Paul Bocuse's Pumpkin Soup

Unicorn (Unicorn@Indenial.com)
Wed, 28 Oct 1998 08:16:00 -0500

Today's recipe is so ridiculously simple that at first I hesitated to
publish it. I changed my mind because it is so incredibly delicious.
I have adapted it from "Paul Bocuse's French Cooking" (Random House,
1977) which I believe was the first cookbook written by the man many
consider to be the greatest living chef. It's out of print now, but
you might want to check out the latest book from this French master:
"Paul Bocuse's Regional French Cooking" at:
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/2080136410/worldwiderecipes>
This recipe isn't for those of us who are watching the waistline or
cholesterol intake because of all the cream it calls for. You can
substitute milk if you like and still produce excellent results, but
it just won't have the same richness. So go ahead and splurge on this
one, you'll be glad you did. Just don't plan on eating it every day.

Paul Bocuse's Pumpkin Soup

1 6 to 8 lb (3 to 4 kg) pumpkin
1 cup toasted croutons
4 oz (100 g) grated gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
A grating of fresh nutmeg
12 cups (3 quarts, 3 L) cream or milk

Cut the top off the pumpkin so that it can be used as a soup tureen
and set the top aside. Remove the seeds and alternate layers of the
croutons and gruyere. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and fill with the
cream or milk. Close the "tureen" as tightly as possible with the top
of the pumpkin. Place in a large, deep baking dish and bake in a 425F
(220C) for 2 hours. Present the pumpkin at the table, remove the top,
and using a spoon scoop out some of the flesh of the pumpkin and mix
it in with the soup, serving each diner some of the pumpkin along with
the soup. Hint: The first time I made this the pumpkin broke as I was
serving it, creating quite a mess. I recommend you cook it and serve
it in a container large enough to hold the liquid in case this
happens. Serves 8 to 12.