Roasted pumpkin fondue with crispy sage
PREPARATION TIME 30 minutes COOKING TIME 1 hour SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS
● 1 x 1.75kg pumpkin or potimarron ● 1 tbsp olive oil ● 2 garlic cloves, bashed ● 1 rosemary sprig, bashed ● 2 tbsp dry white wine ● 2 tsp cornflour ● 150g Cheddar, grated ● 150g Gruyère or Emmental, grated ● 75g crème fraîche ● a little freshly-grated nutmeg ● 30g butter ● a small handful of small sage leaves ● salt and freshly ground black pepper ● griddled bread, to serve
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4 and then line a roasting pan with baking paper.
2 Slice the pumpkin and scoop out and discard the seeds. Drizzle the inside of the pumpkin with oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop the garlic cloves and rosemary sprig into the hollow, replace the lid and transfer to the prepared pan. Roast the pumpkin in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, test for doneness and then keep baking until it is just tender, checking every 15 minutes or so.
3 Once ready, remove the pumpkin from the oven, discard the lid and increase the temperature to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6.
4 Mix the wine and cornflour together until smooth. Combine the two cheeses and season with a little pepper. Spoon half the cheese mixture into the pumpkin and add the crème fraîche, wine mixture and then the remaining cheeses. Top with some freshly-grated nutmeg.
5 Return the pumpkin to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 25–30 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and lightly golden. Just before serving, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and as soon as the foam dies down, add the sage leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes until the butter is browned and the sage crisp. Pour over the cheese and serve with griddled bread. As well as acting as a receptacle for the cheese, you can scoop out and eat the roasted pumpkin flesh as the level of the melted cheese lowers.