Frost on the Pumpkin

Thanksgiving and pumpkins go hand in hand whether in Canada, with our October Thanksgiving or in the States with the long weekend holiday at the end of November. I have had the pleasure and experiences of living in both countries, and Thanksgiving--no matter where it is celebrated--is a time of reuniting with family and friends, enjoying lots of laughs, and eating thick slices of pumpkin pie with steaming hot cups of tea!

[caption id="attachment_1684" align="aligncenter" width="419"] The pumpkin patch delights MaeMae[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1685" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The pumpkin patch with Ruby and Charlie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1686" align="aligncenter" width="404"] miles of pumpkins in Texas[/caption]

I want to share with you an afternoon tea menu I did for a Frost-on-the-Pumpkin Tea in an historic house in North Carolina about 10 years ago. The frost there came much later than here on Prince Edward Island, if it came at all.

[caption id="attachment_1683" align="aligncenter" width="300"] You gotta love that pumpkin![/caption]

A fun centerpiece is a small hollowed out pumpkin filled with flowers. Isobel at the Charlottetown Farmers' Market makes them if you feel like adding a splash of colour to your holiday table and are pushed for time! I carved out very small pumpkins to use as dishes to hold the Devonshire Cream. Fluffing the Devonshire Cream on the top of the pumpkin dish looked like frost on a pumpkin -- hence the name! Here is a simple mock Devonshire Cream recipe that I use all the time for you to try out:

Pour 1 cup whipping cream into cold bowl. Add 1 tbsp. sugar while whipping. Whip till very stiff. Fold in 1 cup of sour cream. Serve right away and keep stored in refrigerator. A stabilizer called Whip-it can be used to keep it from going runny.

This makes a great accompaniment to pumpkin pie but is especially meant for scones. When a scone recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice, try grinding up Lady Baker's Pumpkin Spice Blend tea in a spice grinder. It adds lots of extra flavour!

When serving your pumpkin treats, offer a classic Assam black tea or you could even go with a spiced tea, like our Chai or our Pumpkin Spice Blend. On the menu above I served a Darjeeling, which would pair nicely with Thanksgiving treats!

A blessed Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers and Happy Pumpkin picking to those of you heading out to a pumpkin patch this weekend!