Looking for a way to warm you and your family up as the weather starts to cool down? Franciso Rinaldi® has you covered! Check out this unconventional, but extremely delicious, recipe for Roasted Pumpkin soup served in Apple bowls!

Ingredients:

Apple Bowls:

• 12 XL apples tops cut off, hollowed (reserve 2 cups of apple flesh)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• water as needed

Roasted Vegetables:

• 2 tbsp pie (sugar) pumpkins stems and seeds removed (reserve seeds), cut into wedges
• 1 large onion cut into large chunks
• 1 cup carrots roughly chopped
• 1 cup celery roughly chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 2 cups apple flesh reserved apple bowls
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp fresh thyme roughly chopped
• olive oil as needed for drizzling

Soup:

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 cup sherry cooking wine
• 4 cups chicken stock or Vegetable Stock
• 1 cup Francesco Rinaldi Classic Alfredo Sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• nutmeg small pinch
• ground cayenne small pinch
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

Candied Pumpkin Seeds:

• Pumpkin seeds (from 2 small baking pumpkins), cleaned, thoroughly rinsed in a colander, and dried on paper towels
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp water
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

Apple Bowls:

1. Cut the tops off the apples. Scoop out the core and flesh of the apple, leaving about a ¼-inch wall including on the bottom (save 2 cups of the scooped flesh). Place the apple bowls into a large water bath w/lemon juice to prevent browning. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Candied Pumpkin Seeds:

1. Whisk together the egg whites and water in a medium bowl until whites become thin and homogenous. Add the pumpkin seeds.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon, sugar, and salt. In small batches, scoop the seeds from the egg white mixture, let drain and place in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Toss well to coat evenly. Remove from sugar mixture and shake off as much excess sugar as possible.
3. Place on sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees, stirring occasionally, for about 20-25 min or until sugar is caramelized. The sugar will bubble and look foamy. Stir frequently. Remove from oven and move the caramelized seeds to a new parchment lined tray. Spread out the seeds as much as possible and let them cool completely.

Soup:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Render the bacon on the stovetop until crispy. Remove & set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the pan.
3. To that pan add the pumpkin wedges, onions, carrots, celery, 2 cups of apple flesh, garlic, salt & pepper, and thyme. Add enough oil to make sure all of the vegetables are lightly coated and toss to coat. Roast uncovered for about 1 hour or until pumpkin is fork-tender (stir occasionally). Remove the pumpkin, carefully scoop out the flesh from the skin and add back to the pan. Discard the skins.
4. On the stovetop, deglaze the pan with sherry wine and add the chicken stock and reserved bacon. Reduce/simmer for about 15-20 min. Add the Francesco Rinaldi Classic Alfredo Sauce and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer over med-low heat. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until butter is melted. Add sugar, cinnamon, and pinches of nutmeg & cayenne.
5. Using a blender, puree the soup until completely smooth (puree in batches if needed). If the soup is too thick, add a little more chicken stock. Season with S&P to taste.
6. To serve, remove apple bowls from the lemon water and dry on paper towels. Line them up on a sheet pan. Ladle the hot soup into each bowl and top each with shredded cheddar. Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted (1-2 minutes). Serve with candied pumpkin seeds on top.

ENJOY!