This year when I decorated my Autumn Mantel, I used several sugar pumpkins in my display. I also used them for my Thanksgiving Tablescape (in Canada, Thanksgiving was October 8th).
When I bought the pumpkins, I thought (but didn’t really believe) that after Thanksgiving, I would cook them up and use them for soup and baking. But will wonders never cease! I have roasted them all, made soup, and frozen the remaining puree for use on a cold winter day.
Did you know that sugar pumpkins are the best choice for cooking and baking? They are smaller and denser than a regular field pumpkin that you might carve for Jack-O-Lanterns. Field pumpkins are generally watery and stringy.
I cut them into 1″ cubes, put them on a pan, and roasted them for 45 minutes, stirring several times. Roasting gives them a rich, sweet flavour. Then I peeled the skin off using a small paring knife. I found it too hard to peel them raw – I cut my thumb and my pointy finger before I got the message…
These are real antique candle holders given to me by my mother-in-law. She has given me so many wonderful treasures… Funny, though. I didn’t know what they were until I saw some ‘fake’ ones at our local gift shop. They had set little candles in them and a light bulb went off in my head… I’m slow that way… Anyway, now I appreciate them a thousand times more.
- 3 cups roasted, pureed sugar pumpkin (I used my food processor)
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup minced onions
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups half & half cream
- 1 Tsp brown sugar
- Dash of nutmeg
- Salt & pepper to taste
- In a large pot, saute onions in butter until translucent.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and stir in pumpkin puree and brown sugar. Pour into a blender and puree. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir in the half and half.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in the nutmeg - I use about 1/4 tsp.
- Reheat but do not boil. Serve at once.