 |
Stuffed Sweet Baby Pumpkins
from the kitchen of Sharmagne Leland St.John
1 6-ounce box of seasoned bread stuffing
8 baby pumpkins
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups diced white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2
Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
¼ cup fresh sage, coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ cups turkey stock or vegetable broth, more as needed
3 large eggs
8 ounces Chevre cheese, crumbled
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
Line a deep cookie sheet with parchment paper
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Gently slice approximately ⅓ off the top of each
of the pumpkins. Retain tops to use for lids. Scoop
out the seeds and pulp, saving the seeds for toasting.
Brush the inside of the pumpkins and the lids lightly
with extra-virgin olive oil and season generously with
salt and pepper.
Place the lids back on the pumpkins and bake until
slightly tender approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the sheet from the oven and place on a cooling
rack.
Reduce the heat to 375° F.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
When it is sizzling, add the onions, celery and apples
to the
skillet and sauté until the onions are translucent
and
the apple a bit tender (8-10 minutes). Add the garlic
and herbs. Continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes.
Put the bread stuffing in a large bowl. Pour the ingred-
ients from the skillet into the bowl. Add the cream and
broth until moistened. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon
pepper.
Gently toast the pine nuts in the skillet. Be careful not
to burn them.
Beat the eggs and add to the bowl. Mix until well blended.
Add the cheese and dried fruit and nuts and gently combine.
Fill each pumpkin shell with approximately 1 cup each of the
stuffing mixture. Lean the "lids" up against its respective
pumpkin and bake until the stuffing mixture reaches a temper-
ature
of 160° F. Approximately 40-45 minutes.
Place each lid on the pumpkin before serving.
Return to:
|
