A Month of Pie: Pumpkin Pie using Homemade Pumpkin Puree

 

Lets talk for a minute about whether or not its worth making your own pumpkin puree, rather than just popping open a can of Libby’s. I wondered this myself. Was my pie going to taste bad? Was it going to be too labor intensive to be worth it? Am I crazy for actually wanting to eat the pumpkin that was previously a Halloween decoration in my house?

Well, here is my prognosis. The pie tasted great! I didn’t get much of a taste, but my friend Angie was converted to Pumpkin Pie-ism after trying this pie. She told me that she normally hates pumpkin pie, but decided to give it a try one more time at the little gathering I brought the pie to, and she loved it! She ate a whole big piece, when normally she can’t get through the first bite of pumpkin pie. I swear, it’s the homemade pumpkin puree. It really does have a different taste, but it is delicious!

Also, this was the first pumpkin pie I have ever made that didn’t crack on the top and that set up perfectly. It was smooth and creamy, but solid enough for easy cutting and serving. To top it all off, it was actually really simple and didn’t require a lot of work to make. Of course, it took time to bake the pumpkins, but all that required of me was sitting on the couch reading a book waiting for the oven buzzer. You could even make a bunch of puree in the fall when pumpkins are easy to find and cheap, freeze it, and only have to go through the process once. The convenience of making something from a can is nice, but nothing beats the satisfaction and quality of making something from scratch.

Ingredients:

• 1 small sugar pumpkin
• little bit of vegetable oil
• 1 C. water
• 1 round of pie dough (I used the pie dough recipe from this pie)
• 2 eggs
• 1 C. packed light brown sugar
• 1 TBSP. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 TBSP. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

Directions:

To Prepare the pumpkin puree:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Start with a sugar pumpkin, not a large jack-o-lantern pumpkin. Sugar pumpkins are smaller in size (maybe the size of a cantaloupe or smaller) and they are specifically for cooking. The pumpkin I bought had a sticker on it that said “Pie Pumpkin.” Wash the outside of the pumpkin and pat dry.

2. With a large sharp knife, cut off the stem of the pumpkin. Then cut in half.

Using a metal spoon and a small knife, scoop out all of the seeds and pumpkin guts.

3. Rub the cut sides of the pumpkins with a little bit of oil. Place face down in a large baking dish. Add 1 cup of water to the base of the dish.

4. Bake for about 90 minutes. You should be able to pierce the flesh with a knife. Let cool. Once it’s cool enough for you to handle, scoop out all the pumpkin meat and blend in a blender or food processer until it looks like, well, pumpkin puree. If the pumpkin meat is really soft, like mine was, you can wait  and blend it with a held immersion blender later on, after you add the other pie ingredients.

5. You can use this pumpkin puree in any recipe, or you can freeze it in an air tight container for 6 to 8 months. I like to freeze it in baggies, with the same amount ( 1 Cup) in each baggie, so it is easy to measure out for recipes in the future.

To Make the Pie:

1. While the pumpkins are baking, prepare the pie crust. You can use any pie crust you want, but I like THIS ONE, but this one is really good too. Either way, please visit my perfect pie crust tutorial post. Roll it out and place it in a pie pan, crimping the edges, and poking the bottom all over with a fork. Place the pie crust, pie dish and all, in the freezer until ready to pour in the filling. Keep that butter cold!

2. Preheat oven to 450 F.  In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, evaporated milk, and 2 cups of the pumpkin puree. For me, this was exactly the amount of puree that I got from my pumpkin. Mix until the filling is smooth. I like it to be really smooth, so at this point, I use my hand held immersion blender to liquefy any chunks of pumpkin that didn’t quite get mashed up enough.

3. Place the pie pan on a rimmed cookie sheet. Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust. Unless, you are using a really deep pie dish, you may have some extra filling. Just don’t over fill the crust or it will make a mess.

4. Bake at 450 F. for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 F. Bake 50 minutes more. Half way through, cover pie loosely with aluminum foil so the edges of the crust don’t burn. A tooth pick inserted in the middle of the pie should come out clean. Cool pie and refrigerate over night for the best texture and flavor. Serve with whipped cream.

Pie filling recipe adapted from Mrs. Sigg’s Pumpkin Pie.

By Edible Experiments