This Halloween we have an extra special treat, a guest blogger from the local culinary arts school. Our guest, Liz, used many techniques including balloons and dry ice to create an amazing desert that can only be described as an artfully deconstructed pumpkin pie! Here are a few words from Liz:
Think Halloween and I instantly think jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins. Think pumpkin desserts and I think pumpkin pie. Put the two together and you have a Halloween pumpkin pie.
Before I tell you some more about how to put the dessert together, let me tell you a little about how I got to be writing this blog. Like most of us, my early food education came from my mother and in my adult life (first as a nurse, then a mother of three) my passion and excitement for food grew. I love the challenge of trying a new recipe or developing my own.
Now that my kids are becoming more independent I have been fortunate to be able to begin studying towards a Bachelor of Culinary Arts at Otago Polytechnic. This course – the first of its kind – marries fundamental cookery techniques and design methods providing a framework for developing creative and innovative food. The challenge of thinking about how to take everyday ingredients and mix them with a little magic (well, actually, with some clever techniques and a sound understanding of how to work with flavour and texture!) has been hugely challenging and satisfying for me. So, if you’re at a stage in life where you’re wondering what’s going to come next – be encouraged, and take a risk or two.
But enough deep thinking from me! Here’s how to make two of the components in this dish, pumpkin pie ice cream and the crumb. These can be made at home using simple techniques that produce an amazing flavour.