Stuffed pumpkin with cheese, bacon and chipotle chiles
Servings 4
Author Adapted by Lisa Fain from recipes by Dorie Greenspan and Ian Knauer
Ingredients
One 3-to-4 pound pumpkin
Salt and black pepper to taste
4ouncesFrench bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4pound(1 cup) Gruyere, shredded
1/4pound(1 cup) white cheddar, shredded
4clovesgarlic, minced
1or 2 chipotle chiles en adobo, diced (depending on how fiery you want it)
1/4poundcooked bacon, crumbled
1/4teaspoonground cumin
Small pinch of nutmeg
1/2cupheavy cream or half-and-half
French bread slices, for serving
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 casserole pan or baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
With a sharp knife, cut a circle around the pumpkin stem about 1 inch away from the stem. Remove the top and clean out the seeds and stringy bits from inside the pumpkin. (You can save the seeds for roasting, if you like.) Lightly salt and pepper the inside of the pumpkin.
Toss together the bread cubes, shredded Gruyere, shredded cheddar, garlic, diced chipotle chiles and cooked bacon, and stuff into the pumpkin. Stir the cumin and nutmeg into the cream, adding a bit of salt and black pepper to taste. Pour cream mixture into pumpkin over bread and cheese.
Place the top back on the pumpkin, and place the pumpkin into the baking pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours or until filling is brown and bubbling. To serve, remove the top and spoon out portions of the filling along with bits of the cooked pumpkin. You can either leave it in the pan, or by using the foil or parchment paper, you can carefully lift it out of the pan and place it on a platter. Serve warm with sliced French bread for serving.