Pumpkin and Sage Sformata

⏱ 70 mins 🍽 Serves 4 ✅ More effort 🏷 Main course

This savoury sformata blends the textures of a soufflé and frittata. It features a creamy pumpkin base enriched with parmesan, sage and goat's cheese, then baked until golden. A brown butter sauce with toasted hazelnuts and fresh sage leaves completes the dish. It makes an elegant centrepiece for a festive dinner, served with cranberry sauce or a chicory salad. The recipe serves four and takes about 70 minutes to prepare and cook.

Pumpkin and Sage Sformata

Ingredients

  • 40g butter plus extra for the tin
  • 75g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated
  • 16 sage leaves 8 finely chopped
  • 40g plain flour
  • 320ml whole milk
  • 300g pumpkin purée
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • grating of nutmeg
  • 5 eggs
  • 50g goat's cheese finely chopped
  • cranberry sauce or chicory salad with balsamic dressing, to serve
  • 85g unsalted butter
  • handful of small sage leaves
  • 50g hazelnuts toasted and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 lemon juiced

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, placing a baking sheet inside to heat. Generously butter a 24cm non-stick savarin mould or a 20cm springform cake tin. Evenly sprinkle 25g of the grated parmesan over the buttered surface. Lay the 8 whole sage leaves across the tin's base, then set it aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan, melt 40g of butter. Whisk in the plain flour and cook for 2 mins. Gradually pour in the 320ml of whole milk while whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins until it is thick and smooth. Take the pan off the heat and mix in the 300g pumpkin purée, the remaining parmesan, 1 tsp mustard powder and a grating of nutmeg. Stir through the 8 finely chopped sage leaves and check the seasoning. Allow to cool a little before beating in the 5 eggs. Gently fold in the 50g of finely chopped goat's cheese.
  3. Transfer the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 35-45 mins until the sformata is well risen and has a dark golden colour. Let it cool in the tin for 10 mins before carefully inverting it onto a serving plate.
  4. To make the sauce, melt 85g of unsalted butter in a small pan. Add a handful of small sage leaves and the 50g of toasted, chopped hazelnuts. Cook until the butter's white specks begin to turn brown and the aroma is nutty. Remove from the heat and season with a pinch of salt and the juice from half a lemon. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Drizzle the warm sauce over the baked sformata.
  5. Accompany the dish with cranberry sauce or a chicory salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories645 kcal
Fat52 g
Saturates26 g
Carbs18 g
Sugars7 g
Fibre3 g
Protein25 g
Sodium400 mg
Salt1 g

Recipe details

Skill levelMore effort
CategoryMain course
DietVegetarian