email this pageIngredients
1 (8- to 10-pound) Rouge vif d’Etamps (Cinderella) pumpkin
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3 leeks, white part and 2 inches of green, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
6 (1-inch thick) slices country bread, torn into bite-sized pieces and toasted
1/2 teaspoon ground dried sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
5 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
Instructions
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3 leeks, white part and 2 inches of green, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
6 (1-inch thick) slices country bread, torn into bite-sized pieces and toasted
1/2 teaspoon ground dried sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
5 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut off top of pumpkin, creating a lid about 4 inches in diameter. Scoop out seeds and strings. Rub cut side of lid and inside of pumpkin with 1 tablespoon butter. Season lid and inside of pumpkin with half the salt and place pumpkin, cut side up, in a deep baking dish or pan that you can bring to the table. Set lid aside.
3. Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add toasted bread and sprinkle with sage, nutmeg, remaining salt and pepper. Stir well and remove from heat.
4. Spoon a layer of bread mixture into pumpkin. Sprinkle a layer of cheese on top. Repeat layers with remaining bread mixture and cheese. Pour in stock to within 1 inch of the rim. Lay bay leaves on top, and then fit lid onto pumpkin.
5. Bake until pumpkin begins to soften and brown on the outside and stock bubbles, 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours. Carefully remove baking dish from the oven.
6. With a long-handled spoon, scrape flesh from bottom and sides of pumpkin into soup, being careful not to puncture walls. Ladle soup, including tender chunks of pumpkin flesh, into warmed bowls and serve. Serves 6 to 8.
Relish the Season, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Nutritional Information
2. Cut off top of pumpkin, creating a lid about 4 inches in diameter. Scoop out seeds and strings. Rub cut side of lid and inside of pumpkin with 1 tablespoon butter. Season lid and inside of pumpkin with half the salt and place pumpkin, cut side up, in a deep baking dish or pan that you can bring to the table. Set lid aside.
3. Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add toasted bread and sprinkle with sage, nutmeg, remaining salt and pepper. Stir well and remove from heat.
4. Spoon a layer of bread mixture into pumpkin. Sprinkle a layer of cheese on top. Repeat layers with remaining bread mixture and cheese. Pour in stock to within 1 inch of the rim. Lay bay leaves on top, and then fit lid onto pumpkin.
5. Bake until pumpkin begins to soften and brown on the outside and stock bubbles, 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours. Carefully remove baking dish from the oven.
6. With a long-handled spoon, scrape flesh from bottom and sides of pumpkin into soup, being careful not to puncture walls. Ladle soup, including tender chunks of pumpkin flesh, into warmed bowls and serve. Serves 6 to 8.
Relish the Season, "From Patch to Pan," October 2007.
Per serving: 330 calories, 21g fat, 13g prot., 24g carbs., 3g fiber, 740mg sodium.
