the microwave, steam or boil it, or cook it any other way you like, and drain it, then puree it. You can measure it and freeze it if you wish, and then substitute it in equal parts for canned pumpkin puree in any pumpkin recipe.

Your other alternative is one of the other great American winter vegetables - the sweet potato. Sweet potato pie is another classic Thanksgiving dish, and takes the same spicing. If you tend towards white potatoes on the dinner table at Thanksgiving, and don't do the semi-obligatory casserole with sweet potatoes and marshmallow or any of the many better sweet potato side dish recipes, a sweet potato pie is a great alternative pie on your dessert list.

But don't stop at pies! Although pie is the classic Thanksgiving dessert, if you're switching up your primary ingredient, why not switch up your dessert variety? The easiest sweet potato dessert is the wildest, perhaps: the sweet baked sweet potato. Fill hot sweet potatoes with your choice of sweet and crunchy toppings: coconut, shredded or toasted; cocoa nibs; caramel; almonds and/or walnuts; vanilla or butter pecan ice cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg. If you're going to do something this wild, go wild; let your imagination run away with the sweet, salty, and crunchy things that go with the ever-popular tuber.

Or how about a sweet potato pudding? You'll need a pound of cooked sweet potato (so many are so large that one may well cover you), and around a cup of coconut milk - sorry, health nuts, but that's coconut milk, the canned stuff, not coconut water; it's a holiday dessert, not a spa treat. Get them in your food processor with ¼ cup of sugar (raw would be nice) and the same of orange juice. Throw in your sweet potato spices, cinnamon and nutmeg. Puree away. If it seems too sweet, add a pinch of salt to balance it. Chill it so everything blends, and you have a creamy dessert that will serve six people easily. If you wish, change up your sweetener - a couple of packets of stevia, or a little honey. Garnish as you will - whipped cream with cinnamon, or a few chopped nuts. It's a rich, heavy dessert; you don't want large servings, especially if you have several desserts at the table.

If you're a pumpkin cheesecake fan, substitute pureed sweet potato for pumpkin in your recipe. You'll probably prefer cinnamon and nutmeg to pumpkin pie spices in it, but it's a refreshing change from the usual at a holiday dessert buffet.

If you do holiday carrot cake, you can incorporate sweet potato in the cake, shredded up with the carrot. The flavor profile isn't much different, and the same spices work. Keep your cream cheese frosting for the cake. It's a surprise that people are likely to enjoy greatly.

If you're in a warmer area and you enjoy chilled fruit soups as desserts, both butternut squash and sweet potatoes - or both together - can make delicious, creamy, sweet dessert soups. Try crème fraiche and cinnamon as a delicious garnish. Leave the chicken stock out while making your soups; put the half and half in. Think honey, light molasses, or orange juice as sweeteners here, maybe with a tiny bit of brown sugar. Think about the joys of a splash of dark rum.

Butternut squash and sweet potatoes, like pumpkin, can be used in mousse recipes, and in recipes for pound cake. Consider your spicing. Pumpkin spices could be used, but cinnamon and nutmeg are the prime choices for these. And then there's the highly underutilized spice, mace.

Squash and sweet potato desserts, like their compatriots in the pumpkin arena, always go well with egg nog. However, all of them also go well with America's original tipple, rum. Rum punch, rum toddy, rum cream drinks, all go well with them. In some areas of the country, primarily the Northeast, you can find Pennsylvania Dutch brand, as well as some other, pumpkin cream liqueurs available at the harvest season. Unlike pumpkin spice lattes, most of these have pumpkin flavor as well as pumpkin spices, and they're usually quite good if well chilled or served in coffee or tea.

If you fall short on pumpkin, or if you just need a change of dessert pace on your holiday table that won't taste too unfamiliar, butternut squash and sweet potato can provide the lift your menu needs. Give one or more substitutes a shot, and try a shot of pumpkin cream liqueur in your coffee afterwards. Stick with American holiday tradition without being stuck in it. You and your guests will enjoy the change of pace.

Photo credit: Robert Magorien. Dreamstime.

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