Gift Vouchers
Christmas

Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse with Pumpkin Spiced Crumble

Seasonal pumpkin recipe

To celebrate British Cookery Schools Week (3–10 October), organised by the Independent Cookery Schools Association (ICSA), we’re sharing a seasonal recipe that makes the most of one of autumn’s most versatile ingredients.

Pumpkins are at their best in the UK from late September into October. While they’re often used in soups, salads and roasted dishes, there’s so much more you can do with them. Using UK grown and harvested pumpkin our recipe makes use of around 90% of the whole pumpkin to create a delicious pumpkin cheesecake mousse with spiced crumble, plus a bonus recipe for crispy pumpkin skin snacks. It’s a lovely way to enjoy seasonal produce while reducing unnecessary food waste.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse

(Sharing portion for 2 or 3)

Ingredients:

  • 1 small pumpkin
  • 200g full fat cream cheese
  • 1/4 tsp fine table salt
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla paste
  • 100g full fat mascarpone
  • 110g homemade pumpkin puree
  • 45g light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 220 double cream with 2 tsp icing sugar

(You will have excess pumpkin puree – freeze for use again or make into a sauce or soup)

Pumpkin recipe

Instructions:

  1. Start by making your pumpkin puree. Preheat the oven to 220- or 200-degrees fan. Place the pumpkin on a chopping board and carefully slice it directly in half from the stalk. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and keep aside for use later.
  2. Place the halves skin side up on a large, lined baking tray and place in the oven for 1 hour -90 minutes until a sharp knife goes through the flesh easily. It’s okay if the pumpkin starts to take on colour as the aim here is also to dry out the flesh.
  3. Once the pumpkin is cooled down enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skin (keep this to one side) and place in a food processor. Process until you have a smooth puree.
  4. To make the cheesecake mousse, place the pumpkin puree, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon and salt in a small saucepan and warm until the sugar starts to melt (do not let it become too hot). Leave to one side.
  5. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, mascarpone and vanilla paste with a spatula until smooth. Mix the room temperature pumpkin puree mixture into the cream cheese mixture, again making sure it is smooth and well combined.
  6. In a separate bowl whisk the double cream with the icing sugar until soft peaks and then fold this cream into the cream cheese and pumpkin base. Spoon into glasses and keep in the fridge or pipe into bowls to serve with the pumpkin spice crumble.

Pumpkin Spiced Crumble

Ingredients:

  • 60g cold, diced butter
  • 30g light brown sugar
  • 90g plain flour
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1/8 tsp fine tablet salt

Instructions:

  1. Start by preparing the pumpkin seeds from the whole pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 180- or 160-degrees fan. Place the seeds in a fine colander and wash well, removing any stringy bits of flesh.
  2. Line a baking tray with parchment and lay the seeds out flat. Place in the oven for 10-14 minutes (if using these for savoury purposes, drizzle over some olive oil and season with salt and pepper). Once roasted, set aside to cool.
  3. To make the crumble, increase the oven temperature up to 190- or 170-degrees fan. Place the plain flour, salt and cold, diced butter into a bowl and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  4. Add the light brown sugar, cooled pumpkin seeds and mixed spice and mix until combined. Place the crumble onto a lined baking tray and bake for 14-18 minutes.
  5. Leave to cool before using to garnish on the cheesecake mousse.
Enjoy!

BONUS - Spicy salty pumpkin seed crisps

Ingredients:

  • Roasted pumpkin skins, flesh removed with 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

  1. Once the pumpkin skin has cooled down, lay it out flat and using a metal dessert spoon, scrape away any excess flesh that remains. Preheat the oven to 200- or 180-degrees fan.
  2. Using a pair of scissors, cut the pumpkin skin into bitesize pieces, and place into a bowl. Add the olive oil, flaky sea salt and cayenne pepper and mix well. Lay out onto a lined baking tray and place into the oven for 10-12 minutes, until crispy.
  3. Leave to cool and enjoy as a snack. Store in an airtight container.

More recipes

Lemon and Raspberry Bundt Cake

Courgette and Ricotta Galette - Seasonal Summer Cooking

Courgette and Ricotta Galette – Seasonal Summer Cooking

At home pickling

Lacto-Fermented Mixed Pickles

Fresh Banana Ice Cream

Use code COOKERYSCHOOLSWEEK10 for 10% off select Classes & Experiences! View T&Cs here.