Smaller, sweeter, and much more flavorful than the standard supersize variety, sugar pumpkins are also less stringy and have a higher flesh-to-seed-cavity ratio. They’re perfect for pie-making or any recipe that calls for an exceptionally smooth purée, like Gusto chef Amanda Freitag’s zuccotto.
Amanda Freitag’s Pumpkin Zuccotto
1 3-to-4-lb. sugar pumpkin
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon honey
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup Nutella
16 ladyfingers (available at BuonItalia)
2 cups Marsala
Cocoa powder
Confectioner’s sugar
(1 large muffin pan)
Preheat oven to 350. To make the pumpkin-purée base: Cut the pumpkin in half and remove seeds. (1) Place in roasting pan flesh side down and cover with foil. Cook until tender, approximately one hour. (2) When cool, scoop out flesh with a spoon and blend until smooth in a food processor. To make the pastry cream base: In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine milk, cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla extract. Over medium heat, (3) cook the mixture , whisking continuously, until it begins to thicken. Remove pan from heat and set aside. In a bowl, mix the egg and the egg yolks and whisk in ¼ cup of the warm milk mixture until thoroughly combined. Place the egg mixture into the pan on low heat and cook until it becomes thick like custard. Remove from heat and stir in butter. (It should yield 1 cup). To make the pumpkin pastry cream, mix together the pumpkin purée, cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, and salt with ¾ of the pastry cream. Blend the remaining ¼ cup of pastry cream with the Nutella. To assemble: Dip each ladyfinger in Marsala so it’s moist but not soggy. Line each muffin mold by layering three ladyfingers on the bottom and sides of the mold to create a basket. Fill the lined mold halfway with pumpkin pastry cream, then place a dollop of Nutella in the center and finish with more pumpkin cream. Finally, break a fourth ladyfinger in half and layer over the top of each mold to close. Refrigerate the cakes for one hour. Remove from refrigerator and invert the muffin pan onto a sheet pan. Place the zuccotto cakes on plates and sprinkle with cocoa powder and confectioner’s sugar. Serves 4.