PUMPKIN SMALL RECIPES

Steps:

• » Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the top quarter off each pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy bits.
• » In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the sausage for 3 to 4 minutes, until cooked through. Drain off any rendered fat and set aside.
• » Whisk 1 of the eggs, and toss it in a large bowl with the sausage, bread cubes, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper until well combined.
• » Fill each pumpkin with the stuffing mixture to a little less than 1 inch from the top, and place it on the prepared sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, until the pumpkins have soft- ened. Remove the pan from the oven and use a spoon to compress the stuffing a little. Pour 1 of the remaining 4 eggs into each pumpkin. Lightly cover the pumpkins with a sheet of aluminum foil. Increase the heat to 400 degrees F and return the sheet to the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes, until the eggs are just set.
• » Serve hot, topped with about a teaspoon of crème fraîche and more salt and pepper to taste.

Steps:

• Grease as 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Roll pie dough out to 1/8-inch thickness and use a 3 3/4-inch round cutter to cut 12 circles from the dough, re-rolling scraps as needed. Place each round inside a muffin cup and press the circle into the cup so it's evenly smooth with the bottom and sides of the muffin cup. (Note: the circle will not come all the way up the side of each muffin cup.) Once all circles have been pressed into pan, freeze for 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer muffin pan directly from freezer to oven until the pie dough is almost cooked through, about 13 minutes. Remove from oven and use the back of a spoon to press down any areas that have puffed up during baking. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together half-and-half and sugar until dissolved. Add eggs and whisk until mixture is homogenous. Add spices, vanilla, and pumpkin; whisk until well combined.
• Fill each crust with 1 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin filling or until the filling almost comes to the top edge of the crust. Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes.
• Allow pies to cool completely before removing from muffin tin and serving with whipped cream and nutmeg, if desired.