Halloween, pumpkin...
means the perfect time for a roasted pumpkin, cream and cheese soup. Just as well I am off to visit the pumpkin man in Slindon next week with the kids! If you live anyway near, go and have a look for yourself, it's a feast for the eyes...
There's even a dinosaur made out of pumpkins...
But back to my repice: Imagine sitting at the dinner table looking, staring rather at a whole oven-roasted pumpkin. Lift the lid: inside is the most creamy- yummy-delicious soup/stew of cooked pumpkin, creme fraiche, cheese and garlic croutons. That's just the kind of dinner we got at this time of the year when we were little. I even THINK mum cooked it in the fireplace a couple of times (we had, at the time, an impressive open fireplace made of big stone panels in our house -I am sure that she kept it hot in the ambers wrapped in foil...mmmm...will need to ask her about that).
Here's how you make it:
you'll need...
1 pumpkin (as big as your oven will take)
250g of full fat creme fraiche
200g of grated cheese (gruyere or comté if you can since it makes the best "strings", alternatively you can use cheddar)
3ro 4 slices of good bread (not sliced bread, a good sourdough loaf for example)
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil, salt and pepper
1 roasting tray, big enough to sit your pumpkin in
1 laddle to serve
here we go...
Cut the top of the pumpkin, remove the seeds and discard (or keep them, dry them and plant them of you have a big back garden!)
Grill your slices of bread then rub well with garlic cloves cut in half (alternatively, use white slice bread and remove the crust)
cut the bread slices in 3 or 4
now build your soup: put a layer of garlic croutons at the bottom, then add a couple of tablespoons of cream and sprinkle some cheese
season well with salt and freshly ground pepper
repeat as many times as necessary to the top
put the lid back on
place your pumpkin on a roasting tray
Cook in a medium oven (170-180 degres for a fan assisted oven) for anything from 1 to 3 hours depending on the size of your pumpkin. Check regularly by dipping a long knife into the pumpkin (careful not to pierce the bottom). When all the pumpkin is soft inside, it's ready. Scrap the sides carefully and mix everything a little or a lot.
Serve with more garlic rubbed grilled bread on the side
That has to be in my "top ten" homely food...and you won't be bothered by vampires this Halloween!
I lived in Lyon for some time and reading your posts has made me so nostalgic! I'm adding you to our food blog list 
sounds delicious!
you have pretty nice blog
will come back to get some inspiration for my dinners!