Pumpkin Soup American Style

1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs
4 lb. pumpkin with a stem
1 Tbsp soft butter
2/3 cup finely minced onion
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground sage
pepper
nutmeg
1/2 cup finely grated Swiss cheese
2 to 2 1/4 cup light cream
1 bay leaf

Spread the bread crumbs in the roasting pan and let them dry out in a 300 degree oven, stirring occasionally. This will take 15 minutes. Meanwhile with a short knife, cut a cover 4 inches out of the top of the pumpkin. Scrape all stringy material and seeds out with ice cream scoop. Rub inside of pumpkin and cover with soft butter and sprinkle lightly with salt. While bread crumbs are drying cook the onions in the butter for 8-10 minutes over low heat until
tender. Then stir in the crumbs. Let them cook slowly for 2 minutes to absorb the butter. Stir in seasonings and sage. Remove from heat and stir in cheese then spoon mixture into pumpkin. Pour in the cream, adding enough so mixture comes to within 1/2 inch of pumpkin rim. Lay bay leaf on top and replace cover. Bake pumpkin in a
preheated 400 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours until pumpkin is beginning to soften on outside and inside is beginning to bubble. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake 1/2 hour more until pumpkin is tender. If pumpkin is browning too much cover loosely with foil.

To serve, remove cover and dip into pumpkin with long handled spoon, scraping flesh off bottom and sides of pumpkin with each serving of the filling. For thinner soup use 6-7 pound pumpkin and same ingredients except replace the cream with enough chicken broth to come to 1/2 inch of rim. Stir 1/2 cup or so of heavy cream and a handful of parsley into soup just before serving.