Good Eats - Stuffed Pumpkins - Sweet & Savory

Baked Stuffed Pumpkins

Sweet or Savory
Couldn't Decide...Make Both

The Sweet...
Baked with a Brown Sugar Ginger Custard

The Savory...
"Whatever you have on hand...Dump them in"
bread, rice, cous cous, etc.
cheese of your liking; herbs and spices; aromatic veggies; meat filled or vegetarian; as you like it...

Stuff...Bake...2 hours later...Beautiful, Glorious, Shinny, Oh So Yummy, and "It's not pizza" Halloween Dinner!

Sweet:

1 fresh sugar/pie pumpkin, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

2 tablespoon brown sugar

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch salt

For the brown sugar egg custard:

12 ounces evaporated milk

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon is fine)

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 350F.

1.Wash the outside of the pumpkin very well. Carefully insert a knife into the flesh to cut out the 'top'. Remove and discard the seeds, making sure to clean out the stringy part.

Rub oil inside and outside of the pumpkin, sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon and salt inside.

2. In a saucepan, bring the evaporated milk and brown sugar to a simmer.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

3. In a separate heat proof bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and ground ginger. Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture.

3. Pour the custard into the prepared pumpkin. Replace the top and wrap the entire pumpkin with heavy duty foil.

Bake for about 1 ½ - 2 hours, until the custard is set.

To serve, using a big ladle, scoop out cooked pumpkin along with custard. 

Serve hot (let rest for 10 mins) or cold, refrigerate overnight after it’s cooled.

Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Savory: (this is very free form, put whatever you have on hand into this)

1 pumpkin (any baking pumpkin), about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

1 table spoon of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

4 ounces stale bread (I used toasted garlic bread), cut into 1/2-inch chunks

4 ounces cheese, such as Gruyere, Swiss, Blue, Cheddar or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2-4 cloves minced garlic (to your taste)

1/2 teaspoon of dry herbs (thyme, tarragon, rosemary, etc) or 1 teaspoon of fresh herbs

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup diced pepper (roasted ones are even better)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1/3 cup heavy cream

Optional: 3 oz of sausage, round meat, bacon, etc.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

1.Wash the outside of the pumpkin very well. Carefully insert a knife into the flesh to cut out the 'top'. Remove and discard the seeds, making sure to clean out the stringy part.

Rub oil inside and outside of the pumpkin, sprinkle salt & pepper inside.

2. Sautee all the aromatic together (garlic, herbs, onion, pepper, whatever you have on hand)

3. Tossed aromatic with bread and cheese, add in the cream at the end

4. Stuff the filling into the prepared pumpkin. Replace the top and wrap the entire pumpkin with heavy duty foil.

Bake for about 1 ½ - 2 hours, until the pumpkin flesh is tender.

5. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Happy Halloween...