Pumpkin Pie
A few pumpkin tips for you:
The best pumpkins to use are "Pie
Pumpkins" which are smaller in size and sweeter in taste than
a "Jack-O-Lantern". If you can't get a pie pumpkin go for
a "Butternut Squash" which apparently is very similar to
a Pie Pumpkin. If you are using a jack-o-lantern then you may wish
to increase the sugar by 25%.
If you find that your pumpkin has
a lot of water with it when you have cooked it I have found the best
thing to do is to put it in a strainer over a bowl for a while, allowing
the water to drain off.
Once you have made your pumpkin pie
you have the option to freeze it if you wish as they are suitable
for home freezing once cooked. Or to save room in your deep freeze
you could just freeze the puree of the pumpkin all ready to bake a
fresh pie with whenever you are ready. The pie's I would recommend
no more than 3 months in the deep freeze but your puree can be kept
for up to 12 months. So buy your pumpkins in October and prepare them
for the year ahead!
Don't throw your seeds away you
should try roasting them, if your anything like me you will be hooked.
Just click on the link for my recipe alternatives for Roasted
Pumpkin Seeds
There are a number of ways to cook
your pumpkin, my favorite is to cut it in half and put it flesh side
down on a greased baking tray in a preheated oven 350F/200C for about
an hour. You can also pop it in the microwave (20-30 minutes), steam
it (10-15 minutes), put it in your pressure cooker (10 minutes). My
timings here are only guidelines and you should take care, checking
every 5 minutes or so. The pumpkin is cooked when the flesh is soft
enough to be scooped out of it's outer skin.
Ingredients
1 Pumpkin - you need to end up
with about 3 Cups of Mashed Pumpkin
1 Cup of Sugar you can substitute 1/2 cup of sugar with canderelle
if you like
1 1/2 Tsp of Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp of Ground Cloves
1 Tsp of Ground Allspice
1/2 Tsp of Ground Ginger
1/2 Tsp of vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 Tsp Salt (optional)
4 Large Eggs
18oz of Evaporated Milk
Tip: I use 4 tsp
of mixed spice rather than all the individual ones, just because it
is easier.
Method
1. Wash your pumpkin thoroughly and
then cut it in half.
2. Scoop the seeds out (I use and
ice-cream scoop) and remember to save them for Roasting
3. Time to cook your pumpkin remember
I prefer to do mine in the oven but the choice is yours see above.
4. When the pumpkin flesh is soft
enough scoop it out of it's skin (again I use an ice-cream scoop).
5. If you have excess water with
your pumpkin flesh put it in a strainer over a bowl for about 30-40
minutes just to allow it to drain.
6. Puree the pumpkin flesh you want
it to be really smooth, I use my blender.
7. Mix all the ingredients together
and put them in your pie
crust.
8. You need to bake the pie at 425F/210C
for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350F/175C
and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes, until a clean knife inserted
into the center comes out clean.
A Note From Grandma
You will see a lot of recipes using
puff pastry but my husband and I prefer to use short crust, you can
click on the link for my One-stage
(Fork) Pastry which is a winner every time in my household.
Previous Recipe
- Roasted
Pumpkin Seeds
Next Recipe -
The Good Old American Burger
