Instructions: If using pumpkins for serving bowls, heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse pumpkins; pat dry. Cut a wide circle around the stem of each pumpkin making a lid. Remove lid and with spoon, scrape out seeds and stringy portion from pumpkins. Place pumpkins and their lids in large shallow roasting or baking pan. Cover pan with aluminum foil.

Bake pumpkins 30 to 50 minutes or just until flesh is fork-tender. Test lids for doneness after 30 minutes; if tender, remove and set aside. (Do not overbake or the pumpkins will collapse.) To microwave, place 3 or 4 pumpkins with their lids inserted on top in microwave oven. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, rotating them every 5 minutes, or until tender. Repeat until all of the pumpkins have been microwaved.

In 4-quart saucepan, heat broth and cauliflower to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer fresh cauliflower until tender-about 10 minutes. If using frozen cauliflower, cook about 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove cauliflower to blender or food processor, leaving broth in saucepan.

Add onion to broth remaining in saucepan; cover and heat to boiling. Cook until tender - about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in cup, combine 1/2 cup milk, the flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Stir flour mixture into onion and broth. Cook mixture, or sauce, stirring constantly, until it thickens and boils. Remove from heat.

In blender, puree cauliflower with 1/2 cup sauce and the half-and-half. Pour cauliflower soup into small saucepan and keep warm over very low heat.

In same blender (no need to wash), blend remaining sauce until smooth; return to saucepan; set aside. Add half the mashed pumpkin and 3/4 cup milk to blender; blend until smooth; pour into saucepan with sauce. Repeat to puree remaining mashed pumpkin with remaining milk. Heat pumpkin mixture, or bisque, over low heat just until hot, stirring constantly. (Do not allow to boil.)

To serve, ladle pumpkin bisque into baked pumpkin "bowls" or serving bowls and place on serving plates. Drizzle cauliflower soup on top of each serving.

This recipe yields 8 servings.

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