Kabak-tatlısı: Turkish pumpkin dessert

Ingredients:

• 700–900 g butternut squash
• 250 g cane sugar
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Zest of 1 lemon
• A pinch of salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons tahini
• 3/4 cup toasted and chopped pistachios

Preparation:

1. Peel and slice the pumpkin into 2.5cm thick or hockey puck-sized slices.
2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, black pepper, lemon zest, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the pumpkin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 175°C.
4. Remove the plastic wrap from the pumpkin and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the pumpkin, cover with foil again, and bake for another 45 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and let the pumpkin sit in its own juices until it cools to room temperature. Once cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
6. Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form and fold in half the tahini. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the tahini for drizzling over the top when serving. Place the pumpkin on a large platter and spoon over some of the pan juices. Top with a few heaping dollops of whipped cream, drizzle with tahini, and sprinkle with pistachios.