NAIT chef gets creative with fall flavours
Who’s up for pumpkin spice Oreos? Probably a lot of us, actually, since it’s a cookie. OK, what about working that seasonal scent into, say, a vehicle detailin spray? Then, at day’s end, we can give our teeth a scrub with some pumpkin pudding toothpaste so that visions of jack-o-lanterns might dance in our heads.
While some see the annual homage to pumpkin pie as already having gone too far with lattes, the breadth of products it touches says something about our natural affinity for recurring themes, patterns, routines that play out over time.
As a fall phenomenon, pumpkin spice is “like a signpost for our lives,” says Rylan Krause (Cook ’12), executive chef at Ernest’s Dining Room, where students get hands-on experience in restaurant operations. “I think there's part of the human condition that is really accepting of seasonal things or annual events. So having pumpkin spice only come out for a month … is something to look forward to.”
There’s also the draw of the flavour itself to consider, Krause adds. “It's a very approachable spice mix.”
Perhaps for that reason, it’s more common than people might think. Krause sees variations of the bright, warming blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger in cuisines from northern India, southern Mexico, the Caribbean and equatorial regions.
“Look up recipes and you can see [those] key components,” he says.
Which is to say “pumpkin spice,” or any of its global precursors, has its rightful place outside of pastry. Breath freshener being that place may be debatable, but a rule of thumb is that the combination will work well in a dish with higher fat content that “softens the sharpness of all these spices so you get that warm, savoury, full-bodied feel,” says Krause.
So, to fulfill the primal need – likely brought on in part by the desire for comfort in the face of oncoming winter – he advises experimentation. Which of your dishes might benefit from a burst of fall flavour? To get your creative juices flowing, here’s Krause’s seasonal take on a favourite at any time of year: the slider. (Feel free to wash it down with a rich, frothy PSL.)
Learn more about dining at Ernest's at NAIT
Recipe: Rylan Krause’s Pumpkin Spice Sliders
Makes 6 sliders
Ingredients
Patties
- 200 g pork
- 100 g shrimp
- 100 g scallops
- 1 red chili, deseeded
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
Buns and garnish
- 6 Hawaiian rolls
- Gruyere cheese
- Frisée lettuce
- Pickled onions
Method
- In a food processor, add all patty ingredients and puree.
- Form mixture into small patties (60 - 70 g each). Allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In a hot sauté pan, sear patties until cooked through (internal temperature of 74 C).
- Slice Hawaiian rolls in half and sear until golden and slightly crispy.
- Garnish with Gruyere cheese, frisée and pickled onions.