Ingredients

1 small sugar or New England Pie pumpkin (or 1/4 cup pumpkin puree)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (see note)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (see note)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated or dried nutmeg (see note)

Directions

Cut pumpkin into quarters and place cut side down in a shallow baking dish. Dot 2 tablespoons of butter and salt on top of each quartered piece of pumpkin. Cover with foil and bake in 350-degree oven, 1-1 1/2 hours or until pumpkin is tender.

Remove pumpkin from oven and let cool. Once cooled, scrape pumpkin meat from rind. Discard rind and mix pumpkin meat with remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, sugar and spices in food processor for two-three minutes. Serve with warm muffins or atop vegetables. Keep remaining butter tightly covered in the refrigerator up to three weeks.

Note: 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for cloves, ginger and nutmeg.