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Whole Pumpkin Baked with Cream

Whole Pumpkin Baked with Cream

This is an incredibly simple and elegant dish, in which the finished 'soup' is scooped out from the whole baked pumpkin - rich, filling and satisfying, so ideal sustenance after some hard graft in the garden on a cold autumn day. You can use as big a pumpkin as will fit in your oven, but be aware that if you use a real monster, judging the cooking time becomes hard and the risk of collapse increases greatly. You will use a huge amount of cream and cheese, too, so you need to have a lot of hungry people on hand. You can also make this recipe with small squash varieties, such as acorn or Sweet Mama, and serve one per person.

Ingredients:

A medium pumpkin serves 4-6 generously

1 medium (3-4kg) pumpkin or several small squashes (1 per person)
Up to 500g Gruyère cheese, grated (depending on the size of your pumpkin)
up to 1 litre double cream (ditto)
freshly grated nutmeg
a knob of butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Slice the top off the pumpkin or squashes three-quarters of the way up and retain; this is your lid. Scoop out all the seeds and surrounding fibres from the pumpkin. Place the scooped-out pumpkin on a baking tray or in an ovenproof dish (which must have sides to catch any leaking cream - an accident that shouldn't, but can, happen). Put enough grated Gruyère into the empty cavity of the pumpkin to fill about a third of it, then pour in double cream until the cavity is two-thirds full. Add a few gratings of nutmeg, a little salt and plenty of black pepper. Throw in a knob of butter and replace the lid, so the pumpkin is whole again.
Place in a fairly hot oven (190°C/Gas Mark 5) and cook for 45 minutes-11/4 hours, depending on the size of the pumpkin. Test for doneness by removing the lid and poking at the flesh from the inside. It should be nice and tender. At this point, the skin may be lightly burnt and the whole thing just beginning to sag a bit. Be wary: when the pumpkin is completely soft and cooked through, there is a real danger of collapse. The larger the pumpkin, the bigger the danger. Don't panic if it happens - it will look a bit deflated but will still taste delicious.
Serve small squashes individually in bowls, with spoons to scoop out the flesh. Serve the larger pumpkin by scooping plenty of flesh and the creamy, cheesy liquid (the Gruyère comes out in lovely long, messy strings) into warmed soup bowls. Either way, serve piping hot.