For an added decorative touch to your next dinner occasion, serve your favorite fall soups in a pumpkin tureen or cauldron, whether you're planning a whimsical Halloween party or a formal Thanksgiving dinner. Depending upon the soup or stew, you may even be able to prepare your recipe directly in the pumpkin. When planning the menu, choose recipes that pair well with the flavor of pumpkin. Cream, white wine, cinnamon, cheese and beer all mesh beautifully with pumpkin to create soups with flavor and depth.
Step 1
Remove one rack from your oven and lower the remaining rack to accommodate the pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Wash and dry the pumpkin, using a vegetable brush to remove dirt and debris if necessary.
Step 3
Cut the top off of the pumpkin with a sharp knife, removing a circle of pumpkin that includes the stem. Make the opening substantially larger than you would for a jack o' lantern so that you can ladle the soup or stew from the pumpkin itself.
Step 4
Remove the pumpkin's seeds and pulp using your hands and a metal spoon. Scrape the inside of the pumpkin to remove any residue, then clean the top of the pumpkin if you intend to present your pumpkin cauldron with the top in place.
Step 5
Rub the inside of the pumpkin generously with butter.
Step 6
Place the pumpkin onto a baking sheet lined with kitchen parchment.
Step 7
Fill the pumpkin with the ingredients for your soup or stew if you're baking it directly in the pumpkin cauldron.
Step 8
Set the pumpkin top with the stem into place on the pumpkin.
Step 9
Bake the pumpkin in the preheated 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove it from the oven with care.
Step 10
Transfer the cooked gourd to a serving platter and fill it with soup or stew if you did not bake the dish directly in the pumpkin.
Tips and Warnings
- You can use field or jack o' lantern pumpkins, but they are not as sweet as sugar pumpkins and may be stringier.
- Avoid overcooking your pumpkin cauldron. Overcooked pumpkin will fall apart, ruining both your cauldron and your dinner.
Things You'll Need
- 7 lb. sugar, pie or Cinderella pumpkin
- Sharp knife
- Metal spoon
- Butter
- Kitchen parchment
- Baking sheet
References
- "Saveur"; Pumpkin Soup in a Pumpkin
- FoodNetwork.com: Squash Soup in Pumpkin Bowls
- "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2: A Classic Continued"; Julia Child; 1983
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