Everything Good in a Mini Pumpkin

I look forward to eating “Everything Good in a Pumpkin” all year.  My Mother-in-law made this for me for the first time about 5 years ago and I fell in love. It is the most amazing dip. I love to make this for Halloween, Friendsgiving and holiday parties. But since everything this year looks a little different, I think making this large appetizer for 20 to 30 people will not be  happening. But I still wanted the flavors and the feeling this appetizer brings. So I decided to make a mini version using a sugar plum pumpkin. This recipe feeds about 4 to 6 people.

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients:

• 1 sugar plum pumpkin (2 – 3 lb)
• 3 slices stale white bread, cut into half inch cubes
• 5 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chives, chopped
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/3 – 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Bread and crackers for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Begin by cutting the top off the pumpkin.  Then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and string. Once clean, generously season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkin on a baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, chives, nutmeg and thyme. Then pour the cream over the mixture. Start with 1/3 cup. Depending on how stale the bread is, you may need to add more cream. You want to mixture to be wet but not swimming in cream.

Fill the pumpkin with the mixture and place the cap on top. Place in the oven for about 2 hours, until the filling is bubbling, and the pumpkin is softened. Remove the lid from the pumpkin and use a spoon to scrape around the inside to get some of that delicious pumpkin meat into the filling. If the filling is looking too dry, you can add a bit of cream if you’d like. Place back into the oven for about 20 more minutes, without the lid.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve with sliced bread and crackers.