This year Bonnie and I added a few sweet pumpkin plants to our garden patches in the backyard.  Although the hot and humid summer triggered a battle between the giant leaves and mildew, we still managed to harvest about eight nice sized pumpkins, including a doublet we affectionately named “Butt Pumpkin.”

I baked six of them a couple weeks ago and painstakingly created pumpkin puree using spoon and blender.  And since then, I’ve been using the puree to cook some interesting dishes.  The biggest cooking day so far was this past Monday when I baked pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust with bits of crystallized ginger atop, followed by the main course of a delicious suger pumpkin — white cheddar cheese soufflé.  When Kim got home, she helped with the salad side dish and we had a delicious autumn meal!

Pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust and crystallized ginger

Sweet pumpkin — white cheddar cheese soufflé