F is for: Fondue {baked in a pumpkin!}

Fondue spread baked in a miniature pumpkin!

I realize I already professed my love affair for Autumn this week in my post about Apple Hill. (In fact I got the pumpkin for today’s recipe from that trip).

But I can’t help myself. I really do love all of the rich flavors this season brings. And I especially love anything with squash or pumpkin. Combine it with one of my other favorite all time ingredients…cheese…and it’s pretty much a match made in heaven.

You absolutely have to make this pumpkin fondue! It is so melty and gooey and delicious and it would be perfect during the Thanksgiving holiday…either as an appetizer to the big meal or at some other point throughout the weekend. And despite the large number of steps, it’s actually really easy and looks totally gourmet.

Start with a small sugar pumpkin (NOT the big kind you use for jack-o’-lanterns). Cut a 3-inch
circle around pumpkin stem and remove top. Scrape out pumpkin seeds
and fibers from interiors and tops. (Save the seeds to make roasted
pumpkin seeds!) Mix olive oil and garlic and rub on the inside of the
pumpkin. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20-30 minutes. [UPDATE: If needed, you can skip this step entirely or roast for less time with smaller pumpkins]

Whisk cream, broth, nutmeg, dry mustard, wine, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl.
Freshly grated nutmeg is best, and I love this Microplane Grate and Shake to do the job.

Place shredded cheeses in a large ziplock bag with flour or cornstarch and shake to coat cheese. (This will help it be less stringy). Remove pumpkin from oven and stuff them by making 3 layers in each
pumpkin in the following order: toasted bread crumbs, cheese, cream
mixture. Repeat until pumpkin is filled. Depending on the size of the
pumpkin, you might not use all of the cheese or cream. Cap pumpkin and roast for an hour. Give it a stir, and continue roasting if needed.

When everything is melted and pumpkin is tender, remove and arrange on a
platter with remaining baguette slices. Sprinkle with paprika and
roasted pumpkin seeds (if using). (If you are a huge dork like me, you have pumpkin shaped cheese spreaders perfect for this type of occasion.) Make sure to scrape out some of that yummy pumpkin when you load up your piece of bread. So good! (*Note: this won’t be smooth like a traditional fondue, more like a cheesy spread).

Pin It