Everything Good In A Pumpkin

Fall is time for pumpkins. Whether it’s a candle, pie, soap or soup, I love anything and everything pumpkin. This is my Mother-in-law’s recipe. It’s amazingly delicious and feeds a large crowd. It’s called “Everything Good in a Pumpkin” because it is literally filled with all things good: bacon, bread, cheese and cream. I like to serve it with a sliced baguette and crackers. This dip is so rich and just tastes like my favorite time of year.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized pumpkin (about 7-10 lbs)
• ¾ lb stale white bread (cut into ½ inch cubes)
• 1 lb gruyere cheese, grated
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb of cooked bacon, chopped
• ¾ cup fresh chives, thinly sliced
• ½ – 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Crackers or bread for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by cutting the top off the pumpkin, the way you would if you were carving a pumpkin. Make sure to cut a big enough hole so that there is room to dip crackers in the pumpkin. Then use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and string. Once clean, generously season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkin in a large Dutch oven or on a lined baking sheet.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, chives, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. Pour cream over the mixture. Start with ½ a 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. 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.