On the hunt
Pumpkin spice sets the tone at elk camp
Until about 14 years ago, pumpkin spices stayed in familiar culinary territory, adding their aromatic flavors to pies, cookies and the occasional glass of eggnog. It was an open secret among adventurous chefs that the spices could be applied elsewhere, but doing so was rarely the selling point that it is today.
We know they spice up a bowl of oatmeal, but would they work in a big greasy breakfast, or a chunky, savory supper? Would the pumpkin spices mix with whatever drink might be within arm’s reach of one’s chair? These are the questions I went to hunting camp to investigate.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte was introduced by Starbucks in 2003. Since then more than 200 million PSLs have been sold, and the pumpkin spice umbrella has grown far beyond the coffee chain. Pumpkin spices have become a major food trend, anointing about $500 million worth of food (and candle, soap and swag) product annually, and they appear in processed foods like Godiva truffles and Pringles potato chips, as well as the cookies and Pop-Tarts that I impulse-purchased en-route to hunting camp.
As I packed my stuff, I followed the guidance of enthusiastic YouTuber Talk Becky Talk, and learned her method of homemade PSL from scratch.
Talk Becky Talk’s PSL recipe
• Start with a pie pumpkin or any other squash that’s good for baking like acorn, kabocha or blue hubbard, to name a few. Peel it with a sturdy, sharp knife, clean out the seeds and innards, and cut up the meat into one-inch chunks.
• Arrange a pound of the pumpkin/squash chunks in a baking pan, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon allspice, a heaping teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of black pepper and one whole freshly ground nutmeg.
• Becky has quite a sweet tooth, and you can follow her as far as you dare. She adds a tablespoon of vanilla extract, three ounces soft brown sugar and four tablespoons maple syrup. Think sticky caramel.
• Add 1/3 cup water, stir it up really well with a spatula, cover in foil, and bake at 350 for 50 minutes, until the pumpkin is nice and soft. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Put the remains in a saucepan, boil for 10 minutes and allow to cool. Add water (I used almond milk) to dilute if it’s too thick, and blend until it is smooth and silky. Pour into a sealable glass jar.
Becky proceeds to make the best PSL ever. I jumped in my rented pickup and drove through the night to the best hunting camp ever.
Smell of success
They mocked me when I arrived with my pumpkin spices. Soon enough it was I who was doing the chuckling, as they lapped up my pumpkin spices in whatever form I served them. I cooked with the premixed pumpkin spice powder, and used the syrup as a condiment. The syrup made everything taste better, and the boys were particularly game to explore the various adult beverages beyond coffee with which Becky’s syrup could be mixed.
As soon as the dry pumpkin spice powder hit a greasy pan the smell would permeate the camp. It was a cheerful smell, easing the regrets and soothing that whole-body ache that only chasing an elk across miles of rough country can give.
For a snack, I pulled apart the remains of that rotisserie chicken and added the pieces to a pan of bacon, along with some chopped onions and two tablespoons of pumpkin spice powder. It slowly cooked down into a something of a Mexican mole. A dark, complex, rich, delicious chicken and bacon mole. If only I had saved the pumpkin seeds; a little chocolate powder would have put it over the edge.
Nobody complained about pumpkin spices cooked into the spicy elk chile, or on the refried baked chicken, or the bacon and eggs, nor seemed to mind the syrup in Greek yogurt, or mixed with rum.
Alas, we never did get to try the spices pan-fried with elk blood. But someday we will, and that will be a cheerful smell indeed.
Ari LeVaux writes Flash in the Pan, a syndicated weekly food column that’s appeared in more than 50 newspapers in 25 states. Ari can be reached at flash@ flashinthepan.net.