The "Paul Bocuse"

The boots and scarves have been dug up from their hibernation, warm apple cider rests in my mug, and a new fall recipe has been conquered! I've been cooking (and by that I mean experimenting) a lot lately and decided to try out a recipe you could call

"cheesy-creamy-gooey heaven in a pumpkin" created by the great Chef Paul Bocuse. It's really quite simple and wonderfully delicious. Check out the recipe below:

THE "PAUL BOCUSE"

1 small pumpkin, about 4 pounds (I used 2 pumpkins that were more like 2-3 pounds)

1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

salt, pepper, nutmeg (to taste)

1 1/4 cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese ( you can add Beaufort, Emmental, Appenzeller, or any other melting cheese your little heart desires)

Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Cut off the top quarter of the pumpkin to make a lid and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and stringy insides using a spoon. Heat the heavy cream with the garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse for about 20 minutes.

Pour the infused cream into the pumpkin cavity. Mix in the cheese, put on the lid, and place in a roasting pan. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the pumpkin flesh is tender when pierced with a fork and the outer skin is nicely burnished. You can turn down the heat slightly if your pumpkin is getting too brown.

Once it's out of the oven, stir it up making sure to scoop some pumpkin flesh into the cheesy goodness, grab a baguette, and enjoy!

Mmm Summer

With the seemingly never-ending heat happening here in Atlanta for the past couple of weeks, it's hard to believe we've actually just tapped into summer. Despite the hot sticky sensation that comes along with the hottest of seasons, I'm in love with the warm nights, picnics in the park, juicy watermelon, refreshing swims, fireflies, and especially ice cream. One of mine and Brock's favorite recipes is green tea ice cream from the ultimate ice cream recipe book - David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop:

GREEN TEA ICE CREAM

Makes about 1 Quart (1 Liter)

images via : flickr

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

2 cups heavy cream

4 teaspoons matcha (green tea powder)

6 large egg yolks

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and whisk in the green tea powder. Set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium hear with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream, then whisk it vigorously until the custard is frothy to dissolve the green tea powder. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Enjoy!