I got a long pie pumpkin in my produce basket a few weeks ago. I'd never seen or heard of such a thing before! They're apparently a heritage variety that gets harvested while still green and then gradually turns orange afterward.

I didn't have any specific plans for it. I just really wanted to try one. So it's been sitting on the kitchen table for the last few weeks waiting for me to come up with a good use for it. I found a bunch of tempting-looking pumpkin recipes and debated between which one(s) to try. Eventually I settled on this pumpkin and apple brown betty. It looked easy and tasty and I liked that it was specifically writeen to use a fresh pumpkin (rather than canned pumpkin purée).

I really like how this recipe came out (and so did TF and the Kidlet). And I actually think making it with a long pie pumpkin worked out better than if I'd used one of the "standard" round pie pumpkins (sugar pie, autumn gold, etc.). Rather than cutting the top of a round pumpkin and hollowing it out, I was able to just cut the long pumpkin in half. The long, relatively shallow boat formed by the scooped out half pumpkin fit much better in the baking dish than a round pumpking would have. And this meant that I was able to cover the dish with its normal lid rather than having to use foil. My pumpkin also cooked in about half the time the recipe recommended for baking. I assume that this was down to the shape of the pumpkin and having more surface area for heat exchange. And, of course, this still left the other half of the pumpkin available for another use. So, pretty great all 'round¹!

Pumpkin-Apple Brown Betty

Slightly adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 pie pumpkin (or 1/2 a long pie pumpkin)
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 c. cubed bread²
• 2 apples (preferably Gala), peeled and cubed
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. raisins (preferably golden)
• 1 Tbsp. rum
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. mixed spice
• 1/4 c. maple syrup, to serve (optional)
• 1/2 c. or more cream (runny or whipped) or ice cream, to serve (optional)
• 1/4 c. pumpkin granola, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. If using a round pie pumpkin: Cut the top off and scoop out the guts.
   If using a long pumpkin: Cut in half and scoop out the guts.
3. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.
4. Add the bread and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned (4-5 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
5. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter to the now empty pan.
6. Add the apples, brown sugar, and raisins and cook for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add the rum, vanilla, and mixed spice.
8. Return the bread to the pan and stir to combine. Set aside.
9. Place the pumpkin (or 1 pumpkin half) in a baking dish.
10. Fill the cavity with the bread mixture.
11. If using a round pumpkin, place the pumpkin "lid" back on top.
12. Pour boiling water into the baking dish around the pumpkin to a depth of ~2cm.
13. Cover loosely with foil (or the lid of the baking dish, if appropriate).
14. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 1-2 hours. (Closer to 1 hour for a long pumpkin, 2 for a round one.)
15. Once pumpkin flesh is very tender, remove the foil and pumpkin lid (if present).
16. Return pumpkin to oven and bake until filling looks nicely browned (5-10 minutes).
17. When serving, scrape the pumpkin flesh from the skin and mix it with the filling.
18. Drizzle with maple syrup, granola, and/or (whipped) cream. Alternatively top with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream (and optional granola, if desired).

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¹ Or oblong, as it were. ;P ^Back
2 The original recipe only called for 1 c. of bread. One slice of bread wasn't quite enough and two slices was too much. But I like bread, so I just decided to put it all in. I was happy with how the proportions came out with that amount of bread, so I think I'll just keep doing it that way in the future. ^Back