Pumpkin in the City

Fall is here with some obvious signs. The chill of the morning air. The changing of the leaves from greens to burnt oranges and vibrant reds. The Christmas decorations are in stores. And,  pumpkins start replacing watermelons in the huge bins in front of grocery stores.

It’s not just pumpkins that take over the grocery stores. You can’t avoid the pumpkin pies (see BlogTo for the best bakeries to buy pumpkin pie)! I wanted to find more pumpkin treats, and my search took me from uptown to downtown Toronto. This is what I found:

Heavenly hash is what this is. These spring rolls contain buttery mashed pumpkin and buttery mashed potato. Talk about a fantastic fusion treat.
From Crown Princess | $4.30 for 4 pieces | Rating: 8/10

Congee is a rice porridge, and it’s definitely a Chinese comfort food. In this version, it had some pumpkin, lily and kernels of corn. It was good, but tasted a lot like cream of corn.
From Crown Princess | $5.30 | Rating: 6/10

This might not make the CNE’s list of fried foods. The slices of pumpkin are huge (not a bad thing)! The batter was a bit too heavy (not a good thing), but I really liked the  hint of spiced salt.
From Crown Princess | $5.30 | Rating: 5.5/10

It looks like a mini cheeseburger, but it’s better. The creamy pumpkin filling tasted almost like dulce de leche with pumpkin spice – perfection!
From Nadège Patisserie (Summerhill) | $2.15 | Rating: 8.5/10

It looks like a little pumpkin! It tastes so light and leaves you wanting more. Look at the layers of cake, cream and pumpkin filling. At first, Cy wanted just one bite…
From Nadège Patisserie (Summerhill) | $8.00 | Rating: 9/10

Two scoops of delicious, creamy pumpkin pie! Just the right amount of spices. I appreciated the subtle and natural colour of the gelato. No bright orange food colouring in this! The only thing that was missing was pieces of pumpkin pie crust.
From Hollywood Gelato | $3.95 for small | Rating: 8.5/10

The moment that I took a whiff, I knew that the tea was going to be one of those you savour to the last drop. The lady at the store explained that the tea was best served on it’s own – no milk or sugar needed! The purist approach helps bring out the flavours, and the pumpkin taste is subtle.
From House of Tea | $6.50 (50 grams) | Rating: 7.5/10

This craft beer is great for sharing. It’s on the heavier side and you can definitely taste the pumpkin with a little sweetness and a little spiceness to it. Did I mention that it was 9% alcohol?
From LCBO | $7.95 | Rating: 7/10

After an entire day of sampling pumpkin treats, I’m done for the year! But, you could probably tempt me with pumpkin cheesecake.