It's autumn, I've got a pumpkin, and I'm not afraid to cook with it.

     I'm really, really not.  Whether or not my children are afraid - or loathe - to eat it, is a different matter.  Since the beginning of October they have been subjected to all manner of pumpkin dishes, including pumpkin soup, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin crumble, pumpkin cupcakes, stew cooked in a pumpkin, pumpkin bread, beef stew with pumpkin, pumpkin lasagne, pumpkin cake roll and pumpkin trifle. 
     They found the stew cooked in a pumpkin amusing and fairly edible, they tolerated the pumpkin lasagne (the teenager actually asked for seconds!), avoided the pumpkin cheesecake and crumble, gaged on the pumpkin soup, and broke down and wept when presented with the pumpkin trifle.  'Aren't you through with pumpkins yet?' my nine year old son cried.
     I shall, however, soldier on in the causes which I know to be worthwhile, even if I am surrounded by nay-sayers.  Thanksgiving is coming up, and the pumpkin obviously cannot be abandoned until after that day.  I would argue there is even a place for pumpkin at Christmastime.  I saw a recipe for pumpkin jam which I think might taste good on a gingerbread muffin in the days leading to Christmas ...
     One pumpkin recipe which my children don't hate and which I particularly enjoy making - therefore we are both happy, you see - is pumpkin bread.  Not bread in the sense of banana bread or zucchini bread, but yeast bread.  I found this recipe a few years ago on the King Arthur Flour website (www.kingarthurflour.com), and they have very kindly given me permission to reprint it here.  This recipe always works - it makes the most soft, supple, elastic dough which you could possibly imagine, and the taste is very moorish.

King Arthur Flour Pumpkin Yeast Bread

1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 and 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin, either fresh or canned
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 and 1/2 cups (approximately) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften.  Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, oil, 4 cups flour, brown sugar, salt, and spices.  Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.  The dough will look something like this:

Gradually add remaining flour, a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface.  Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.

Heat the oven to 190C/375F.  Put the dough into a large, clean, lightly oiled bowl.  Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 2 hours.  Gently punch down and slide it onto a floured surface.  Shape either into loaves or rolls, and leave to rise for another 30 minutes or so.  Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes, until they are brown on top and sound hollow when tapped at the bottom.  The rolls will need less time, about 15 minutes, but keep an eye on them to make sure they don't brown too quickly.

       I would be remiss if I didn't comment on what I think are very important flavors for the pumpkin.  Obviously the cinnamon/nutmeg/clove/ginger combination is essential for many, if not most pumpkin recipes.  For savoury dishes, however, garlic, chilli, and goats cheese take pumpkin to a different level - an edible level, my husband might argue (I don't get much support, do I?).  And a match made in heaven is the pairing of pumpkin with amaretti biscuits:

     This is the combination which I used in my pumpkin trifle.  It may have been the cause of tears for my children, but frankly, they really don't know why they are crying, and neither do I.  In this trifle I bake the pumpkin layer with amaretti biscuits, which results in something like the crust of a creme brulee.  I then add the custard and cream layers on top, which softens the crust but seems to enhance it's burnt-sugar taste.

Holly's Pumpkin Trifle

for the pumpkin layer:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs
400 grams cooked pumpkin (or butternut squash, of course)
400 mls evaporated milk
about 20 amaretti biscuits

for the custard layer:
350 mls milk
350 mls double cream
75 grams sugar
8 egg yolks
2 gelatine leaves
1 tsp vanilla extract

for the cream layer:
400 mls double cream
a few crushed amaretti biscuits
toasted, sliced almonds

Heat the oven to 190C/375F.  For the pumpkin layer, put all the ingredients except the biscuits in a bowl and mix well.  Grease a large, round baking or cassarole dish and arrange the amaretti biscuits on the bottom.  Pour over the pumpkin mixture, and bake for about 30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
Let it cool completely, and chill it for a few hours, or overnight, in the fridge.

To make the custard, first put the gelatine leaves to soak in a bowl of cold water (they need to soak for five minutes, or follow the directions on your packet).  Combine the cream and milk and vanilla in a large saucepan.  Heat it until the mixture is about to boil, then take off the heat.  Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until frothy.  Slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking all the while.  As soon as the milk and eggs have been combined, pour the whole thing back into the saucepan and whisk continually over a low heat until the custard starts to thicken. Take it off the heat, and continue to whisk for a minute or so.  Squeeze out the gelatine leaves, and then whisk them into the custard.  Whisk until the custard has cooled down a bit more, and then pour it over the pumpkin layer.  Chill for at least four hours, or overnight.

For the cream layer, simply whip up the double cream and carefully spread it over the custard.  Just before you serve, sprinkle it with the crushed biscuits and almonds.