Caramelized pumpkin with gratinated goat cheese and peanuts

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 small Hokkaido pumpkin (se), approx. 1 kg (approx. 600 g net)
• 40 g butter or clarified butter for frying
• 1 pack of goat cheese (approx. 150 g goat cream cheese or 180 g goat roll)
• 2 handfuls of peanuts, roasted and salted
• 4 tbsp honey, e.g. B. Thyme honey
• n. B. Thyme, fresh
• e.g. salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Appetizer, simple and quick, from the pan

Preheat the oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat) to gratinate the goat cheese (goat roll). If using goat cream cheese instead, keep the oven cold, as the cream cheese will not be gratinated. In the meantime, halve and hollow out the pumpkin. Discard the insides and seeds; you won’t need them anymore. Then cut the pumpkin into eighths and cut into strips about 4-5 mm thick. Cut the goat cheese roll into slices about 1 cm thick and gratinate them in the hot oven for 5 minutes until golden brown. Melt the butter (or clarified butter to avoid spattering) in a non-stick pan. Fry the pumpkin wedges for a few minutes over medium heat, tossing frequently. Toss and stir less often to keep the pumpkin wedges intact. Add the peanuts and fresh thyme leaves and fry briefly. Add the sugar and 2 tablespoons of honey, gently toss the pumpkin wedges again, and let them caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the goat cheese. Drizzle a little honey over the still-hot goat cheese and garnish with a sprig of thyme. If the honey is too solid, microwave it for 5 seconds. After that, it will drizzle easily. If using goat’s cheese instead, serve with the same amount of thyme and honey. Both versions taste good; the cream cheese is a bit milder and easier to prepare since it doesn’t need to be gratinated. This is a random recipe of mine, born out of a love of experimentation and using up leftovers. We’ve enjoyed eating it regularly ever since.