Carnegie Hall’s 2nd Annual Hall-O-Ween Week was bigger and better than last year. Carnegie Hall partnered with the Greenbrier Historical Society to celebrate Halloween with a week’s worth of family events and classes. Running from Oct. 23 through Oct. 28, Carnegie Hall-O-Ween offered exciting and informative opportunities to get ready for Halloween.
New in 2023 was the All-Things Pumpkin Culinary Contest, where community members brought their favorite sweet or savory pumpkin recipe to the Hall for taste testing by the public, and to compete for the Golden Pumpkin Award.
This year’s winner, Kasadi Shock, received a one-of-a-kind, customized ceramic pumpkin created by Carnegie Hall Teaching Artist Amie Durrman for her submission, Whipped Pumpkin Feta Dip. All home cooks, bakers and foodies are encouraged to work on their best pumpkin recipes over the next year to be in the running for the second annual Golden Pumpkin Award in October 2024. The following winning submission was adapted from a recipe by Carrie Walder, Md.
Whipped Pumpkin Feta Dip
- Approx. 8 oz block of feta cheese, drained from brine
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
- 1-2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Black pepper
- Fresh thyme
- Chopped walnuts
- Extra honey drizzle
- Crusty, toasted bread (like sourdough or baguette)
Instructions
Make whipped feta by adding the feta cheese and Greek yogurt to a food processor. Blend ingredients together for a few minutes until smooth, scraping down with a spatula as needed.
Add pumpkin puree, 1 or 2 Tbsps. of honey (depending on desired sweetness), thyme, and a few cracks of black pepper to the food processor. Blend again until all ingredients are combined. Transfer whipped feta to the fridge and chill (covered) for 30-60 minutes. This is necessary to harden and chill the dip.
When you’re ready to serve this recipe, transfer the whipped feta to a large bowl. Garnish with a handful of chopped walnuts (optional), a generous sprinkle of fresh thyme, an extra drizzle of honey, and more pepper. Serve with crusty/toasted bread or crackers for dipping.
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