British chef Thomasina Miers has shared two pumpkin-based recipes designed for Halloween, featuring pumpkin and carrot fritters with a chilli-coriander relish and a dark chocolate pumpkin slice. Miers, known for her work with Mexican cuisine, described the pumpkin as a “brilliant” fruit that balances sweet and savoury flavours, making it ideal for festive finger food.
Miers noted that her attitude toward Halloween has shifted from skepticism to enthusiasm, driven by the excitement of children and teenagers. She recalled hosting 60 teenagers last year and wished she had prepared these specific dishes, which she describes as quick, delicious, and perfect for serving as finger food.
Pumpkin and carrot fritters with chilli relish
The fritters combine grated pumpkin and carrots with gram flour and a blend of spices including coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. Miers advises squeezing the grated vegetables in a tea towel to remove excess moisture before mixing them with sautéed spring onions, garlic, and ginger.
The accompanying relish is made by blending green chillies, coriander, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, and shallots in a food processor. The mixture is adjusted for heat and acidity before serving.
To cook the fritters, rounded dessertspoons of the pumpkin mixture are shaped into patties and fried in neutral oil until golden and crisp. Miers suggests wetting hands to prevent sticking and keeping cooked fritters warm in an oven while frying the remaining batches. The dish is served with Greek yoghurt.
Dark chocolate pumpkin slice
The second recipe is a dense, blondie-style cake that uses roasted pumpkin puree, brown butter, and dark chocolate. Miers recommends roasting pumpkin wedges until soft, then mashing them into a puree. The butter is cooked until it browns and smells nutty before being mixed with sugar and the pumpkin.
Eggs are whisked into the mixture one at a time. Dry ingredients, including plain flour, baking powder, and crushed cardamom seeds, are folded in gently. Chopped dark chocolate is stirred through the batter before it is poured into a lined 20cm square tin.
The cake bakes for 25 to 30 minutes at 180C fan. Once removed from the oven, it is sprinkled with flaky sea salt and cooled completely before being cut into squares. Miers suggests dusting the slices with icing sugar and ground cinnamon for serving.
Both recipes highlight the versatility of pumpkin in both savoury and sweet applications, offering simple options for home cooks looking to prepare festive treats.
Source: The Guardian
