Gruyere Pumpkin

Vegetarian pumpkin by twilight...

Vegetarian pumpkin being sliced...ignore sliced finger.

Vegan pumpkin by twilight...

Vegan pumpkin sliced...so nice to use a good camera - thanks, Ben!

A very special Sunday Serving this week with special guest chefs: Natalie, Ben, Anne and Michael. We had quite a fun time making two versions of this fall holiday treat - one vegan and one vegetarian. Gruyere Pumpkin, which I've renamed from the boring Swiss Pumpkin is, in effect, a bread pudding baked right into a pumpkin. Yes! more bread pudding! So easy to assemble, except for the cutting off my finger part (see the blooper post for photos lest I put you off your pumpkin), you can sit back and drink some wine with friends as the pumpkin cooks for two hours.

The vegan version was actually a hit and held together just as well as the vegetarian one thanks to some handy, dandy egg replacer. The only noticeable difference between the two was that the gruyere had a more sophisticated flavor than the vegan cheese, but the vegan cheese did melt nicely. Don't forget to save the seeds and roast them for a yummy snack!

Gruyere Pumpkin

Servings: 6

Time: 20 min active; 2 hrs 20 min total

Type: vegetarian or vegan as you desire

Price: ~$11.00 total; $1.85 per serving

Nutrition (per serving of vegetarian version):

Calories: 436.2

Protein: 20.2g

Fat: 11.9g

Saturated Fat: 4.9g

Cholesterol: 91.6mg

Sodium: 1177.4mg

Carbohydrates: 65.3g

Fiber: 6.8g

1 pumpkin, about 4 1/4 lbs

1/2-full baguette

1/4 lbs gruyere or vegan swiss/jack, grated

It's nice to have some slave labor in the kitchen...thanks, Anne!

1 3/4 cups milk - I used soy milk as usual

2 large eggs or equivalent in egg replacer per directions

1/2 Tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Carefully cut around the pumpkin stem and remove, but reserve. Scoop out all the seeds and strings as best you can - removing all the seeds is most important. This is kind of a messy job!

More slaves! Michael hollows a pumpkin.

The Davis Farmer's Market was on short supply of large pumpkins so we bought three - one to do vegan and the other two vegetarian.

3. Slice the baguette into 1/4-1/2" slices and depending on how large the opening is in the top of the pumpkin, either leave as slices or cut into halves or quarters.

Just before the bread knife attacked my left index finger!

Place in a single layer on a foil-lined and cooking-sprayed baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes being carefully not to burn the bread.

4. When you have toasted bread, make layers of bread and cheese inside the cavity of the pumpkin until it's full.

5. Whisk together the milk, eggs/egg replacer, SnP and nutmeg in bowl.

Not that you could tell the difference, but the right one is the vegan mixture.

6. Slowly pour the mixture into the stuffed pumpkin.

7. Replace the stem and put it on the already prepped baking sheet used for toasting the baguette.

Stuffed and ready to go in the oven.

8. Bake in the oven for about 2 hours. Slice and serve - you can even eat the skin of the pumpkin it gets so soft!