mix, mix…stir, stir

These spicy pumpkin seeds are my favorite snack to counter all the sugar of the day. They are salty, crispy and you can make them as spicy as you care to by boosting the cayenne pepper.

 My tip for good pumpkin seeds is to cook them long enough so they take on some color, which makes them really crispy with a nice toasty flavor.

Wondering where thoes pumpkin seeds came from? My TableFare themed pumpkin of course.

I’m celebrating my inner Julia Child this Halloween. I hope you are having a fun day!

Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups cleaned and dried pumpkin seeds
 Tbsp. olive oil, melted butter, or vegetable oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin, ground
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

After hollowing out a pumpkin, separate the seeds from the stringy membrane and rinse the seeds in a large bowl of water. Swish and rub them around to loosen any bits of pumpkin meat. Lift the seeds out of the water into a strainer and repeat the rinse as many times as is necessary until they are satisfactorily clean, usually 2 to 3 rinses. Drain the seeds and dry them on a clean dishtowel. They can be left to dry overnight, or baked right away.

In a small bowl combine the spices and mix well. Spread the pumpkin seeds out on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil or butter, and mix well to combine. Sprinkle on the spice mixture and continue to mix until the spices are evenly distributed over the pumpkin seeds.

Bake for 35-50 minutes. If the seeds dried overnight they will bake on the shorter end of the range. Stir the seeds every ten minutes and spread out evenly over the pan to continue baking until they are a deep golden brown. Many of the seeds will puff up and they will make a crackling noise. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

 Such trepidation swirls around even the mention of soufflé, but for the brave baker that dares attempt this notorious dessert, unparalleled reward awaits.  The chorus of oohs and ahhs that rises when a beautifully puffed soufflé is presented is unmatched.

Truthfully, a soufflé is nothing more than a drama queen; a very delicious drama queen mind you, but not worthy of causing you to quake with fear at the thought of attempting to make one. As a cook you need to know this, whereas it’s just fine if your guests continue to be stunningly impressed with the miraculous result you place before them.  Unfortunately my soufflé lost it’s grandeur during the time it took to be photographed—drama queen.

There are a few key tips to ensure a dramatically puffy success, but it’s nothing complicated.  Susan, of She’s Becoming Doughmestic was brave enough to put all of us Tuesdays with Dorie Bakers to the test by selecting the Chocolate Soufflé recipe for us to make this week.

The keys to soufflé success lie in baking it in a straight sided dish, properly beating the egg whites and properly folding the ingredients together. This combined with a nice hot oven and you will be all set to truly impress the people you feed. I don’t expect you to take my word for it, or even Dorie Greenspan’s word for it. I give you the grand dame of French cooking instruction, Julia Child herself, demonstrating a cheese soufflé.

This video is from The French Chef series, circa 1972, and will be the most enjoyable 28 minutes you have spent in a long time. She is larger than life with so much charm and skill.  Enjoy, and then click over to Susan’s blog for Dorie Greenspan’s recipe for Chocolate Soufflé.

Over 350 baking bloggers are baking our way thorough Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours . 90 recipes completed 131 to go!