Pumpkin Crepes #2

I used my third pumpkin on this one.  I haven't had as many pumpkins as the last time I grew them, but they're bigger.  And unlike the first two, I didn't purée this one.  I cut it up after roasting and peeling.

The main difference between these crepes and the first one I posted is that I did not try to make these vegetarian.  You could, just by leaving out the bacon.  They are also a lot more complex, with more ingredients, all of which have to be prepared separately.  I also made buckwheat galettes for them instead of buying some, which fit the flavor profile much better than a white-flour crepe.

As long as I was buying more spinach than I needed to fill the crepes, I decided to put the rest into a cream sauce, making it basically creamed spinach spooned on top.   If you decide to use fresh spinach, you can opt to put it inside raw and only cook the half for the sauce.  I got the inside spinach to the just-wilted stage.  You never want to cook spinach all the way how you want it because it's going to keep cooking in its own heat.  Now, if you opt for frozen, it's going to be wilted as soon as it's defrosted, but you can buy it already chopped.

*1 lb fresh pie pumpkin (about half of one)
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 lb spinach
1/2 C cream
*1/4 C diced onion
1 Tb butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp white pepper
salt as needed
1 batch galettes
pumpkin seed kernels for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Cut pumpkin open and remove seeds.  Place cut side down on baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean-up).  Place bacon slices on a rack on another baking sheet.  Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating pumpkin and flipping bacon halfway through.  If using fresh spinach, use the time to wash it and remove the stems.

2.  When pumpkin is cool enough to handle, peel and coarsely chop.  Stir with nutmeg, white pepper, and a dash of salt.  Set aside.  Chop bacon into bits and place in a separate bowl.  This is when I started cooking the crepes.

3.  Place butter and diced onion in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  While it's cooking, chiffonade the spinach.  Add to pot and toss to coat evenly.  When spinach begins to wilt, remove half of it.  Continue to cook down the other half, then add cream to make the sauce.

4.  To assemble, place about 1/4 C pumpkin in the center of the crepe.  Top with a generous pinch of spinach, then sprinkle with bacon.  Fold over crepe and spoon sauce on top.  Sprinkle generously with pumpkin seeds and serve, two crepes to a serving.

Makes 4 to 5 servings

Difficulty rating  :-0