Pumpkin 'pots du fromage'

Our holidays were spent visiting family and close friends in wintry cold Canada and US. Having been living in sunny Sydney for the last year and a half made the icy cold that much more of a serious shock to the system. But while I never, ever thought I would say this, I miss the Canadian cold. We walked around the city while it snowed, ate hearty and warming foods and it was incredibly cozy. I am a sucker for nostalgia it seems.

 

I wanted something that would remind me of hibernation-inducing winter desserts. So naturally I looked to the quintessential winter food (and one of the only winter foods in the store here in Sydney): pumpkins! I’ve used this fabulous squash before for my pumpkin tart recipe.  But given the heat I didn’t want to use my oven nor did I really want all the buttery richness of pastry, so I decided to make something light and fresh that would still remind me of my Canadian winter.

I decided on pumpkin pots de crème but found I had run out of cream and eggs. What I did have on hand was cream cheese and ricotta and so I made ‘pumpkin pots du fromage’ –- not an official name of a dessert but of course everything sounds better en français.

This is an easy dessert to make. You need only a few main ingredients – fresh pumpkin, vanilla extract, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, brown sugar. I used low fat cheeses to keep with the fresh-and-light theme (and because beachwear is unforgiving). The pumpkin is perfect for adding sweetness and body and the spices provide a unique taste. This dessert feels so much more indulgent than it is! See recipe below.

pumpkin pots du fromage
serves 3-4 small servings

400g pumpkin (I used kent but you could use butternut squash)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp each ground clove, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg
3 tbsp low fat cream cheese
3 tbsp ricotta cheese
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 digestives biscuits or graham crackers

You can either roast the pumpkin whole with skin on for 30 mins at 180 degrees C or peel and cut into small pieces and steam for 10 minutes (keep aside a few small pieces for decoration). Pass soft pumpkin through sieve or place in food processor and puree. Once cooled add vanilla and spices, mix in cheeses and sugar. Place mix into pots and refrigerate. Just before serving add decorative pieces and crumbled biscuits.

For decoration: cut pumpkin into small cubes and cook in a little butter and maple syrup until cooked and caramelized.