Roasted Pumpkin, Apple & Cranberry Sangria with Dark Spiced Rum (aka Kraken)

This is what we're serving before dinner today.  Sweet, tart, with a hint of warm spices, caramel and fruit.  Perfect for Thanksgiving...or any fall or winter occasion.


After dinner?  Patron XO Cafe and Resposado Tequila Margaritas will be our evening's enjoyment!  Recipe for this one to come!

Roasted Pumpkin, Apple & Cranberry Sangria with Dark Spiced Rum (aka Kraken)

• 1 pumpkin, 5-6" high fresh pie pumpkin
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

• 2 bottles white wine, pinot grigio
• 2 apples, quartered, cored and diced LEAVE PEEL ON!
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 cup dark rum, Kraken 's my fave for this
• 4 tablespoons crystallized ginger, sliced
• 10 whole cloves
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

A few days to a week before you want to serve the sangria, peel the pumpkin with a veggie peeler, cut off the top and scoop out all the seeds and stringy stuff. (Do what you want with the seeds.)

Cut the pumpkin flesh into pieces and scatter on a baking sheet.  Scatter the cranberries around the pumpkin and sprinkle 2 T. brown sugar over all.  

Roast at 325 covered for about 40 minutes.  Uncover and roast another 30 minutes.  Stir and roast until golden & soft, but not mush.  Cool.
 

Pour wine into one large or two smaller containers large enough to hold the wine and the rest of the ingredients.  I used 2 large plastic bottles with lids.  If using 2 containers, pour 1 bottle of wine into each container and scoop half the pumpkin and half the cranberries into each container.  Be sure to scrape half the liquid in the bottom of the pan into each bottle...don't waste the yumminess! (If you're using a large container, put everything into that.)
 

Add 1 cinnamon stick to each container.  Refrigerate for a few days until it's time to serve. 
 

The morning you're serving the sangria, strain the liquid into a large pitcher.  Separate out the roasted cranberries and add to liquid, too.  Discard the pumpkin.  

Add 2 diced apples, the rum, cloves, 2 T. dark brown sugar, 4 T. sliced crystallized ginger and the Kraken or other dark rum.  Let sit at room temp until ready to serve.  

Pour into glasses being sure to get some of the apple and cranberries in each glass.  Enjoy!