Culinary Guides

A smooth autumn soup built on roasted sugar pumpkin and sweet-tart apple, warmed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little clove. Roasting the pumpkin first concentrates its flavor, and the candied pumpkin seeds on top give every spoonful some crunch. Save the seeds when you scoop out the pumpkin, they are half the fun here.

For the candied pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup pumpkin seeds, from about one 4-pound sugar pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons natural cane sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• Tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

For the soup

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• One 4-pound sugar pie pumpkin, halved and seeded
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large sweet-tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• Tiny pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4 cups vegetable broth, plus more to thin
• 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup cashew cream or creme fraiche
• Salt and pepper to taste

Candy the pumpkin seeds

1. Heat the oven to 250F (120C). Rinse the seeds, pat them dry, and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake about 1 hour, tossing once or twice, until dry.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar with the salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Heat the peanut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the seeds and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and stir constantly until the sugar melts and coats them, about 45 seconds. Toss with the spice mix and cool.

Roast the pumpkin

1. Raise the oven to 425F (220C). Cut the halved pumpkin into quarters, rub with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt. Roast cut side down until fork-tender, about 35 minutes, then cool slightly and scoop out the flesh.

Build the soup

1. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, apple, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the roasted pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cayenne. Pour in the broth, bring to a low boil, and simmer 25 minutes.
3. Blend until smooth, then stir in the maple syrup and cashew cream. Thin with more broth if needed and season to taste.

Serve

1. Ladle into bowls and top each with the candied pumpkin seeds and, if you like, another swirl of cashew cream.

Grower's tip: grow a small sugar pie pumpkin for cooking rather than a big carving type. The smaller varieties have dense, sweet, less stringy flesh. Cure them in a warm spot for a week or two after harvest and they get sweeter still.

The best pumpkin soup starts with the right pumpkin. Grow a sugar pie variety from our pumpkin seeds, along with onions for the base.