Pumpkin Candy Food

CALABAZA EN TACHA (MEXICAN CANDIED PUMPKIN) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut the stem off of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds and stringy parts, saving seeds to make pepitas, if you like.
• Leaving the rind on, cut each piece in half lengthwise again and again until you have 8 to 10 long strips of pumpkin. Leave pumpkin in strips or cut it into smaller pieces.
• Zest and juice the orange .
• In a large saucepan, bring orange zest and juice, piloncillo or brown sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks to a boil.
• Carefully add in the pumpkin pieces and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for an hour or two, until pumpkin is fork tender and the rest of the ingredients have reduced to a thick glaze.
• Remove from heat and let cool. Allow a long strip or two-or several smaller pieces-per portion.
• Serve at room temperature, spooning a little of the glaze over the pumpkin pieces. Eat with a spoon, leaving the inedible outer pumpkin rind (and any cinnamon sticks) in the dish.

PUMPKIN SEED CANDY

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add pepitas; toast, stirring constantly until seeds pop and become slightly golden, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to a bowl to cool.
• Place sugar and honey in a small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, about 3 minutes.
• Add pepitas, and continue cooking until temperature registers 285° on a candy thermometer, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and stir in cold butter.
• Let the mixture cool to 240°, about 4 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush the inside of fifteen 1-inch-diameter black paper cups with melted butter, reserving 1 tablespoon.
• Spoon a scant tablespoon of the honey mixture into each cup.
• Brush a clean work surface with the remaining butter, and spoon the remaining honey mixture on it so mixture will continue to cool.
• When remaining candy is stiff and cool enough to handle, about 6 minutes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces with a greased knife.
• Wrap in cellophane.

PUMPKIN CANDY

Steps:

• Peel and seed pumpkin and cut into 2x4-inch strips.
• Put strips into bowl just big enough to hold them.
• Stir baking soda into enough water to cover strips. Pour over strips and let stand 12 hours.
• Drain and rinse strips in running water.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop strips into water. Cook until tender but not soft.
• Remove strips and crisp in ice cold water. Drain.
• Juice lemon and cut zest into strips.
• Combine sugar, lemon juice, zest, cilantro and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then boil slowly without stirring for 10 minutes.
• Add pumpkin strips, cover pot, and simmer for 20 minutes, until syrup is thick and strips are brittle.
• Spread candy on wax paper and let dry for 10 hours.
• Store pieces in an airtight container.

CANDIED PUMPKIN RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the pumpkin in the butter until tender, about 20 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in the syrup, ginger, and cinnamon; remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a bowl and cover. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CANDY DISH

Steps:

• Make the pumpkin candies: Fill a piping bag with tempered white chocolate. Fill each pumpkin cavity with the chocolate and allow it to set. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to help the chocolate to harden. When set, the pumpkin candies should pop out of the mold. You can serve them as they are or you can sandwich 2 together. To sandwich them together, pipe a little of the white chocolate on the back of 1 piece and press another candy back-to-back. Let the chocolate harden.
• Make the pumpkin candy dish: Place some powdered orange food color in a small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of cocoa butter to the food color and stir until well combined. Use a pastry brush (or a clean pastry brush used only for food, not for paint) to paint the inside of the mold (top and bottom) with the color. Make sure the inside is completely coated. You can use a hairdryer to warm up the cocoa butter paint if it begins to cool. Place the mold in the refrigerator for a few minutes until the cocoa butter sets.
• Use a cornet filled with bittersweet chocolate to pipe the chocolate into the stem at the top of the mold. Allow the chocolate to set.
• When the painted mold has set, use a ladle to completely fill each piece (the top and the bottom) of the mold with white chocolate. Tap the mold on the counter to encourage the air bubbles to depart. When the mold is full, empty it into the bowl of chocolate. The inside of the mold should be evenly coated with chocolate. Scrape the mold clean with an offset spatula and place it upside down on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. It may be necessary to give each mold more than one coat. This will make the candy dish stronger. Once the chocolate starts to harden, about 5 minutes, scrape the edge clean with a chef's knife. When the chocolate sets, it shrinks or retracts from the sides of the mold. A clean edge will keep it from sticking and cracking as it shrinks. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for several minutes to help the chocolate to harden. Repeat with as many molds as you would like to make.
• Unmold the pumpkin candy dish. It should pop out of the mold. Fill the bottom of the mold with pumpkin candies. Place the top of the mold in place.
• Whenever I use cocoa butter mixed with food color, I like to use an electric yogurt maker. The yogurt maker will keep the cocoa butter melted. Leave the "paints" in the yogurt maker at the end of your project. When you are ready for the next project, just plug in the yogurt maker and, in 60 minutes, you are ready to go.
• The pumpkin candies are made with a special Halloween transfer sheet. It is 3-dimensional and you will need to purchase it before you begin. You will also need to purchase the 3-dimensional pumpkin dish mold.

