Pumpkin Tureen
Description
The next course is soup... and you do have all those pumpkins already right?
However, the hollow shell makes a picturesque and elegant soup tureen. A large pumpkin shell can hold enough soup for a family gathering or dinner parties while small pumpkin shells are just right for individual servings. From "Catsrecipes Y-Group"[1]
Ingredients
- 1 a squat pumpkin
Procedures
Preparing the pumpkin shell
- Select a squat pumpkin rather than one that is upright for balance. Field pumpkins used for jack-o-lanterns do not work well. The Cinderella variety or Rouge Vif d'Etampes, as well as many others has the ideal bowl shape.
- Start by washing the pumpkin in warm soapy water rinse well and dry.
- Using a sharp knife, insert the tip about ⅓ of the way down, and cut away the top to form a lid.
- Scoop out the seeds (reserve for roasting) and stringy mass.
- Lightly oil the pumpkin inside and out and sprinkle the inside with salt.
- Place the pumpkin and lid on a parchment lined baking sheet or spray with an oil cooking spray.
- Bake a 325°F for 1 to 1½ hours depending on the size of the shell. This is the tricky part. An over baked shell will not support the weight of the soup so under-baking is preferred.
- Bake the pumpkin shell until it begins to soften.
- Remove from the oven and cool.
- Gently scoop out some of the soft pumpkin from the wall, being careful not to puncture the shell.
- Scrape the cooked pumpkin from the lid as well.
- Use this cooked portion for a pumpkin soup or freeze it for later use.
- Ladle hot soup into the pumpkin and serve.
- The lid can be used as a cover or you can serve the soup uncovered.
- ↑ "Catsrecipes Y-Group" http://Groups.Yahoo.Com/Group/Catsrecipes/ Catsrecipes Y-Group
