Soup in a Pumpkin

from the kitchen of Becky

3 c. french bread
1/2 t. pepper
1 - 9 inch pumpkin
1 t. sage
1 T. butter
1 t. salt
5 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
2 bay leaves
3/4 c. butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
1 c. grated swiss cheese
chopped parsley

Cut the french bread into cubes. Spread the bread pieces on a cookie sheet. Bake them in a 300 degree oven for 15 min. or until they are dry. Cut a crown in the pumpkin and clean it out. Rub insides with butter and salt. Sautee onion in 3/4 c. butter for 10 min. over low heat until transparent. Stir in bread peices. Cook 2 min. for bread to absorb butter. Stir in salt, nutmeg, pepper, and sage. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Spoon mixture into pumpkin and pour in broth. Lay bay leaves on top and replace pumpkin top. Place pumpkin in greased baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 2 hours. Just before serving, stir in cream and garnish with parsley. Spoon out some pumpkin pulp with each serving if you wish.

This soup is so fun to have in the fall because you get to serve a whole meal from out of the pumpkin. Sometimes I have drawn a face on the pumpkin with permanent marker before I bake it to make it fun for the kids.