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CANDY DISH

Steps:

• Make the pumpkin candies: Fill a piping bag with tempered white chocolate. Fill each pumpkin cavity with the chocolate and allow it to set. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to help the chocolate to harden. When set, the pumpkin candies should pop out of the mold. You can serve them as they are or you can sandwich 2 together. To sandwich them together, pipe a little of the white chocolate on the back of 1 piece and press another candy back-to-back. Let the chocolate harden.
• Make the pumpkin candy dish: Place some powdered orange food color in a small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of cocoa butter to the food color and stir until well combined. Use a pastry brush (or a clean pastry brush used only for food, not for paint) to paint the inside of the mold (top and bottom) with the color. Make sure the inside is completely coated. You can use a hairdryer to warm up the cocoa butter paint if it begins to cool. Place the mold in the refrigerator for a few minutes until the cocoa butter sets.
• Use a cornet filled with bittersweet chocolate to pipe the chocolate into the stem at the top of the mold. Allow the chocolate to set.
• When the painted mold has set, use a ladle to completely fill each piece (the top and the bottom) of the mold with white chocolate. Tap the mold on the counter to encourage the air bubbles to depart. When the mold is full, empty it into the bowl of chocolate. The inside of the mold should be evenly coated with chocolate. Scrape the mold clean with an offset spatula and place it upside down on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. It may be necessary to give each mold more than one coat. This will make the candy dish stronger. Once the chocolate starts to harden, about 5 minutes, scrape the edge clean with a chef's knife. When the chocolate sets, it shrinks or retracts from the sides of the mold. A clean edge will keep it from sticking and cracking as it shrinks. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for several minutes to help the chocolate to harden. Repeat with as many molds as you would like to make.
• Unmold the pumpkin candy dish. It should pop out of the mold. Fill the bottom of the mold with pumpkin candies. Place the top of the mold in place.
• Whenever I use cocoa butter mixed with food color, I like to use an electric yogurt maker. The yogurt maker will keep the cocoa butter melted. Leave the "paints" in the yogurt maker at the end of your project. When you are ready for the next project, just plug in the yogurt maker and, in 60 minutes, you are ready to go.
• The pumpkin candies are made with a special Halloween transfer sheet. It is 3-dimensional and you will need to purchase it before you begin. You will also need to purchase the 3-dimensional pumpkin dish mold.

PUMPKIN-SEED CANDY

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pepitas; toast, stirring constantly until seeds pop and become slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
• Place sugar and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, about 3 minutes. Add pepitas, and continue cooking until temperature registers 285 degrees on a candy thermometer, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cold butter.
• Let the mixture cool to 240 degrees, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, brush the inside of fifteen 1-inch-diameter black paper cups with melted butter, reserving 1 tablespoon. Spoon a scant tablespoon of the honey mixture into each cup. Brush a clean work surface with the remaining butter, and spoon the remaining honey mixture on it so mixture will continue to cool.
• When remaining candy is stiff and cool enough to handle, about 6 minutes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces with a greased knife. Put one piece of candy in center of each of fifteen 4-by-4-inch pieces of orange cellophane wrap, gather cellophane at the top, and secure with a twist of a 4 1/2-inch piece of floral wire. Wrap the ends of floral wire around a skewer to form tendrils.