Candied Pumpkin

This is another stock post that I keep for those periods when I am too busy to cook and blog. (I was out of town for a baby shower. I'll post pictures from the shower after I download them from my phone.) I made this back in early December when I had an extra sugar pumpkin from Thanksgiving.

The recipe is pretty simple and straightforward. I didn't use the exact same method as my grandmother but her cooking is very forgiving. I used a sugar pumpkin instead of a pumpkin from grandma's garden. I also substituted granulated and palm sugar for the piloncillo sugar cones.

Candied Pumpkin

1 sugar pumpkin, butternut squash, buttercup squash or kabocha pumpkin
1 ½ cups granulated sugar (or two Piloncillo cones)
2 cups water
2 disks palm sugar (about ½ cup)
pinch salt
½ cup coconut cream

1. Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the insides. Wash thoroughly and then cut into 2 inch by 2 inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, caramelize granulated sugar until golden brown. Carefully add water and palm sugar and allow sugar to dissolve. (If using piloncillo sugar, skip the caramelization step but cut the cones into smaller chunks and dissolve in water. Omit palm sugar.) Bring syrup to a boil.
3. Add pumpkin pieces and cook until soft. Turn off heat and allow pumpkin to soak in syrup for about 30 minutes or longer.
4. Meanwhile, make coconut sauce by heating ½ cup coconut cream with about ¼ cup pumpkin cooking syrup.
5. To serve: Place several wedges on a plate and drizzle with coconut sauce.