Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for frying
12 pieces fresh pumpkin (about 4 inches long and 1-inch thick), cooked until tender
Salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup ice-sold soda (seltzer) water
1/2 cup Cinnamon and Sugar mixture (**equal parts)
1 recipe Cinnamon Ice Cream, recipe follows
1 cup warm Caramel Sauce, recipe follows
Shaker confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat the fryer to 360 degrees F.

Season the pumpkin pieces with salt. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt,
egg, and soda water and mix well to make a smooth batter. Dip each piece of pumpkin in the batter, shaking off
any excess. Carefully lay the slices in the hot oil. Fry in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place a scoop of ice cream in the center of each serving bowl. Lay 3 pieces of the pumpkin next to the ice
cream. Drizzle the entire bowl with the Caramel Sauce. Garnish with confectioners'
sugar.

Ingredients

Cinnamon Ice Cream:
4 cups half-and-half
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
5 egg yolks
2 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon

Directions

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the half
and half, sugar, and salt, over medium heat. Bring the cream to the boiling point and scald it. Remove from
the heat.

Beat the egg yolks and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the half-and-half mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, to the
beaten eggs, whisking in between each addition, until all is used. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan,
and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat

the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Pour the filling into the ice cream machine and
follow the manufacture's instructions for churning time.

Yield: about 1/2 gallon

Ingredients

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and
water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a
deep caramel color and has the consistency of a thin syrup, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in
the cream, return the saucepan to the high heat, and boil the sauce until it regains the consistency of a
thick syrup, about 2 minutes.

Yield: about 3/4 cup

Recipe adapted from Creole Christmas Cookbook, by Emeril Lagasse, with Marcelle Bienvenu, published by
William Morrow, 1997