Jack'o'Lanterns in the Park (+pumpkin gratin recipe)

Last Sunday, November 1st, we were invited by Catherine and Karl to a Pumpkin Parade in Sorauren Park, Toronto.
Everyone in the hood brought their pumpkins down to the park and lit them up. As this is a very artsy area, the carvings were often quite interesting and elaborate. I must admit that I did prefer the traditional scary patterns over the too fancy ones, but I did appreciate the carving work and technique. Of course, that was the perfect occasion to pop by at our friends' house for a glass of wine before getting ourselves going to these fields of Jack'o'Lanterns. For your viewing pleasure, here is a gallery of pumpkin art at its best. Enjoy!

Karl and Marco (my husband) bringing a bat pumpkin (carved by Amelia, Karl & Catherine's daughter) to participate in the Trick-or-Treat show!

I loved this one!

Harry Potter greeted great success amongst the crowd of pumpkin afficionados.

E.T . Ahh! One of our absolute favourites in the celebrities' pumpkins' category!

Of course, the gentle monster from Max and Where the Wild Things are was part of the Fest!

The Michael Jackson trilogy. Memo: he is dead, this is it!

This one read: No dirty diesels!

Gently evil! Love it.

Spooky-wooky! Boo! Screaming in the forests of the night...The Halloween party gathered for one last picture before parting. Thank you, Catherine, Karl & Amelia, for this magical and eerie moment shared together.

The next day, the Parks staff counted 1,620 pumpkins; there was no waste as they collected the pumpkins afterwards for composting. Frankly, we had a great time in Sorauren park! It was a great Jack'o'lanterns parade, where families and friends could marvel at the arts and crafts displayed in front of their eyes whilst feeling the impact of such terrifying or hilariously funny lanterns.
Last but not least, the smell of pumpkin flesh getting gently warmed up and cooked by the candles was ravishing. It whetted my appetite for a Pumpkin gratin...
So let me give you a very simple recipe (in French, just to have you practice a bit!) that will help you enhance the panel of Fall colours on your dinner table. To me, this very simple way of cooking pumpkin is reminiscent of my childhood as my mother would invariably bake pumpkin gratins to celebrate the arrival of another colourful and happy fall season!

By the way, I was talking to my good friend Jennifer yesterday morning, and she told me about her friends Pumpkin farm. It unfortunately is not open after October but, keep their contacts for information. Their products are exceptional! Here's the website....

http://www.knoxpumpkinfarm.com/farmmarket.php

Traditional Gratin de Courge

Préparation : 30 mn
Cuisson : 30 mn

Ingrédients :
- Un bon morceau de courge ou de potiron (la quantité varie en fonction du nombre de personnes, pour 4-6 personnes: 1kg)
- 2 oeufs, juste les blancs (2 egg whites)
- 2 cuillères à soupe de crème fraîche épaisse
- 1 cuillère de miettes de pain ( 1 tbsp of dried bread crumbs)
- 100 g de gruyère (Swiss gruyar)
- 1 cuillère d'huile d'olive
- Sel, poivre et noix de muscade (nutmeg), marjolaine (marjoram) + sauge (sage), selon vos goûts.

Préparation :
1.Découper la courge en morceaux et faire cuire dans une cocotte ou dans un panier à la vapeur (steam the pumkin!).

2.Après la cuisson, faire égoutter la courge (1 h environ) afin qu'elle ait rendu toute son eau.

3.Incorporer délicatement les blancs que vous aurez montés pour qu'ils soient fermes, à la crème, la moitié (50g) du gruyère, le sel, le poivre et une pointe de noix de muscade râpée. Mélanger cette préparation à la courge. Mixer le tout.

4.Verser dans un plat à gratin et parsemer du reste du gruyère. Faire cuire 30 mn dans le four à 200°C (400*F).


Guidelines in English ;-)

Cook winter squash or pumpkin if using fresh. In medium bowl whisk egg whites until they are firm. Add yogurt or cream, 2 tbs Parmesan or Swiss gruyar and spices+ herbs. Mix well. Add pumpkin, mix well. Pour into a lightly oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheese, then bread crumbs. Drizzle with 1 tbs oil. Bake at 200C (400F) for 30 minutes or until top is set and golden brown. Remove and serve.

Bon appétit, chers Cocos gourmands!