- 1 rouge vif d'etamps (cinderella) pumpkin, 8 to 10 pounds
- ½ cup (¼ pound) unsalted butter, including 1 tablespoon at room temperature
- Salt
- 3 leeks, white part and 2 inches of green, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
- 6 slices country bread, each 1 inch thick, torn into bite-sized pieces and toasted
- ½ teaspoon ground dried sage
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
- About 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 2 bay leaves
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Using a large, sharp knife, cut off the top of the pumpkin, creating a lid about 4 inches in diameter. Set the lid aside. Using a large metal spoon, scoop out any seeds and strings. Rub the cut side of the lid and the inside of the pumpkin with the 1 tablespoon room-temperature butter. Season the lid and the inside of the pumpkin with salt and place the pumpkin, cut side up, in a good-looking deep baking dish or pan that you can bring to the table. Set the lid aside.
- In a skillet, melt the remaining 7 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the toasted croutons and sprinkle them with the sage, nutmeg, and a little salt and pepper. Stir well and remove from the heat.
- Spoon a layer of the seasoned croutons into the pumpkin. Sprinkle a layer of the cheese on top of them. Repeat the layers until you have used up all the croutons and cheese. Pour in stock to within 1 inch of the rim. Lay the bay leaves on top, and then fit the lid onto the pumpkin.
- Bake until the pumpkin begins to soften and brown on the outside and the stock bubbles on the inside, 1½ to 2 hours. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven.
- With a long-handled spoon, gently scrape the flesh from the bottom and sides of the pumpkin into the soup, being careful not to puncture the walls. Ladle the soup, including tender chunks of pumpkin flesh, into warmed bowls and serve.