• Pumpkin Purée:
• 2 lb. fresh sugar pumpkin or acorn squash, cut into large chunks, seeds and strings removed, peel left on
• 1 C. water
• 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• Turkey Piccata:
• 2 lb. boneless turkey breast, cut into 12 slices, each 1/3 inch thick
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 whole fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 lb. thinly sliced prosciutto (about 6 long, thin slices) cut in half
• All-purpose flour
• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 C. Port
• 1 C. good quality canned chicken broth
• 1 1emon, juiced
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• Cranberry sauce, for garnish

First, make the Pumpkin Puree: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small baking pan, place the pumpkin in the water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Carefully scoop the flesh away from the pumpkin shell, transfer it to a bowl, and mash. Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a food mill set over a heatproof bowl or the top half of a double boiler; turn the mixture through the mill to puree it finely, then taste and correct the seasonings. Cover the puree and keep it warm over, but not touching, gently simmering water.

For the Turkey Piccata: Season one side of each turkey slice with salt and pepper and then turn them seasoned side down. Place a sage leaf on top of the center of each slice and season with pepper. Top with a slice of prosciutto and press down firmly with your palm to seal the prosciutto and turkey together. Evenly but lightly dust both sides of each slice with flour.

Heat a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, carefully add the turkey slices prosciutto side down and sauté until golden, 2-3 minutes.

With a spatula, carefully turn them over and sear the other side until golden, 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the pan and keep warm in a low oven on a heatproof platter covered with foil. Add the remaining oil to the pan if necessary and cook any remaining slices in the same way.

Carefully pour out the oil and return the pan to the heat. Add the chopped sage and pour in the Port to deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon to dissolve the pan deposits. Stir in the broth and lemon juice and simmer briskly until reduced by half, 5-7 minutes. Stirring briskly with a wire whisk, add the butter a few pieces at a time until it melts to form a thick, rich sauce. Cover and keep warm.

Stir the pumpkin puree and mound it in the centers of 4 heated dinner plates. Surround with turkey scallops, prosciutto side up, and spoon a little sauce over the turkey. Pass the remaining sauce in a sauceboat at table and offer cranberry sauce or relish on the side.

Yield: 4 servings

(Chef Wolfgang Puck’s TV series, “Wolfgang Puck’s Cooking Class,” airs Sundays on the Food Network. Also, his latest cookbook, “Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy,” is now available in bookstores. Write Wolfgang Puck in care of Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207.)

©2006 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.