Pumpkin, pancetta, and Parmigiano cheese for a gourmet take on a classic dish: Alain Ducasse presents his seasonal autumn flan.
Photo of Françoise Nicol's dish
“There is a wide variety of squash to choose from; butternut squash, for example, is excellent, but it all depends on what you can find at the market. If you find a Muscade de Provence, don't hesitate to buy it, because it is always particularly tasty.” Alain Ducasse has no doubts: when it comes to making an excellent “gratin de courge” with pancetta and Parmesan cheese, it all starts with the raw ingredients. Ideal for turning on the oven in the fall, this inviting casserole has the advantage of being quite easy to prepare and can be served either as a main course or as a side dish for a meat dish. The gentle cooking preserves the flavor of the pumpkin so that it is not overpowered by the bacon, while the rosemary adds a hint of peppery and herbaceous notes.
The finishing touch is Parmesan, which creates a delicious crust when heated. However, you can vary this by using mature Comté or pecorino cheese. For a flawless presentation, sprinkle the dish with pumpkin seeds as a garnish. The recipe is taken from “Nature, simple, sain et bon,” Alain Ducasse, 2009, Éditions Alain Ducasse (€18.91 on Amazon).
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 kg pumpkin
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 slices pancetta, 5 mm thick
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 handful dried pumpkin seeds
- Salt
- Ground pepper
- A piece of Parmigiano Reggiano
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Peel the pumpkin and cut the flesh into cubes. Chop the garlic cloves. Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan and brown the slices of pancetta for 5 minutes, turning them over. Add the pumpkin cubes. Mix well and season with salt, then add the garlic cloves. Cut the sprig of rosemary in half, tie it together and add it to the pan.
Cover with baking paper cut to fit the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180°C, remove the baking paper and bake for another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a dry non-stick frying pan. Add the pumpkin seeds and brown them, stirring. Drain them on paper towels and leave them to cool. Season with salt, then crush them with a large knife.
When the pumpkin is cooked, remove the baking dish and set the oven to broil. Remove the rosemary and peel the garlic cloves. Remove the bacon slices. Transfer the pumpkin to a baking dish. Mash the pumpkin and garlic well with a fork. Cut the bacon slices into small pieces, add them and stir. Taste and season with salt, adding plenty of pepper. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over the surface of the gratin. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the pecorino or Parmesan cheese into flakes and distribute them evenly. Place the baking dish under the broiler for about 2 minutes, until the gratin is well cooked.
Remove the gratin from the oven and serve immediately.
