Stuffed Pumpkin

My Mother-in-law brought an amazing stuffed pumpkin to our dinner party last night. It was truly outstanding! Here is the recipe from the National Post. I think this will be a must have for years to come.
We put this right in the centre of the table - it was a beautiful dish as well as extremely tasty.

NOTE for people who eat gluten-free: My Mother-in-law made this gluten-free by substituting cooked rice (Basmati I think) for the bread.

DORIE GREENSPAN’S PUMPKIN STUFFED WITH EVERYTHING GOOD
Around My French Table is author Dorie Greenspan’s culinary memoir of 30 years of cooking the French food she loves so much. It also shows the transformation of French cooking from an intimidating cuisine to something approachable and easy to cook at home. This yummy recipe uses small pie or sugar pumpkins, which are ideal for cooking (save the larger ones for jack-o’-lanterns).
• 1 3 lb (1.5 kg) pumpkin
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 4 oz (125 g) stale bread, sliced and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
• 4 oz (125 g) cubed Gruyère, Emmenthal or Cheddar cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (or one head roasted garlic)
• 4 strips bacon, cooked crisp, drained and chopped
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped chives or green onions
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme leaves
• ½ cup (125 mL) whipping cream
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley
1. Cut top off pumpkin and scoop out insides. Season inside generously.
2. Toss bread, cheese, garlic, bacon and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper and salt only if necessary. Spoon into pumpkin. It should be well-filled. Stir cream with nutmeg (and some salt and pepper if necessary) and spoon into pumpkin. Add more cream if necessary to moisten filling. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Put cap back on and bake 1½ hours in a preheated 350F (180C) oven. Remove top and bake 20 to 30 minutes longer until crusty on top. Sprinkle with parsley. Carefully transfer to a serving platter, bring to the table whole and cut into wedges to serve.
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Read more: http://life.nationalpost.com/2010/10/01/bonnie-stern-this-year-turkey-can-be-the-side-dish/#ixzz12096Lc7x