Roasted Pumpkin Soup....And how I would alter it! :o)

I found a recipe for a pumpkin soup, well I would think of it as more of a chowder than I soup as it is suppose to be quite creamy. Does anyone know the actual differences between chowders, stews and soups? I have always grouped them as:
Chowders are creamy and have a dairy base
Soups are thinner and clear
Stews are meatier and have an almost thin gravy consistency

What do you think?

Well here is the recipe for pumpkin soup. I haven't tried it yet but I will for Thanksgiving this year. I am going to post the actual recipe and then my version. lol I tend to switch recipes up to fit my family.

This is from Splendid Soups by James Peterson (citation is below). He was inspired by a recipe from Paul Bocuse. But found it was to rich as it was made with only heavy cream.I will alter it to fit my family and I am sure if you try it it you will probably alter it to fit your family. Sometimes this is how a simple cookbook recipe becomes a family heirloom recipe! :o)
Peterson, James, (2001). Splendid soups. (p. 218). New york: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

1 pumpkin, about 12 inches in diameter
1 quart chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
1 thick round loaf of french bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese, about 1/2 a pound
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean out pumpkin of seeds, similar to carving a pumpkin, be sure to keep the lid. you will need it.

Combine cream and broth in a mixing bowl

Toast the bread slices.

Now arrange a slice in the bottom of the pumpkin, sprinkle with thyme and cheese. Ladle over just enough of the broth/cream mixture to cover the bread then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Repeat this process until the pumpkin is 3/4 full. Don't fill to the top as the filling will expand and overflow. Replace the lid of the pumpkin.

Place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and bake for 2 hours. Take the pumpkin to the table on the baking sheet or VERY CAREFULLY transfer it to a serving platter. The pumpkin will be fragile and exceedingly hot, you don't want it to collapse or burn yourself!

Now, remove lid and with a large metal spoon scrape the inside of the pumpkin to detach the pulp and blend with the cream/broth cheesy bread mixture. Ladle or scoop (it is quite thick) into soup bowls.

Doesn't that sound yummy!! Now, below are the things I would change it up with! :o)

I would use:
A vegetable broth instead of a meat broth (vegetarian friendly that way!)

Homemade bread that is a day or two old, not toasted and I would remove the crusts. Also instead of slices, I am thinking of making smaller cubes.

Cheese - Instead of Gruyere, because it can get pricey I will probably use a mixture of aged cheddar and parmesan...or really whatever I have handy!

Only a pinch of salt because I have to watch my salt intake and most people tend to add extra salt to their foods before they even taste them, also parm has quite a bit of salt in it.

Herbs and spices - Instead of just Thyme I will most definitely be adding other herbs like a bit of basil (one of my favs), oregano, and as it is pumpkin, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, maybe even a little pinch of cloves to give it that Autumn touch. Hmm, I might even add a little maple syrup, not much maybe less than a 1/4 cup just to add a bit of sweetness and another tickle of Fall.

The baking instructions I will follow to the letter but line my baking sheet with foil for easier clean up!

So that is how I would change up this particular recipe and when I make it I will post how it turned out. Tell us how you would change this or really any recipe. What would you do to make this one more suitable for your lifestyle?