We have a love affair with the pumpkin! No other fruit or vegetable matches how the pumpkin has become a part of our autumn culture. Coffee, creamer, cookies, crackers, even cake mix for dogs. Come autumn almost anything you can eat is pumpkin-flavored. And if you can’t eat it, you can smell spiced pumpkins in candles and cleaning products. It’s been a long-term relationship, dating back to when colonial cooks in the 1600s discovered that this vegetable had dessert possibilities.
There are more than 40 varieties of pumpkins and all are edible; however, some are better for Halloween carving and decorating, others for cooking and baking. Spend some time with the grower at your famers’ market to learn a little about the different kinds of pumpkins for sale. And yes, you can just go to the grocery store and buy canned pumpkin puree to make your pies, muffins or soup, but what’s the fun in that? Using fresh pumpkin isn’t all that difficult.
Look for the small pumpkins to use for cooking — they’re usually marked as “sugar pumpkins” or “pie pumpkins.” A two-pound pumpkin will give you about two cups of puree, the amount you’ll need for a 9-inch pie. You can cook the pumpkin by roasting or steaming it. To roast, slice it in half (or leave it whole), put it in a 350-degree oven for 60 to 90-minutes. Scoop out the flesh, then puree it until smooth in a blender. Cooked pumpkin freezes well, so be sure to save any extra. But don’t limit your pumpkin experiences to just pie. Don’t forget pumpkin bread, muffins and cookies. And if you’re really adventurous – try pumpkin ice cream! It’s delicious!
Our thanks to www.blessthismess.com for our Fresh Pumpkin Pie recipe!
Pumpkin Pie From Fresh Pumpkin
Ingredients
- Homemade Pumpkin Puree from 1 to 2 small sugar pumpkins (see notes), about 4 cups
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14-ounce)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
Instructions
- To prep your pumpkins cooking them in the slow cooker is the easiest and best way to cook them. You can find full pumpkin cooking instructions here. You can do this a few days in advance if you need to.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake your prepared pie crust for 12 minutes.
- While the crust is cooking make your filling. Add your pumpkin puree (about 4 cups) to the bowl of your food processor. Process until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredient and process to combine well, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed.
- When the pie crust has cooked for 12 minutes, remove it from the oven. Carefully pour in the filling, return the pie to the oven, and bake for an additional hour. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 30 minutes.
- Serve at room temperature or cold with fresh whipped cream.
Photo Credit: 127071 Via Pixabay