Recipe: Roast pumpkin with cream, thyme & Parmesan

This impressive-looking dish makes a wonderful starter for a dinner party

• 1½ kg pumpkins
• 300ml pot double cream
• 150ml milk
• 3 garlic cloves , crushed
• 2 tsp thyme leaves
• 85g grated Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)

  

  1. Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Cut lid off pumpkin and scoop out seeds and strands. Put the pumpkin on a baking tray. Meanwhile, heat the cream, milk, garlic and most of the thyme, with plenty of seasoning. When hot, pour into the pumpkin and stir in 50g of the Parmesan. Put on the lid.
  2. Bake for 1½ hrs, take from the oven, then turn up the heat to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Remove the lid, sprinkle with pepper and the rest of the cheese, then bake for 15 mins more until golden. Scatter over the remaining thyme leaves. Scoop the pumpkin flesh into bowls with the cheesy cream and serve with crusty bread as a starter.

  Using squash

  As a smart prepare-ahead starter or side, make this roast pumpkin dish using much smaller squash and serve each guest their own one, as in the photograph above.

  342 kcalories, protein 8g, carbohydrate 6g, fat 32 g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 2g, sugar 5g, salt 0.33 g

source:bbcgoodfood.com