BY ANDREW WARNER
fashionfruit. managing editor
Get ready for the fashionfruit. return with this week’s playlist: fashionfruit. week 32
And now we’re back to the regularly scheduled programming. Apologies to everyone who’s been waiting for the latest fashionfruit. recipe! It’s been an awfully busy couple of weeks, filled with internship applications, midterms and schoolwork, but Anysia and I are excited to get back on track.
Fall is in full throttle – Daylight Savings is about to end this weekend and the days are going to get short. If we’re being honest, I’m not looking forward to it. There’s something that feels so wrong about nighttime beginning at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. It’s unsettling, to be frank. I don’t like it.
Now, while I absolutely hate the shortening of days, there are more than a few things to love about fall. Number one on that list? Pumpkin spice.
Yes, I know it’s basic. I know it’s sort of overrated. But there’s nothing more comforting than a pumpkin spice latte, with lots of warming spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, to really keep you going throughout the day.
Where I am, fall is more of a state of mind than an actual season – it’s still in the mid-70s here in Los Angeles, so I’m not bundling up or layering my clothes more than I normally do. Instead, I’m indulging in fall treats like pumpkin spice lattes and lentil stews. This week, I decided to try making my own pumpkin spice latte, using a small pumpkin that I roasted with my own blend of spices and some homemade cold brew.
I tried this two ways – the first one turned out absolutely horrendous. But the second one was so creamy and frothy and perfect, that I would be remiss not to share it with you all. I first tossed half a pumpkin with some vegan butter and spices (in addition to your typical cinnamon and ginger, I used a blend that might seem a bit off the wall, adding cayenne and cardamom into the mix).
Then, I puréed the roasted pumpkin with a lot of sugar and a tad bit more vegan butter, just for good measure. The resulting mixture is a smooth, creamy paste of pumpkin spice goodness that makes for far more than just a good latte – I also spread it over some toast in the mornings for a little pumpkin pie inspired breakfast.
The first time I tried making a latte, I made a slight mistake: I simply added a spoonful of the paste to the cold brew and milk and stirred. This doesn’t combine the ingredients properly however, and results in a pulpy and unpleasant consistency. The second time, however, I tossed all the paste, cold brew and milk into my blender and whipped it all together.
The result was a decadent pumpkin spice latte (yes, I know you need espresso and steamed milk for a proper latte – but I’m a cold brew fiend and it’s my recipe, so I’ll call it what I want). The blender helped froth up the milk a bit, leaving a nice layer of foam at the top of the drink. It was sweet and had a nice kick from the cayenne – while it’s optional, I highly recommend using it, as it really helps bring out the other flavors in the drink.
recipe
vegan pumpkin spice “latte”
for the pumpkin butter:
1 small pumpkin
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne
4 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp vegan butter
Salt to taste
for the drink:
1 cup cold brew
2 tbsp pumpkin butter
Non-dairy milk of your choice, to taste (I like mine creamy, so I use about 1 part cold brew to 1 part milk, but it’s all up to you!)
- Prepare the pumpkin butter. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Slice pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Massage 2 tbsp of the vegan butter into the pumpkin to make sure that it’s evenly coated. Then, toss the pumpkin halves with the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and cayenne. Wrap in foil and roast for about an hour.
- Let the pumpkin halves cool to room temperature. Scrape the soft pumpkin from the skin of the pumpkin and add to a blender. Blend together with the remaining tablespoon of vegan butter and the sugar. The pumpkin butter will keep in the fridge for about two weeks and a full recipe can make about eight lattes.
- To prepare the latte, add the cold brew, pumpkin butter and milk to the blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Serve with a dusting of cinnamon over the top.
Got a question for Andrew? Email him at andrewjw@ucla.edu or tweet @awarner_db.
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