Meatless Monday: Roasted sugar pumpkins with cheese fondue
I think my fiance Anthony and I went to our first real grown-up dinner party last week.
Sure, we鈥檝e been over to friends鈥� houses for dinner and we鈥檝e hosted quite a few get-togethers at our place. But this was the first time we were invited to someone鈥檚 house (whom we don鈥檛 know that well) to dine with a handful of other folks we鈥檇 never met. Eeek!
On the walk over, I was buzzing with nerves and excitement. (I know, I know. It鈥檚 just a dinner party.) But Anthony and I don鈥檛 get invited over for dinner much by our peers. Between Mom鈥檚 illustrious food career and our reputation for being good cooks, people are always saying, 鈥淥h, we can鈥檛 cook for you guys!鈥� Over the years, I鈥檝e seen this happen to my parents a lot, but I wasn鈥檛 prepared for it to happen to me! So I was glad when these brave souls extended the invitation.
When we arrived, we were warmly ushered in, our coats were whisked away, and beverages made their way into our hands. The air was warm and smelled deliciously autumnal 鈥� whatever we were going to eat was still the oven so I was going to have to wait and see. The other guests introduced themselves like old pros, and we lost no time in digging into the artfully arranged hors d鈥檕euvres. To my surprise and delight, we pretty much skipped the 鈥淲here are you from?鈥� and 鈥淲hat do you do?鈥� questions and dove into deeper, funnier conversations. These people were awesome! My nerves settled a bit.
When it was time to eat, one of the hosts admitted that she did, in fact, know of my mother. She earnestly explained that this meal wasn鈥檛 going to be as "impressive" as what I was accustomed to growing up in the house of the Pam Anderson. (How do you like that, Mom? You are the real Pamela Anderson. Ha!) And I dutifully said, 鈥淥h, don鈥檛 be silly!鈥� and all the things I鈥檝e heard Mom say when she gets similar speeches.
I don鈥檛 know what I was expecting, but when they pulled three gloriously autumnal sugar pumpkins out of the oven, I was seriously impressed. They were serving us dinner from inside pumpkins? My mom鈥檚 never done that!! The pumpkin tops were dramatically lifted to reveal a dish that was as delicious as it is difficult to describe. It was kind of like fondue, kind of like French onion soup 鈥� without the soup. All I know is that when you scooped it out, there was melty cheese, toasty bread, and warm perfectly roasted pumpkin. So. Good.
They also served a beautiful salad with apples, walnuts, dried cranberries and blue cheese 鈥� the perfect accompaniment to the pumpkin dish. And finished the night off with gingery apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. It was, by far, one of the most decadent and delicious fall meals I鈥檝e ever had. As we ate, the table was just bustling with energy, fun, laughter, and good-natured but intense discussion. It was a blast!
As Anthony and I walked home, taking in the crisp autumn night air, I thought to myself: Yes, the same conversation could have happened around a frozen pizza. But there is something so wonderfully tangible about the love you can feel when someone spends time planning and cooking something wonderful just for you. It鈥檚 great to kick back with old friends around a bowl of pasta, but sometimes its nice to meet new ones over a carefully and lovingly prepared meal.
And as I drifted off to sleep last night, I was feeling very full and very blessed to have both old friends and new ones.
Roasted Sugar Pumpkins with Cheese Fondue
This recipe is adapted from .
Serves 6 to 8
3/4 of a 15-inch baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 (2-pound) sugar pumpkins
Salt and ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups each: coarsely grated Grueyere and Emmental cheeses, mixed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange baguette slices on large wire rack; bake until golden brown, about 7 minutes; set aside.
Meanwhile, cut a 3-inch circle around each pumpkin stem; remove tops. Scrape out pumpkin seeds and fibers from interiors and tops; lightly season with salt and pepper.
Whisk cream, broth, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl.
Make 3 layers in each pumpkin in the following order: toasted bread, generous 1/3 cup cheese, scant 1/2 cup cream mixture.
Cap pumpkins and place in a small roasting pan; brush with oil. Bake in the 450 degree F. oven until pumpkins are tender, about 30 minutes.
To serve, scoop out portions of cheese, bread, and roasted pumpkin. We ate it with more toasted baguette crostini, but that is completely optional.
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