3 Things You Must Make When Pumpkin Season Hits

by HexClad Cookware

Something about the crispness of fall air seems to make us all want to eat things that celebrate the season. Come autumn, the pumpkins are OUT, baby! We are feeling the squash. Here are three mega-cozy riffs on pumpkin: a seriously good maple remix of pumpkin spice syrup, a silky pumpkin chiffon pie that doesn’t require a special pie plate, and a creamy pasta to highlight pumpkin's more savory side. Without further ado, meet our HexClad pumpkin recipes, Class of 2024:

1. PSL MEETS MAPLE SYRUP; YOU’RE WELCOME

Why make a homemade pumpkin spice syrup when you can get it pre-mixed into your latte at any number of coffee shops? Because this twist on the ubiquitous syrup includes maple syrup, an ingredient as autumnal as the spice mix itself. The resulting syrup is less sickly sweet than most pumpkin spice syrups and good for more than just lattes. Try your own homemade pumpkin spice syrup on stacks of classic pancakes, custardy slices of French toast, or shaken with rye, vermouth and bitters to make a fall Manhattan. It doesn’t matter which grade of maple syrup you buy to make this one; simply use what you have on hand. Looking for ways to use up the remaining canned pumpkin? Whiz ½ cup at a time into breakfast smoothies or stir into oatmeal.

Get the recipe for Pumpkin Spice Maple Syrup.

2. SAVORY PUMPKIN PASTA TO MAKE ON REPEAT

Peak fall, meet peak pasta. Deeply underrated when it comes to savory preparations, pumpkin shines in the silky sauce that absolutely makes this easy weeknight pasta recipe. Build layers of flavor to make the sauce by sautéing sliced shallots and garlic in pancetta fat and butter. (Yep, it’s gonna be delicious). Next, toast the flour until it’s light-brown, which removes any unpleasant raw flour taste. Whisk in the milk and heavy cream and voilà—you’ve got a béchamel. All that’s left to do is whisk in a can of pumpkin puree and a bit of pasta water for that velvety texture. There’s an extra crunch factor from the easy breadcrumb topping, which infuses panko breadcrumbs with pancetta, rosemary, sage, oregano and red pepper. If you’re vegetarian, no problem—just skip the pancetta.

Pro tip: The pancetta breadcrumb recipe is good for more than just this pasta recipe. Use it to top bowls of mac and cheese or to garnish your Thanksgiving mashed potatoes.

Get the recipe for Creamy Pumpkin Pasta.

3. THE SILKIEST SKILLET PIE

Remember when you decided to declutter your kitchen cabinets and decluttered yourself right out of a pie plate? Fear not—a special dish is not actually necessary to make a great Thanksgiving pie (and with our recipe you can still get gorgeous crimped edges). Start by making an easy homemade pie crust (store- bought works, too) and roll it 13 to 14 inches wide. (Size matters here, since you want enough to go up the sides of your 10-inch Hybrid Fry Pan and tuck underneath to create the crimped edge.) While this bakes, make a no-bake filling that puts other pumpkin pies to shame. It’s worth the effort to make the pretty piped swirls of whipped cream on top, but if you can’t be bothered, a firm dollop made with your largest spoon will do the trick.