Last weekend I picked up a beautiful looking Crown Prince squash at Harborne Market from Akiki Organics that I wasn’t sure what to do with.
Flicking through Simon Hopkinson’s excellent book the Vegetarian Option I found an interesting looking recipe for Pumpkin Paul Bocuse, inspired by a recipe by the legendary Lyon-based French chef.
It couldn’t be simpler – infuse double cream with a garlic clove, season. Slice the top off the squash, remove the seeds and fibrous inside and strain the cream into the cavity. Add a couple of handfuls of Gruyere (the cave-aged stuff Waitrose sell is lovely). Stir it, replace the lid and cook in a hot oven until the pumpkin flesh has gone nice and soft.
To serve, bring the whole thing to the table and scoop the soft flesh into the thick creamy mixture before spooning into bowls.
Very, very good. I served a main course afterwards but it was hardly necessary.
Paul Bocuse is 84.