Roasted Pumpkin Spoonbread

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut the stem off the top of the pumpkin as if you were carving it; discard the top. Cut pumpkin in half vertically. Scoop out the pulp and seeds with a spoon. Slice pumpkin into 1-inch wide crescents; place each crescent on its side on a baking sheet. Drizzle slices with olive oil, then sprinkle with rosemary, sage, thyme, chili powder and/or cumin, to taste. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
2. 2
   Bake slices until soft and edges are slightly browned, about 30-35 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and allow pumpkin to cool completely.
3. 3
   Once cooled, scoop out the roasted pumpkin flesh from its shell and place it in a large bowl. Mash pumpkin into a puree. Reserve 1 cup of pumpkin for this dish. Save the rest for other tasty savory pumpkin recipes, or to eat with a spoon straight out of the fridge later when you need a midnight snack.
4. 4
   Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a shallow 2 1/2-quart ceramic baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Bring a kettle or pot of water to a boil then keep it simmering (you'll need it later).
5. 5
   In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup of reserved pumpkin, buttermilk and egg yolks. Set aside.
6. 6
   In a large saucepan over high heat, bring butter and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Once it starts boiling, remove pan from heat.
7. 7
   In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk cornmeal mixture into the saucepan with the butter mixtuer until well blended. Then, gradually add in the pumpkin mixture and whisk until well blended.
8. 8
   In a small bowl, beat egg whites with a hand mixer on high speed just until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Gently fold egg whites, one third at a time, into the mixture in the saucepan. Carefully pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking dish.
9. 9
   Place baking dish in a roasting pan or high-rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan or baking sheet until water reaches about halfway up the outsides of the baking dish. Close the oven door quickly and bake until spoonbread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted a few inches from the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
10. 10
    Recipe adapted liberally from Good Housekeeping.