Baked pumpkin fondue

Feed a crowd on Bonfire night or Halloween by roasting a whole pumpkin or squash and filling with a bubbling three cheese fondue

Prep:20 mins
Cook:2 hrs

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 332
fat 23g
saturates 15g
carbs 14g
sugars 5g
fibre 2g
protein 15g
salt 0.8g

Ingredients

1 whole squash or pumpkin - choose a size to match the number of people you want to feed
small roasted or boiled potatoes, to serve
crusty bread, to serve
breadsticks, to serve
chicory leaves, to serve
100g emmental, grated
100g Gruyère, grated
100g mature cheddar, grated
1 tbsp cornflour
100g crème fraîche
2 tbsp white wine
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed

Tip

Baking whole squashes & pumpkins

Anything larger than these measurements will take the same amount of time as the largest below, since once squashes and pumpkins reach a certain size, the cavities tend to increase proportionally – so the thickness of flesh remains roughly the same. Munchkins: 30 mins. 1kg/2lb 4oz squashes & pumpkins: about 1 hr. 1.5kg/3lb 5oz: about 1hr 30mins.

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Start to prepare your pumpkin as you would for carving: cut off a ‘lid’ and scoop out all the seeds and membranes. Put the lid back on and sit the whole pumpkin on a sturdy baking tray. Bake following our size guide (see 'Tip', below left).
Mix the grated cheeses with the cornflour until completely coated and no excess flour remains. Remove the pumpkin from the oven, discard the lid (or scrape off the roasted flesh and save for the Squidgy pumpkin & ginger loaf, see 'Goes well with') and increase the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Layer up the cheese, crème fraîche, white wine, shallot and garlic inside the pumpkin. Lift back into the oven and bake for 30 mins or until the fondue is melted and bubbling. Eat with spoons, scooping out chunks of soft, roasted pumpkin with the melted cheese.