10/20/13

Video Attempt: Pumpkin Stuffed with Cheese Fondue (and a snack of roasted seeds)

Welcome to season two of the Bon Appétempt show! Notice all the new music? We asked our friends over at Subtidal Studios for a new song, and they delivered three! (And yes, that is my voice shouting 4 cups of oats! on repeat at the end.) (This is clearly a serious show that deserves an equally serious theme song.)

As for this pumpkin dish? It kind of blew my mind. So delicious. As for this baby I'm carrying? It's about the size of one of those pumpkins! (Or at least, that's how it feels.)

Pumpkin Stuffed with Cheese Fondue super slightly adapted from Gourmet
serves 4-6

1 (15-inch) piece of baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices (7 oz total)
1 seven pound orange pumpkin OR 2 three pound orange pumpkins*
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère (6 oz)
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Emmental (6 oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil

*The flesh of one of our pumpkins was considerably more delicious than the other. I think this was because it was riper, but maybe it was just the luck of the pumpkin? Which I guess begs the question: how do you know if a pumpkin is ripe?

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.

Toast baguette slices in 1 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(s) by cutting a circle (3 inches in diameter) around 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 a delicious snack (recipe below). Season inside of pumpkin with 1/2 tsp salt.

Whisk together cream, broth, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl. Mix together cheeses in another bowl.

Put a layer of toasted bread in bottom of pumpkin, then cover with a portion of the cheese and some of the cream mixture. Continue layering bread, cheese, and cream mixture until pumpkin is filled to about 1/2 inch from top and making sure to use all of the cream mixture. (You may have some bread and cheese left over.)

Cover pumpkin with top and put in an oiled small roasting pan. Brush outside of pumpkin all over with olive oil. Bake until pumpkin is tender and filling is puffed, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours for a seven pound pumpkin and about an hour for two smaller pumpkins.

Note: Pumpkin can be filled 2 hours before baking and chilled.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
pumpkin seeds, rinsed clean of pumpkin innards (I've found that if you soak the seeds in hot water for a bit, they are a little easier to separate from the pumpkin innards.)
soy sauce
olive oil
sea salt

Preheat oven to 300F.

Spread the rinsed pumpkin seeds on a dish towel to dry. (The drier they are to start, the more they will crisp up in the oven.)

Scoop the seeds into a bowl and pour over a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of soy sauce. Stir to coat.

Spread the seeds into a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy! 

25 comments:

  1. Season 2 is gonna be the best. xoxo

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  2. i always put my homemade broth into a TJs container too!

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  3. Ha ha ha. So many LOLs. I just finished Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. That nose-presenting birth picture is forever etched in my brain.

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    1. Haven't gotten there yet... can't wait though! ;)

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  4. Good job--love it! :) You always make me laugh....and hungry! -Debbie S

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  5. Barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Oh yes.

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  6. Fantastic start to season 2. Can't wait to see more.

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  7. Super excited about Season 2, of course. And hey, I just made a stuffed pumpkin myself! Yours is probably so much better because there's 3 times the heavy cream, which makes everything better. I can't wait to try soy sauce on pumpkin seeds, too.

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  8. This looks insane! What kind of pumpkins did you use? Pie ones?

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    1. I just grabbed two organic orange ones from Whole Foods... the flesh of one was really great but the other wasn't as good. Next time, I'll try and get a more heirloom variety... maybe a "sugar pie." I think that's a variety??

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  9. I roared. My mum and I both love and so look forward to your videos! I'm thinking of making this in the tiny sugar pumpkins...they are in abundance here in my part of the world!

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  10. I can't believe no one has commented on the Pirate Smiley Face cookies in your fridge. I thought that was one of the best parts!

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  11. I was seriously on the edge of my seat waiting to see how those things turned out! Also, too bad about Matt's camera shyness. Can I take it to Facebook for an explanation? JK. Kind of.

    Happy autumn and congrats on your apron bump!! Loved seeing that.

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  12. Yeah there are different kinds of pumpkins. The woman at the farmer's market told me that too large (long, wide or both) means they're less sweet. The sugar pie ones are medium size and round.... but I'm no pumpkin expert.

    This looks delish, I'll have to make it!

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  13. Did you maybe say "and then spread it on your baby" around the 5:00 mark? I approve. Also, your videos never fail to cheer me up, so I was especially happy to see this tonight at the end of a very long day.

    Also, I don't know you. But I like your blog. I'm such a creeper.

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  14. Both pumpkin and cheese are very nutritious, so the combination really works great for our health. Nice recipe btw.

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  15. Nice Roger Federer reference! Thanks for being my favorite blog on the internet.

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  16. I've never had such an urgent response to a recipe! This was the first pumpkin of the rest of my life. So so so good!

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  17. I also noticed the Smiley Cookies in the fridge. One never forgets a steady supply of free sugar cookies in childhood. Also, supa jealous

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  18. I made this last night for Halloween dinner! Delicious! A few TIPS: I forgot that when you cut the top off of the pumpkin you're supposed to cut at an inward angle so that the top stays put--so a few minutes into cooking the tops fell down into the pumpkins. They still worked out great, though! Also removing the stringy pulp inside before filling was a nightmare--but the few strings that were left didn't affect the flavor or outcome at all, so next time I won't be as vigilant. Lastly, I guess I went a little heavy with the layers, because I ran out of bread, cream, and cheese long before I neared the 1/2 inch from the top mark, but I guess there is plenty of room for error because again, delicious!

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