I have been looking all over for a pumpkin pie recipe that utilizes fresh pumpkin flesh. A whole month ago Michael and I went to North Fork on a wine adventure and picked up an $8 heirloom pumpkin. I also picked up one of those little inexpensive pie pumpkins at Agata and Valentina. I know that pumpkins are supposed to last a while but I started getting worried that my $8 pumpkin would end up in the garbage instead of my stomach.
I went to yoga on Sunday morning at my new favorite and reasonably priced yoga studio (YoYoga). It is about 20 blocks away, so I like to run there and home for a complete workout. On the way home I passed a bodega that was selling small pie pumpkins. I realized that one of the pumpkins had six or seven stickers explaining how to make a pumpkin pie..... so I tore off the sticker and kept running, a bit faster just in case the bodega owner ran after me.
When I got home, out of breath from outrunning the imagined bodega owner, I realized that this pumpkin pie sticker recipe was not particularly detailed or useful. But I was determined to make the pie as I have never made a pumpkin pie before and I already went through so much effort! Also, since I have gotten into a weekend routine of making pie.... I have also started a potentially bad habit of eating leftovers for breakfast. What would I eat in the morning if not pie?
So I sliced and seeded the pumpkins, put them on a cookie tray, and baked them for what seemed like forever. I removed them from the oven when they were easily pierced and peeled with a fork. Some were done in approximately 45 minutes (the slices from the smaller pumpkin) and others took almost two hours! I pureed the pumpkin in a food processor while it was still warm. I decided to go back to my Joy of Cooking cookbook (my new weekend friend for pie recipes) and substitute cooked, pureed pumpkin in place of canned pumpkin. I used cream and milk instead of condensed milk. The finished product was a fluffy, flavorful pumpkin pie.
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| Michael gets the first slice of pumpkin pie... his favorite |
I usually use a pressure cooker to cook a fresh pumpkin. When done in batches on High pressure, each batch takes 10-15mins. I've also heard you can microwave pumpkin to get the skin off - put the pumpkin chunks into a pyrex with some water. maybe that'd be an easier method!
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