PUMPKIN ESPUMA

Blend the cooked Hokkaido squash with the cream, cream cheese, honey, vanilla paste, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt until very smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, then use a funnel to fill the Kisag Whipper. Close the Whipper, pressurise it with a cream charger, shake it about eight to ten times and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Den Backofen auf 175 °C Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Haselnüsse, Mehl, Butter, braunen Zucker, Zimt und Salz zu groben, unregelmässigen Streuseln verarbeiten. Auf einem mit Backpapier belegten Blech verteilen und etwa 10–15 Minuten goldbraun backen. Anschliessend vollständig auskühlen lassen.

Peel and core the apples, then cut them into small cubes. Put them in a saucepan with the cinnamon stick, cloves and about 100 ml of water. Cover and gently simmer over low heat until the apples are soft but still have a little bite and haven’t broken down. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves, then leave the compote to cool.

Pumpkin espuma with apple compote and hazelnut and cinnamon crumble brings together creamy, gently spiced pumpkin, fruity acidity and toasted crunch. Served in a glass, it’s already a well-balanced dessert. A few simple additions can bring out individual flavours or help you serve it as part of a menu.

With ice cream or a fresh cream
A scoop of vanilla ice cream goes well with pumpkin, cinnamon and apple, adding a cool contrast to the warm crumble. If you prefer something less sweet, serve it with a spoonful of lightly sweetened sour cream or crème fraîche instead. Its gentle acidity balances the honey and brown sugar.

Fruity additions
A few fresh or briefly stewed cubes of pear go well with the apple compote. For extra acidity, add a few cranberries or a small spoonful of cranberry compote. Pomegranate seeds also add a tart, fruity note and a fresh touch. Use extra fruit sparingly so the apple compote remains the star.

Chocolate and caramel
Dark chocolate complements the sweet pumpkin and cinnamon flavours with a slightly bitter note. Serve with a few fine chocolate shavings or a small piece of dark chocolate. For a caramel variation, add a thin drizzle of caramel sauce. The honey, apple compote and crumble already add sweetness, so a little goes a long way.

Crunchy toppings
The hazelnut and cinnamon crumble already adds crunch. To garnish the dessert further, try a few toasted pumpkin seeds or chopped hazelnuts. Thin apple crisps add another crunchy element and complement the fruit in the compote. Add crunchy toppings just before serving so they keep their texture.

As the end of a menu
After a hearty meal, serve the dessert in small glasses. This lets the espuma, compote and crumble shine without making the portion feel too large. Before a sweet dessert, choose a relatively light main course, perhaps with vegetables, poultry or a mild sauce. For a winter menu, you can echo the dessert’s spices subtly in a side dish.

Drinks to serve with it
Coffee or a robust black tea pairs well with the dessert’s warm spices and fruit. For a non-alcoholic option, try an unsweetened herbal tea, such as lemon balm. If serving a sweet dessert wine, choose one that isn’t too intense: the dessert already gets its sweetness from the honey, apple and crumble.

To serve
Divide the apple compote between four dessert glasses. Use the Whipper according to the instructions and pipe the light pumpkin espuma directly onto the compote. Serve with the hazelnut and cinnamon crumble. You can prepare the crumble a day ahead. Store it in an airtight container in a dry place until serving so it stays crisp.

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