Elevate a humble pumpkin into a dish full of flavour. You'll be in food heaven with the combination of the salty bacon butter, the sweet flesh of the pumpkin, and the caramel hit of the maple syrup. Topped off with crunchy seeds and nuts.
This recipe is by Chef Chris Mackett, who spent over 16 years at the Hand and Flowers, a Two Michelin-starred pub in Marlow. Chris created this dish for Charlie Oven. The combination of flavours and techniques will make you feel like showing off the recipe to your friends and family.
We call this style of cooking charcoal cuisine as it elevates fire cooking at home to a new level!
20 mins
45 mins
4-6 pers
Side
Ingredients
Maple and bacon fat cooked pumpkin
1 x pumpkin peeled and cut half and then into wedges.
125g butter
50g smoked bacon trim
50g maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
Salt and sugar roast pecans topping
50g pecans
50g pumpkin seeds
30g bacon butter
10g caster sugar
2g salt
Directions
Step 1 - Make the bacon fat butter
in a roasting tray, add the bacon trim or pancetta lardons, place them into the Charlie oven for 10 minutes at 180°C, and cook till the bacon is crispy, then add the butter and warm through. Once the butter is melted, remove the tray from the oven. Then with a slotted spoon, remove the bacon trim.
Step 2 - Roast the pumpkin
Next add the pumpkin wedges to the roasting tray, making sure you toss and coat the wedges in the infused bacon fat.
Place the tray back into the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
Once the pumpkin begins to colour and soften, pour in the maple syrup over the wedges and roast for another 20 minutes; every now and then, baste the wedges with the flavoured maple fat.
Once glossy and roasted, remove from the oven and leave to stand.
Step 3 - Toast the nuts and seeds
Preheat a small cast iron pan in the oven. Add butter, pecans, salt, and sugar when the pan is hot. Stir the nuts until they begin to toast up and look glossy. Remove the nuts from the pan and place them on a fresh tray to cool down.
On a separate tray, scatter the pumpkin seeds and toast in the oven for 5 minutes.
Once cool, lightly crush and mix with the pumpkin seeds, then sprinkle over the roasted pumpkin before serving.
