Gooey Pumpkin Awesomeness

Gooey Pumpkin....Year Two

If you ever see a pile of baking pumpkins at a grocery store..STOP. Buy immediately. Pick up some cheddar and Emmenthal cheeses too (yes I know, you are suppose to throw Gruyere in there but YUCK.) I first heard this recipe described on NPR, and it reminded me of the cheesy deliciousness I made last year based on a Gourmet recipe:

2009 Attempt

More an assault on my stomach..too much cheese!

This recipe was a much better attempt--instead of just cheese, bread, and pumpkin, this recipe had chives, thyme, and BACON. The porportions worked out a lot better, and the finished product is less of a stomach ache and more of WOW, amazing...and it's gone.

Pre-baking

Some tips:
- Use fancy cheese. It makes a difference in flavor and you will thank me when you taste the first bite.
- Original recipe calls for Guyere, which you can include if you like it, but keep the total cheese weight the same.

Baked Pumpkin Fondue
Original by Dorie Greenspan 

• 1 pumpkin, about 4 pounds
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 c. stuffing cubes (or stale bread, no seasoning!)
• .25 lbs Emmenthal cheese- cut into small cubes
• .25 lbs Cheddar (I used a sharp, gourmet white New Zeland cheddar)
• 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 4 strips bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and chopped
• 1/4 c. green onions (or scallions, chives)
• 1 T. minced fresh thyme
• 1/3 c. heavy cream
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Read the recipe for some really good tips on prep, serving, and additions. But if you want the quick and dirty directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, cook the bacon, prep the rest of the ingredients and add everything together in a bowl (except the cream and nutmeg). 
2. Cut the top off the pumpkin (KEEP IT--it cooks with the lid on) scoop out the innards and season liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff the dry ingredients inside until almost full, then add the nutmeg-cream mixture. Finish stuffing the pumpkin until over-full. Add the lid back on, and bake for 2 hours.
3. The pumpkin is done when you can easily poke the skin with a knife, and the inside is bubbly with cooked cheese. Cut slices of pumpkin with stuffing and serve. 

Served by the fire