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GREAT PUMPKIN GRATIN
This recipe was sent to me by a former neighbor who devel-
oped a passion for cooking in her 40s after a successful career
as a hedge fund manager. Her pumpkin gratin was a million-
dollar dish. Served with a bottle of crisp white wine and a
simple green salad, this is a perfect casual autumn supper.

IT’S THE GREAT
PUMPKIN, CHARLIE
BROWNSTEIN 1 medium pumpkin, 4-5 lbs.

1½ cups grated Gruyere cheese
1½ cups cubed bread from a day-old
baguette or crusty Italian bread
1½ cups vegetable broth
1½ cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to coat pumpkin
Toasted bread for serving
OCTOBER 20, 2016
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
PUMPKINS ARE EVERYWHERE these days.

Their seasonal harvest is now, and while their edible
virtues are often overlooked in favor of decorative prop-
erties, I urge you not to miss out on their nutritional
and flavorful benefits.

A serving of pumpkin contains a mere 49 calories
and zero fat, but delivers 3 grams of fiber and, hold
your horses, 200 percent of your recommended daily
allowance of vitamin A, 19 percent of vitamin C and 8
percent of iron.

And pumpkin seeds are veritable powerhouses of
nutrients. One cup of these small but mighty seeds
contain 110 percent of the recommended daily
allowance of iron, 31 percent of zinc and 12 grams of
protein. I’ve been having a great time experimenting with
pumpkin recipes — some traditional, others a bit
offbeat — so give them a try before winter arrives and
these gorgeous orbs disappear until next year.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees, and remove all but the
lowest oven rack. The pumpkin must fit in the oven without
hitting the top.

Cut the top off the pumpkin, leaving a 3- to 4-inch hole.

Scoop out the seeds (save them) and the loose, stringy pulp.

Sprinkle the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper.

Layer the cheese and bread inside the pumpkin in alternat-
ing strata. In a medium bowl, mix the broth and half-and-half
with nutmeg and a bit more salt and pepper. Pour it over the
cheese and bread in the pumpkin and allow it to absorb.

There should be about a gap of about three-quarters of an
inch at the top of the pumpkin.

Replace the top of the pumpkin, and place the pumpkin on
a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the outside of the pumpkin
with olive oil, and bake for two hours, or until the pumpkin
flesh is tender.

Serve with toasted bread directly from the pumpkin, like
a fondue.

Serves 4
ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
The seeds that you scraped from the pumpkin provide a
crunchy, healthy snack — nice with a cocktail in lieu of nuts, or
sprinkled on a salad.

See Fall, Page 12
Pumpkin: MariuszBlach; cheese: tegmen/iStock/Thinkstock.com
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM IN GOOD TASTE
MAY 4, 2017
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