Instructions: * Note: Heat oven to 250 degrees. Toss 1 1/2 cups hull-less pumpkin seeds (sometimes sold as pepitas in nut shops) with 3 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup dry jerk seasoning (including Jamaican allspice). Bake in thin layer in 250-degree oven for 1 hour, turning and tossing pepitas at 15-minute intervals. If you cant find these edible pumpkin seeds, dont substitute ones from Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins that chew like wood splinters. Substitute chopped walnuts, roasted with a bit of allspice-and-pepper butter.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut stem from the squash and place squash in roasting pan. Set in oven 1 hour and 15 minutes or until neck of the squash is tender. Use a fork to check for doneness. It should pierce the skin and squash should feel soft.

Cool for 30 minutes or so, until you can handle squash.

Cut in half lengthwise; remove meat of squash. Discard seeds and skin. In batches, combine squash with peeled, cored apples and hot poultry stock in a blender. Puree until smooth. Do this in batches. Caution: When using hot poultry stock, steam will expand, lifting the blending level and spraying liquid on you and the kitchen. Hold vented lid down with dry kitchen cloth.

Transfer the squash/apple puree to heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Add nutmeg, cinnamon, Pernod or sherry and cream. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat. Stir often. Taste and add salt and pepper. Serve hot, topped with garnish of julienned apples and jerked pumpkin seeds.

This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.

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