Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a member of the gourd family. Its flesh is fibrous and firm, and has an earthy, sometimes sweet, taste. It is used in Asian cooking in a number of ways, both savory and sweet. When buying pumpkin check that the skin is not pitted and that the stem is still intact. Rich in beta-carotene, pumpkins can help protect the body against heart disease.

Luxurious and vegetarian.

Kid-size and super-easy to make, these Halloween cupcakes are the perfect festive treats for the holiday.

This fall salad balances earthy, tangy, sweet, and creamy flavors.

A squeeze of lime unites all the flavors of these new-wave quesadillas.

A flaky phyllo crust, layered with butter and a pumpkin pie–spice sugar forms the crust for this silky well-spiced pie.

Especially in northern Turkey where the climate approximates northern coastal United States, pumpkins and pumpkin-like sweet winter squash are grown. Hazelnuts are also grown there, along the Black Sea. They combine well in this dessert.

Classic shape plus not-so-classic flavors gives these rolls an element of surprise. That’s not to say the wintry blend of pumpkin and orange is overpowering; it’s actually very subtle, so the rolls go with just about anything you put on the dinner table. Leftovers would be awfully good slathered with butter and toasted for breakfast.

As the pumpkin roasts, its skin becomes gorgeously burnished, while inside, slices of baguette, Gruyère, and Emmental coalesce into a rich, velvety concoction that is utterly fabulous served with a scoop of tender pumpkin flesh.

Though these delicately spiced soufflés reach toward the skies, they capture the fragrant earthiness of pumpkin.

Just right for breakfast on the go, these muffins are subtly spiced, fluffy, and speckled with plenty of golden raisins.

Truth be told, it’s hard to reinvent the Thanksgiving wheel year after year. But this crust—anise seeds baked into sweet pastry dough—is a little kiss of Italian spice; it takes pumpkin pie to a whole new level.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Crescent Dragonwagon's book Passionate Vegetarian. Dragonwagon also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. This is my favorite Thanksgiving stuffing — in fact, this is my only Thanksgiving stuffing. I've made it for at least twenty-five years, and it's always pleased me, friends, family, and inn guests. To my taste, it wouldn't be right with margarine or oil, just butter. But probably it wouldn't be bad with less fat or a different one. I make the vegetarian version with vegetable stock, for use in a pumpkin; when I cooked at the inn, where the majority of the guests were meat eaters, I also did a batch with turkey stock. I dedicate this recipe to the memory of Sondra Krecker, a friend from my earliest years in Eureka Springs. Every Thanksgiving as I make it I hear her telling me again, earnestly, "You have to toast it dry, bone dry, hard dry." You'll need to do a lot of tossing and tasting to get the seasonings just right. Stuffing can be made ahead of time, but don't stuff it into the pumpkin until you're ready to bake it.

A pretty centerpiece dessert that's a cross between a trifle and tiramisù. To give the flavors time to meld, you’ll need to put the trifle together at least one day ahead, but it tastes best when made two days ahead. Any leftover praline would be terrific sprinkled over ice cream.

In this fun take on pumpkin pie, a little whisky really puts the "Scotch" in butterscotch.

Cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and cloves give this crème brûlée a spicy kick.

Purchased vanilla ice cream, pumpkin, and four different spices make up the delicious pie filling.

Forget marshmallows with the yams this year. Instead, use them to make the topping for this cheesecake. Because the cheesecake needs to chill overnight, be sure to begin one day ahead.