Beyond pie: Restaurant chefs prepare pumpkin numerous ways

You've probably got your pumpkin pie recipe down pat, and roasting the seeds is fairly standard. So now that fall's kicking in, and Halloween looms, what else can you do with pumpkin?

Local restaurants churn out plenty of pumpkin soups this time of year, and you're also bound to find ravioli stuffed with this familiar orange squash. But there's plenty more that can be prepared with pumpkin.

"They're good for cutting into pieces and sautéing and roasting," said Rick Mahan, owner and executive chef of The Waterboy and OneSpeed. "You can do anything with pumpkin that you do with any other winter squash."

But not any pumpkin will do. The kind used for a jack-o'-lantern might look perfect for spooking the neighbors, though cooking with them aren't really a treat. Shop for sugar pie pumpkins, which contain more natural sweetness and lend themselves especially well for baking. Some chefs also opt for fairytale pumpkins, known for their rich mahogany color, deep ribbing and pleasant flavor.

"Pumpkins are a little thinner-walled than most winter squash and hollow all the way through, and you have to peel the sides, which is a challenge for many home cooks," said Mahan. "But it's doable. I'll occasionally mix the pumpkin with potato and celery to make a nice purée."

Over at midtown's Lounge ON20, chef Pajo Bruich aims to take pumpkin soup a few steps further. He's fine-tuning a recipe – think Willy Wonka holding forth in a pumpkin patch – that's expected to debut in the next week or two.

The pumpkin soup will be sphered like a large dinosaur egg, and when broken by a server will spill into the bowl like soup. Bruich is tinkering the soup with Thai flavors, including curry and lemongrass, with a little crème fra?che for balance.

"You know everyone does pumpkin soup this time of the year, so we're trying to think outside the box," said Bruich. "We not only want to change the flavor, but the presentation of this traditional soup. It's a pretty cool concept, and I've never seen it done."

Bruich also recommends keeping a bottle of pumpkin seed oil on hand. An 8-ounce bottle can cost $20 and up, but just a little is needed for adding a boost of fall flavor to your same ol' salad.

"It has a phenomenal flavor that's smoky and earthy," said Bruich. "It's not cheap, but it's very potent and is almost used more for a garnish or finishing oil. There's something to be said for a salad with pumpkin seed vinaigrette."

While pumpkin spice lattés also become a staple at cafes and coffeehouses around now, you can also spike your cocktail with a little pumpkin essence.

For Halloween in 2010, Ryan Seng of Grange restaurant created a "pumpkin vandal" cocktail that included aged rum with a housemade pumpkin syrup (see recipe below), plus a blend of spices and candied pumpkin. He's crafting a bourbon-based drink with pumpkin and another pumpkin-infused libation, which will be served at an upcoming dinner featuring Grange's house bourbon.

"The pumpkin syrup would work with darker, richer spirits," said Seng. "Using it with vodka or gin would be kind of gross. But for a nonalcoholic drink, using it with lemonade and soda would be good, or you can do a hot pumpkin cider or make pumpkin eggnog."

So, grab a pumpkin and a knife, and start digging in.

"Cut all the skin off the pumpkin and boil that in a rich simple syrup," said Seng. "A lot of times I like to take some of the pumpkin meat out and dry that to use as a garnish in the drink. But once the pumpkin cooks and breaks down, I'll put it in a blender and then strain it. Add some clove or cinnamon and you get this non- fibrous pumpkin syrup. It's a lot of fun."