Pumpkin Toum Dip (VEGAN) Recipe

I spotted the Pennywise crudite platter online last year and knew I had to try it. A week before my Halloween party I nearly panicked after seeing someone else's failed attempt, so I roped in my most artistic friend Valentina - she absolutely nailed it. It made enough veg to feed a crowd; I served it with a capsicum dip (recipe coming soon) and this pumpkin toum, which proved a big hit - the garlic wouldn't go amiss for keeping vampires at bay.

Pennywise Crudite Platter's Pumpkin Toum Dip

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

Makes 1.5 cups dip

Pumpkin Garlic Toum

• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs oil (neutral flavoured, I used canola)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 50g/1.7ozs aquafaba (chickpea water from tin of chickpeas) or egg white
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 100g/3.5ozs pumpkin puree
• A few drops orange food colouring (optional)

Step 1 - Place the garlic in a measuring jug or the tall, narrow jug that comes with your stick blender. Chop up the garlic using the stick blender. Then add the remaining ingredients: oil, water, lemon juice, egg white and salt. With the stick blender resting on the bottom of the jug turn it on and move it around in slow circles. It will immediately start to turn white. Move the stick blender up to catch the oil and then keep whizzing until all the oil has disappeared and you get a fluffy, white spreadable paste. Add pumpkin and colouring in and blend it with the toum.

Troubleshooting: if your toum doesn't emulsify and become fluffy and white, add another half egg white or 25ml aquafaba.