Jack 'O Lantern Soup

Around our neck of the woods we're seeing pumpkins everywhere - some carved, most set out as bright pops of color on a door stoop.  At farmer's markets and produce departments sweet little Sugar Pumpkins are at the ready - and with Halloween around the corner, doesn't this bubbly cauldron of soup look yummy?  The recipe here is an adaptation of Julia Child's Pumpkin Soup in a Pumpkin recipe 1 half whole grain baguette, cubed 1 medium 8 lb or so, Sugar Pumpkin; washed 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt 2 cups vegetable broth 8-oz's crème fraîche ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 12 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese 1 bay leaf Heat oven to 425 degrees. -Toast bread cubes on a baking sheet 7 minutes. -Cut out the pumpkin stem and set aside, and remove seeds (save for the recipe below) and loose matter till the inside is somewhat smooth. -Sprinkle inside with salt and set on a roasting pan - layer the bottom of the pumpkin with the toasted bread. -Combine broth and crème fraîche in a medium bowl, and add the remaining salt, nutmeg and pepper - stir until well combined. -Pour about a third of the broth into the pumpkin covering the bread, followed by a third of the cheese. Continue layering until there is no more broth and top with bay leaf. Replace the pumpkin top and place in the oven. -Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Test the pumpkin to make sure it feels baked but still holds it's shape - remember if it is over cooked it will crack so be careful.   We like to serve this on a pasta dish or something that will hold the soup if it breaks down.  Serves 8. You can also do this recipe using smaller pumpkins and serve them individually - simply prepare the little pumpkins as above, and divide the broth, bread, and cheese equally among them. You can garnish with cheese, a few bread cubes and Sugared Pumpkin Seeds: Sugared Pumpkin Seeds 1 cup natural, raw, shelled pumpkin seeds 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt Spray baking sheet with cooking spray, heat seeds in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes or until the seeds begin to bubble.  Add sugar, and stir about 1 minute or until sugar begins to caramelize; add salt. Spread seeds on baking sheet, and allow to cool. for at least 30 minutes. Inspiration for this recipe from the Dinner With Julia blog