How many rolls have I made over the years? Many, but never a Pumpkin Cream and Speck IGP Roll! I love pumpkin and you all probably know that by now, but I was missing an appetizer to complete the Pumpkin Recipe Collection I’ve prepared for you! Lots of recipes, from appetizers to desserts, using pumpkins that are in season from the end of September onward!
For this pumpkin recipe I need to thank Uncle Mauro because it is always from his garden that many of the vegetables you often see in my recipes come from! Uncle had already cut and cleaned the pumpkin, which was a big help for this recipe since we will be using the pumpkin raw without cooking it in a pan or in the oven first. Yes, you read it right, the pumpkin is raw, so all the flavors and other ingredients to season this dish will be added directly into the mixer bowl.
Before moving on to the recipe, here are a few links to other preparations you can find on my blog. Each link below is clickable and will take you directly to the recipe you choose to read. One of my favorites is the Pumpkin and Cinnamon Halloween Cookies which I recommend you try! They are shortbread cookies made with pumpkin in the dough and cinnamon to add more fragrance to the cookie.
I also remind you that I’m waiting for you every morning on the group and the Facebook fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day, now a daily must-see!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Fall, Winter
- Energy 286.79 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.19 (g) of which sugars 1.43 (g)
- Proteins 10.59 (g)
- Fat 19.36 (g) of which saturated 4.56 (g)of which unsaturated 13.59 (g)
- Fibers 0.90 (g)
- Sodium 548.45 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 75 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for a Pumpkin Cream and Speck IGP Roll
- 5.3 oz pumpkin
- 1 roll puff pastry
- 5 slices speck (5 or 6 slices not too thick)
- 1.8 oz cheese (Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano)
- 1 egg (to brush the surface of the puff pastry roll)
- as needed pumpkin seeds (or a mix of seeds of your choice)
- 0.4 cup water
- as needed curry
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Tools for Pumpkin Cream and Speck Roll
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Teaspoon
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Oven
- 1 Freezer
Steps for Pumpkin Cream and Speck IGP Roll Recipe
Take a mixer or an immersion blender and place in the bowl the pumpkin cut into reasonably small cubes, add a small white onion, some sprigs of rosemary with the hard central stem removed, and then a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil.
Now add a few teaspoons of grated cheese, whichever you prefer, I chose parmigiano reggiano. Season with salt and pepper, then add some curry, or if you prefer, another spice like turmeric or ginger. Lastly, a little water, but not the entire amount at once. Blend the mixture to puree the pumpkin.
I added the water gradually, in three stages, to better control the consistency of the pumpkin cream. I also added a few more tablespoons of cheese for flavor. Turn off the mixer and proceed with the recipe.
Take a nice large baking tray, place a sheet of parchment paper on it, and take the puff pastry roll from the fridge. It doesn’t matter if it’s round, the rectangular one would work just fine, which I didn’t have at home that morning. I always decide to record video recipes with rectangular puff pastry and then purchase the wrong one. The labels are always small and I never pay enough attention, but fortunately, this time I needed to roll the pastry, so it didn’t affect the recipe’s success.
Unroll the puff pastry and place it on the parchment paper on the baking tray. Then lay down the slices of Speck IGP, which should not be too thin, as this will add more flavor to our recipe and the pumpkin cream itself. Use a spatula or scraper to spread the pumpkin cream over the bed of speck on the pastry.
Gently roll the puff pastry filled with the filling, and make sure to seal the ends well with your fingers so the filling doesn’t spill during the baking. Close the pastry roll with two sheets of parchment paper and rest in the fridge for at least 10 minutes. This resting time helps set the cream before baking.
Now we can preheat the oven to static mode at 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit so it’s at the right temperature when it’s time to bake the pumpkin cream and speck roll.
After this time, we can take the pastry out, crack an egg into a small bowl, and brush the surface of the roll with a kitchen brush. Add some seeds, in my case a mixed salad seeds which includes pumpkin seeds, sesame, and chia, to add more crunch to our pumpkin cream and speck IGP roll.
Bake the pastry in the middle of the oven, and bake for at least 25 to 30 minutes. The puff pastry should turn golden brown and crispy.
We’re ready to serve the appetizer or main dish we just prepared, you can also add a side to this dish or a Greek yogurt sauce or a salad dressing to dip the puff pastry swirls.
I wish you bon appétit and remind you that I’m waiting for you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page with the Recipe of the Day!
Tips and Storage:
As the main tip, make sure not to make the pumpkin cream too runny, this won’t help during baking and especially when we need to roll the pastry. Pay close attention to the water you add, it’s better less than too much.
Another tip or rather suggestion is to choose speck that’s not too salty, or otherwise reduce the amount of salt and pepper when blending the pumpkin in the bowl with other ingredients. Remember that grated cheese also has its own saltiness so again, it’s better not to add too much salt.
As mentioned during the recipe text, if you don’t have pumpkin seeds you can add other types of seeds for added crunchiness to the pastry. Also, for brushing the surface of the pastry, I can give you a tip, if you don’t want to crack an egg you can use olive oil or vegetable oil diluted with water.
Regarding storage, if needed, you can let the roll cool at room temperature and then store it in the fridge for up to two days.
