CUESA, of the Ferry Building's farmers market has been test running an off shoot market in the parking lot next to AT&T Park the past few Sundays. Since that is my one day off, it seemed like a good chance for me and the SO to wander over and check things out. Because I was still in all things pumpkin town, I meandered through the vendors looking for anything calling itself by that orange gourd. Sadly, the pickings were a bit slim for my quest, but we did managed to suss out 2 things, that while they may seemingly go together, would have been a real pumpkin overload had we tried them in one big mix. But, like (mostly) responsible eaters, we tried them separately and here's how they went down.
First up was something the SO is into--ice cream. As most of you know, for me, I can take it or leave it. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that it doesn't hit that right dessert spot for me. Still, we both spotted Eatwell Farm's Ice Box booth and their offering of pumpkin spice ice cream. We moseyed over and got a serving to try out.
In the grand scheme of all things pumpkin, it definitely had the flavor. A little smooth, a little creamy, some nice spices of nutmeg and cinnamon not totally overwhelming the pumpkin. I will say for me it was better than that orange mess of stuff we got from Trader Joe's. The color here didn't look unnatural like theirs did. I'm guessing this falls on the local/organic buzzword scheme of things. Even though I'm not really an ice cream aficionado, I liked it well enough and the SO definitely got their tasty fill. Eatwell also had a sweet potato ice cream that they let us sample. The guy said it was lighter tasting than the pumpkin, which for us didn't seem like it. The sweet potato actually tasted thick, kind of like a creamy mashed potato thing. The pumpkin actually tasted lighter and airier for us. Go figure. just shows everybody's had different taste buds.
Staying in the same vein, what would be a better compliment with ice cream than a slice of pie. I made a beeline for the Three Babes Bakeshop tent figuring they would have some pumpkin pie out this time of year and I was correct.
I've had uneven experiences with Three Babes pies over the years. Some I've really liked and some not so much, which is why I'm always willing to at least try them since I never really know what I'm gonna get. This is a slice of the Sugar Pie Pumpkin Pie made with roasted Sugar Pie Pumpkin from Stahlbush Farms. The roasting is what makes this different. One bite and you tell right off it is not as sweet as a regular pumpkin pie made from one of those pureed can mixes. It's still smooth and creamy (hey! just like the ice cream!) and we both liked that whole not too sweet aspect of it. Spices here are subtle, like really subtle. I could have stood a tad more cinnamon, nutmeg, whatever to kind of enliven this up a bit. I mean it was like eating a freshly creamed pumpkin. While there is nothing really wrong with that, I guess I was just looking for a little more flavor. Still props for not overloading in the sugar. One thing about Three Babes pies I have always enjoyed is their crust. It is butter, flaky and normally a saving grave when I haven't been totally satisfied with whatever filling I've gotten. This time around though, the crust here was a little tough to slice through and not quite as buttery tasty as others I've had before. Maybe a tad of an over bake? Oh well. The SO didn't like this too much, I think the roast flavor threw them off a bit. In the end though, I still liked it enough to finish it off.
And there you have it, the end of pumpkin week. Nothing like ending a big meal with some pumpkin dessert. Overall, most things weren't bad, some were pretty good and others were just yuck. For now I think I've gotten my fill of pumpkin and feel confidant I can survive without it for another year. Right now I'm gonna put on my elastic waistband pants and gear up for more eating. Time to bring on Christmas and holidays people!
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