What to do with your leftover Halloween pumpkin

We’ll all soon be busy scooping out pumpkins to make Jack-O’-Lanterns for Hallow’een. Top pastry chef Shane Smith has four tasty ideas for what to do with all that delicious left-over pulp

Pumpkin spiced cookies

Makes 15

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Ingredients

160g plain flour

½ tsp bread soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Pinch salt

60g room temperature butter

150g granulated sugar

1 medium egg

110g pumpkin puree*

½ tsp vanilla extract

65g icing sugar

Method

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the flour, bread soda, baking powder, spices and salt.

2. Mix the butter and granulated sugar in another bowl until smooth and pale in colour.

3. To this add the egg, pumpkin purée* and vanilla. Mix well. Finally, add the dry ingredients and give a final mix.

5. Place this cookie dough in a bowl and chill for a minimum of 3 hours.

6. Once cool, divide the dough into 15 balls. Roll these balls in the icing sugar and place on a lined baking tray. Allow some space in between as they will spread during baking.

8. Place in a pre-heated oven set at 190°C/170°C fan/ Gas 5/ 375°F and bake for 12-14 minutes.

9. Remove and allow to cool.

Spiced doughnuts with pumpkin custard

Autumn has arrived, bringing with it some of the most-loved fruits and vegetables. Your baskets should be overflowing with delicious apples, pears, turnips, blackberries and, of course, pumpkin. Pumpkins are sometimes overlooked but in my opinion they should be a firm family favourite. They are inexpensive, easy to cook, and, most importantly, downright delicious.

Whether steamed, boiled or roasted, they stand up to big, punchy flavours from herbs and spices and are a must-have if you plan on whipping up some autumnal bakes.

Sadly, most end up being thrown into a pot for soup but there is a whole pumpkin spiced world out there waiting to be discovered.

Makes 10

Ingredients

For the pumpkin custard

250ml milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

60g egg yolk (approx 3)

40g caster sugar

10g cornflour

50g pumpkin purée*

For the doughnuts

100ml milk

50g butter

275g strong flour

Pinch salt

50g caster sugar

14g dry yeast

1 tsp mixed spice

1 medium egg

For the doughnut sugar 200g caster sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

Method

1. For the pumpkin custard, in a medium saucepan gently heat the milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour. Carefully pour the warm milk over the egg mixture and mix. Strain this back into the cleaned saucepan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring continuously to prevent curdling. Once thick, remove from the heat, add the pumpkin purée* and place in the fridge to chill until needed.

2. For the doughnuts, in a saucepan heat the milk and butter gently until the butter is melted. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and spice.

3. Add the warm (not hot) milk and butter to this, followed by the egg, and mix for five minutes until the dough is smooth.

4. Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to prove for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

5. Once doubled in size, knock out the air and divide the dough into 10 balls (approx 50g). Re-roll these and place on a lined baking tray and cover with a cloth and prove again for 25/30 minutes.

6. Once the second prove is complete, very carefully drop the doughnuts into a hot fryer set at 165°C and cook until golden brown all over.

7. Remove from the oil and toss in the doughnut sugar mixture and serve with a big bowl of pumpkin custard.

* see below

Pumpkin cinnamon buns

Makes 6

Ingredients

For the dough 240ml milk

55g butter

400g plain flour

Pinch salt

50g caster sugar

10g dried yeast

For the filling

100g soft butter

100g brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

180g pumpkin purée*

For the glaze 200g icing sugar

Water

Pumpkin seeds

For the egg wash

1 medium egg

50ml milk

Pinch of salt

Method

1. For the dough, heat the milk and butter until the butter is melted, and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. In a mixing bowl add the flour, salt, sugar and yeast.

3. Add the milk and butter to this and mix until a dough is formed.

4. Place in a greased container and prove in a warm place for 90 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.

5. When ready, knock out the excess air and roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately half an inch thick on your floured work surface and spread on the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin.

6. Roll this up like you would a Swiss roll and cut the log into six equal pieces.

7. Place these – cut-side up – in a greased baking dish, cover with a cloth and allow to prove for a further 40 minutes or until double in size. Brush with the egg wash and place this in a preheated oven set at 190°C/170°C fan/ Gas 5/ 375°F and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

8. Once baked, remove and allow to cool.

9. For the glaze, add a little water to the icing sugar and whisk until smooth, but not too runny.

10. Drizzle this over the cinnamon buns and finish with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

*See below

Roast pumpkin, fig and goat’s cheese tarts

Makes 12

Ingredients

900g diced raw pumpkin

Rapeseed oil for drizzling

1 tbsp honey

4 sage leaves, chopped

2 medium onions, sliced

1 sheet roll out puff pastry

300g goat’s cheese

3 fresh figs

Flaked almonds

For the egg wash

1 medium egg

50ml milk

Pinch of salt

Method

1. Peel and dice the pumpkin and scatter on a baking tray; drizzle with rapeseed oil, honey and sage, and season.

2. Roast these at 200°C/180°C fan/ Gas 6/ 400°F for 15 minutes or until soft. Remove and cool.

4. In a separate pan, cook the onions over a medium heat until they begin to caramelise; season and set aside.

5. Taking a sheet of rolled puff pastry, on a floured work surface cut it into 12 squares (3 x 4).

6. Carefully press each square into the base of a cupcake tin.

7. Now we can layer up the tart: place one spoon of caramelised onions into the base, top with roast pumpkin, crumble on some goat’s cheese and top with a slice of fresh fig.

8. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle on some flaked almonds for texture.

9. Bake in a preheated oven set at 200°C/180°C fan/ Gas 6/ 400°F for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

10. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before removing from the tin.

If you’re looking for a super-smooth puree, it can be blitzed. It also freezes really well if you are cooking in bulk

* Pumpkin purée

Ingredients

1 pumpkin (approx 1kg)

200g butter

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground mixed spice

2 tsp ground ginger

Method

1. Cut your pumpkin in half leaving the skin on. Remove the seeds. Where the seeds once were, add in the butter and mixed spices.

2. Wrap each half in foil and roast at 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5/375°F until soft. Remove and allow to cool slightly before scooping out the cooked flesh. If you’re looking for a super smooth puree, it can be blitzed. It also freezes really well if you are cooking in bulk.

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