Food Network
When the subject of pumpkins comes up, minds most often go to pumpkin pie, but this is only one of so many uses for pumpkin. In our kitchens it is used in soup, purees, and salads, and is even sometimes dried and ground into a fine powder that finds its way onto desserts and savory dishes alike to add a dash of burnt orange color. Our chefs' favorite culinary pumpkin is the Kentucky field pumpkin, a variety that dates back to 1700. This old type is light tan and has excellent keeping qualities, an important factor for our ancestors because they could rely on them to last through the winter. True to its name, hard sauce-the classic accompaniment to steamed pudding-is as firm as the beaten butter from which it is made. It's so easy to make, requiring little more than a few ingredients and a mixer. Very little rum is used in this recipe, yet its flavor is what gives the sauce character. We love our Tennessee Prichard's rum, a dark rum with deep caramel tones. You can use Bacardi Dark, or, even better, choose an interesting rum with a distinct flavor. This recipe is the place to use the pretty custard cups you inherited from your grandmother but can never find a reason to use. Or, if you have a good supply of six-ounce ramekins, these are beautiful unmolded.