Pumpkin Bonbon

A great vegetable dessert that will satisfy your sweet tooth! The pumpkin bonbons from 2-Michelin star restaurant Mugaritz by Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz have a crunchy outside with a soft texture inside and are soaked in syrup. The crispy and translucent shell is obtained by soaking the pumpkin cubes in Calx for 3 hours before cooking them in syrup.

The pumpkin bonbons are a typical Argentinean dessert but they have a different name there: "Zapallo en Almíbar" or simply pumpkin in syrup. They are usually served cold with optional whipped cream. At Mugaritz, this treat is served warm with sweet potato and vanilla cream and mascarpone and coffee cream. I prefer them cold with a little sea salt. Enjoy!

Ingredients

- 1kg (35 oz) pumpkin

- 4l (135 fl oz) water

- 40g (1.4 oz) Calx

- 660g (23 oz) sugar

Preparation

1- Peel the pumpkin and cut it into 3 cm cubes.

2- Dissolve the Calx in 2l of water and immerse the pumpkin in the solution, stirring gently every 10 mins.

3- Remove after 3 hrs and wash with water.

4- Prick the cubes with a fork.

5- Mix the sugar with 2l of water and bring to a boil.

6- Add the pumpkin cubes and simmer for 2 hrs.

7- Leave to cool in their syrup.

8- Store them in the fridge until serving time.