The Great Pumpkin

As in Bob, five years ago in his first Halloween Costume



I mean wasn't he the cutest thing ever!


 Pumpkin is great for foodables to of course on the blog we have shared recipes for pumpkin drop cookies for dogs, soup baked in a pumpkin, pumpkin french toast, and stuffed baked pumpkin with sausage.   Today we have another people recipe (the dogs are bit annoyed but they know that on Halloween they are getting a big plastic pumpkin full of toys and treats.)    

Anyway here is the recipe.  Its a version of Dorie Greenspan's stuffed baked pumpkin, very similar to the one we made with sausage last year.  It can be adapted a million ways and it always tastes great

Stuffed Baked Pumpkin with Bacon

2 2-4 lb pumpkins
1/2 of a 1 1lb loaf of stale french bread torn into cubes
8 oz Gruyerre cheese cubed
4 minced cloves garlic
4 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
4 tbsp chopped chives
2/3 cup of heavy cream 
freshly grated nutmeg

 Preheat the oven to 350.   Slice the top of the pumpkins of using a pumpkin carving knife and scrape out the seeds and strings, this is easier if you make a fairly wide opening.  Place them in a casserole or pan where they stand up nice and steady.  Season the inside of the pumpkins generously with salt and pepper.  In a large bowl stir together the cheese, bread, garlic, bacon, and chives.   Divide the filling among the two pumpkins making sure to really pack it down.  Pour 1/3 cup of heavy cream over the filling in each pumpkin.  Sprinkle on the fresh nutmeg.   Put the lid back on the pumpkins and bake for 90 minutes until a knife inserted into the side of the pumpkin goes in easily.  Remove the lid from the pumpkins in the last 20 minutes of cooking to brown the filling.