Pumpkins and 5 Spice!

The Secret of the “5″ Spice

If we skip to the end, we see that there is no secret at all. It’s a matter of differences. Take a look at the ingredients of pumpkin spice versus chinese 5 spice.

Pumpkin Spice

cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice

Chinese Five Spice:

cinnamon, clove, ginger, fennel, anise

If you disregard the common ingredients and focus on the differences, we’ll notice that the 5 spice is a bit bolder and aromatic with the fennel component.

The secret is in the use. Let’s substitute our familiar pumpkin spice with Chinese 5 spice in some recipes. We’re shooting for fast and easy here.

PUMPKIN GAZPACHO
16 oz Fresh Bruschetta – the fresh store-made one.
8 oz Cucumber – English cukes are best here.
12 oz Pumpkin Puree  - canned
2 t. Chinese Five Spice
16 oz Tomato Juice - not V-8
8 oz White Wine -optional
1 oz Olive Oil
salt/pepper to taste

Chop finely the english cucumber in a food processor. In a large bowl, combine the cucumber with remaining ingredients and refrigerate. The pumpkin is not the dominant flavor component here but provides good body to the soup. Yield – 10 -6oz servings

5 SPICE PUMPKIN BISQUE
6 oz Pumpkin Puree
8 oz Water or Stock
2 oz Heavy Cream
2t. Chinese Five Spice
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a heavy pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Adjust seasoning. Yield – 2 -8oz servings

5 SPICE PUMPKIN PIE
4 oz Pumpkin Puree
8 oz Heavy Cream – whipped
1T. Sugar
1 box Jello Pudding Mix, Vanilla
2t. Chinese Five Spice
1 pinch of salt

1 Ready Made Pie Shell

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Fill pie shell and refrigerate. Top with whipped cream.

See a cost breakdown of these recipes.
You can get the Google Doc here.

I’ll demo these recipes at SaveUpEvent.com next week in San Francisco! See you there!