Once you have a tasted a pumpkin pie made, not from a can off the grocery shelf, but from an actual pumpkin, you will never want to go back to a canned, or worse yet, store-bought pumpkin pie again.
There are many different types of pumpkin, and the large round gourd that you carve your Halloween jack' o lantern from, is not the best variety to use for pumpkin pie. Instead, look for sweeter, smaller pie pumpkins to make a pumpkin pies that is well worth the extra time and trouble.
Pie Recipe
The first thing to do is to cook the pumpkin. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds, then place on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350* oven until soft. An alternate method is to wrap the squash in plastic wrap, or put it in a glass or ceramic bowl with a plate as a lid and microwave again until soft, usually about 15 minutes.
A third way is to boil the unpeeled chunks of pumpkin in a small amount of salted water until they are tender. By itself, pumpkin has a lot of water. What you want to happen, no matter which method you use, is to add as little extra water as possible, during the cooking process. Baking does this the best, but you do need to add additional liquid to puree the pumpkin.
After the pumpkin has cooked to a very soft texture, the skin should come off easily. Wait until the pumpkin is cool, then peel it away with a paring knife and, place the chunks of pumpkin in a blender or food processor about 1.5 cups at a time and puree until smooth. If there is liquid left after the pumpkin has cooked, you can use this to thin down the puree,
If you are making a pie, you can use some of the eggs and evaporated milk in the pie recipe to thin down the puree. Or you can use water, but use the least amount as possible so that you still have a good thick consistency.
This pumpkin puree can be used in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin. Taste to be sure there is enough salt in the pumpkin mixture, or add about ¼ teaspoon of extra salt to the recipe.
Use the puree in pumpkin roll, pumpkin quick bread, added to spice or ginger bread as part of the liquid or served with butter and brown sugar and cinnamon as a vegetable dish.
Extra puree may be frozen and used at a later time. Frozen in ice cube trays the pumpkin can be used to thicken spaghetti sauce or soups. It is high in vitamin A and adds a lot of nutritional value to whatever recipe you use it in.
You can use old Halloween pumpkins this way to help stretch your food budget and make your meals more nutritious. Whether you use the large Halloween carving pumpkins, or the little sweeter pie pumpkins, making your own pumpkin puree tastes better and will save you money.
Pumpkin Pie From Scratch - The Secret to Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Deborah Schultz is a mom of 11, grandmother of 14, and loves to plan and decorate for holidays especially on a budget. If you are looking for ways to cut back on spending and add more joy and meaning to your holidays, check out her website: http://www.homemadeforchristmas.com.
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