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Poached pumpkin with labne and walnut praline

Poached pumpkin with labne and walnut praline

You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

“I recently had an amazing dinner at Rumi in Brunswick, finishing with a pumpkin dessert that defied expectations. I was wondering whether the good people there would let me in on the secrets of its creation.”
Daniel Dekok, Richmond, Vic

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Poached pumpkin with labne and walnut praline

Serves 6
Cooking Time Prep time 45 mins, cook 45 mins (plus draining, cooling)
500 gm   raw sugar
3 each   cardamom pods and cloves
½   cinnamon quill
½   butternut pumpkin (about 500gm), seeds removed, cut into 1cm-thick half-rounds
To serve:   pepitas
Labne
300 gm   Greek-style yoghurt
Walnut and pepita praline
500 gm   walnuts
40 gm   pepitas
150 gm   caster sugar
For greasing:   vegetable oil


1 For labne, place yoghurt in a muslin-lined sieve over a bowl, pull muslin together, tie to enclose and refrigerate to drain (overnight; discard liquid).
2 For walnut and pepita praline, combine walnuts, pepitas and 2 tsp salt in a bowl and set aside. Heat a saucepan over medium heat until a little sugar scattered in pan starts to melt; if it smokes, reduce heat. Scatter one-third of the sugar evenly in pan and cook without stirring until light caramel (4-5 minutes). Stir, scatter with half the remaining sugar, cook until caramel (2-3 minutes), stir, scatter with remaining sugar and cook until caramel (3-4 minutes). Add walnut mixture, stir with an oiled spoon to coat, spread on an oiled tray and set aside to cool. Break into pieces and process in a food processor until coarsely ground. Praline will keep stored in an airtight container for a week.
3 Stir sugar, 1 tsp sea salt and 600ml water in a wide saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, add spices and simmer to infuse (5 minutes). Add pumpkin, cover closely with a round of baking paper, reduce heat to low and simmer until just cooked through (25-35 minutes), then set aside to cool in syrup. Serve pumpkin, syrup and a quenelle of labne scattered with praline and pepitas.

This recipe is from the October 2012 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

RECIPE Rumi, Melbourne, Vic PHOTOGRAPHY William Meppem STYLING Lucy Weight


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