Fall
by: Joy Huang | The Cooking of Joy
September12,2016
4
4 Ratings
- Serves 6-8 as an appetizer
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
Hollow out a pumpkin, stuff it with bread, cheese, cream, and honey, and roast it until the pumpkin is soft and scoopable and the filling is hot and bubbly. Adapted from Gourmet and Dorie Greenspan. —Joy Huang | The Cooking of Joy
Test Kitchen Notes
This was delicious and so easy to make. I tried to convince myself it was moderately good for me—in spite of the cup of cream, 6 ounces of cheese, and the bread I was slathering it all on—because it was inside a squash! A vegetable! It was too early in the season for my grocery store to stock eating pumpkins, so I used a golden nugget squash instead. I’m sure many cooks will be happy to know it worked perfectly with the squash. It didn’t take long before I eliminated the toast intermediary and was scooping squash, cheese, and cream-soaked bread cubes directly into my mouth. Who needs a middleman? I’m planning on using the leftovers as filling for grilled cheese sandwiches. —Cate
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 1 sugar pumpkin, about 3 1/2 pounds
- 1 baguette
- 3 ouncesEmmental cheese, coarsely grated
- 3 ouncesGruyère cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 cupheavy cream
- 1 large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black, to taste pepper
- Honey, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.
- Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices. Cut half of them into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Toast the baguette slices and cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet in oven until tops are crisp (bread will still be pale), about 7 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
- Remove top of pumpkin by cutting a circle around the stem with a small sharp knife. Scrape out seeds and any loose fibers from inside pumpkin with a spoon (including top of pumpkin; reserve seeds for another use if desired). Season the inside with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a drizzle of honey.
- Whisk together cream, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Mix together cheeses in another bowl.
- Put a layer of toasted bread cubes in bottom of pumpkin, then cover with about 1/2 cup cheese and about 1/3 cup cream mixture. Drizzle some more honey on top of the cheese and cream. Continue layering bread, cheese, cream mixture, and honey until pumpkin is filled to about 1/2 inch from top. (You may have some leftover bread, cheese, and cream left over.)
- Cover pumpkin with top and put in an oiled small roasting pan. Brush outside of pumpkin all over with olive oil. Bake 1 hour and then remove the top.
- Return the rest of the pumpkin to the oven and bake until the top of the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with the rest of the baguette slices.
Tags:
- Condiment/Spread
- Cheese
- Vegetable
- Honey
- Milk/Cream
- Nutmeg
- Pumpkin
- Fall
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Vegetarian
- Appetizer
Contest Entries
- Your Best Recipe for Now and Later
- Your Best Recipe for When You Want It to Feel Like Fall
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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OPTOMontheEdge
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Jenny Callentine
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Empty Nester Recipes
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Barbara Robertson
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Joy Huang | The Cooking of Joy
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15 Reviews
OPTOMontheEdge November 3, 2022
This was delicious to the point that I'm sad all the leftovers are now gone. I couldn't find any sugar pumpkins, so I subbed a red kuri squash, and I added a smattering of thyme. Fabulous. I served it with apple slices. Will be on holiday repeat at my house. Yummm...
Jenny C. October 28, 2020
This was very good but heavy on the bread in my opinion. It was more like a bread pudding then a fondue. I,admittedly, accidentally mixed the cream and cheese together instead of putting in separately so that may have affected it.
Empty N. September 5, 2018
Adding some chopped sage to this takes it over the top - also adds some woody tones to offset the sweetness.
Jerri October 24, 2017
Can you use a white Lumina pumpkin? Thanks!
Joy H. October 24, 2017
Sorry, I don’t have any experience with that pumpkin, but if you can use it like a sugar pumpkin, sure!
Eric C. November 7, 2016
What is the consistency of this after sitting? Should I worry it will solidify too quickly ?
Joy H. November 8, 2016
If you serve it directly from the oven, I'd say it would be fine for at least an hour. It's always gone before it's had a chance to get cold, so I don't know how long it would be okay for, haha.
Eric C. November 8, 2016
Thank you Joy! Going, going, gone was my assumption as well :)
Jana E. November 1, 2016
This was sooo good! Next time I'll serve it with green apple slices instead of more bread.
Joy H. November 1, 2016
Ooh, that sounds like an amazing combo!
Barbara R. October 15, 2016
Fat doesn't make you fat-sugar does!
Nancy S. October 14, 2016
This looks fabulous and I plan on making it for my book club. Just wondering if the 3 1/2 pound stuffed pumpkin needs to cook at 450 for the full hour?
Joy H. October 14, 2016
It's actually an hour + 10-15 minutes with the top off! You can check that the filling is heated through and that the pumpkin is done before the full amount of time if you like.
Joy H. October 7, 2016
@Cate - Thanks so much for your review! Putting the remains inside a grilled cheese sounds AMAZING.
BerryBaby September 25, 2016
This sounds absolutely delicious! The local grocery store has sugar pumpkins and I have everything else.
Can't wait to try it!
