Spooky Pumpkin Soup for Halloween

Ingredients

• 500 g pumpkin flesh (e.g., Hokkaido)
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 garlic clove (chopped)
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 100 g potatoes (starchy, boiled)
• 600 ml vegetable broth (or poultry broth to taste)
• 100 ml White wine
• Salt
• ground pepper
• ground nutmeg
• cardamom
• crème fraîche (for garnish)
• 300 g puff pastry (6 sheets)
• 100 g cheese (finely grated)
• paprika powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 small egg
• almond flakes

Instructions

1. 1.

   Dice the pumpkin flesh and sauté with onion, peeled diced potatoes, ginger, and garlic in hot butter; add a pinch of cardamom and stir in tomato paste. Deglaze with white wine and broth, then simmer for about 20‑30 minutes until soft. Puree finely, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. If the soup is too thick, add more broth.

2. 2.

   Let the puff pastry sheets thaw side by side. Beat the egg and brush each sheet with it; sprinkle paprika, cheese, salt, and pepper. Cut each sheet lengthwise into 4‑5 strips, apply a little egg at one end of each strip, and place an almond flake on top as a fingernail.

3. 3.

   Arrange the strips slightly curved on parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C until golden yellow (about 20 minutes).

4. 4.

   Fill a cup with soup, whisk the crème fraîche smooth, then pour into a freezer bag. Cut a small hole in the bag and spray the mixture spirally over the soup, dipping a wooden stick into the center and pulling from center to edge repeatedly to create a spider‑web pattern. Drape the pastry fingers around the cup and serve on a small plate.