Pumpkin Pie w/o Libbys
Today I bought a pie pumpkin. I split it in half, cleaned out all the guts and roasted it for 50 minutes in a 424 degree oven. Then I peeled the skin off and pureed it and used the puree instead of canned pumpkin.
This is part of the continuing pie experiment.
It was quite good, although Bob and I are undecided about whether it is better than canned pumpkin or just slightly different. I used 15 oz of pumpkin puree, the amount of solid pack pumpkin in a can. I'm not sure if the puree didn't have more liquid in it than canned pumpkin--it made a much more liquid filling before baking. It also made a little more filling than 15 oz of canned pumpkin. On the other hand, it baked about ten minutes faster than a pumpkin pie usually does for me. The custard was more airy and the color was paler than with canned pumpkin, which may simply be a result of the kind of pie pumpkin I used. (I don't know what variety of pie pumpkin I used because the store simply identified it as 'Pie pumpkin.' It was significantly smaller than the pumpkins used for halloween decorations.
We're going to let it sit overnight in the frige and then see what we think.
This is part of the continuing pie experiment.
It was quite good, although Bob and I are undecided about whether it is better than canned pumpkin or just slightly different. I used 15 oz of pumpkin puree, the amount of solid pack pumpkin in a can. I'm not sure if the puree didn't have more liquid in it than canned pumpkin--it made a much more liquid filling before baking. It also made a little more filling than 15 oz of canned pumpkin. On the other hand, it baked about ten minutes faster than a pumpkin pie usually does for me. The custard was more airy and the color was paler than with canned pumpkin, which may simply be a result of the kind of pie pumpkin I used. (I don't know what variety of pie pumpkin I used because the store simply identified it as 'Pie pumpkin.' It was significantly smaller than the pumpkins used for halloween decorations.
We're going to let it sit overnight in the frige and then see what we think.
posted by Maureen McHugh at 10:41 PM
9 Comments:
My mother was a real snob about baking, especially baking pies. She thought those "pie crust sticks," used by my former daughter in law, were the worst. As a result, I grew up to be a woman unafraid to make pie crust from scratch. That said, she had a practical side, too, and was willing to admit when all things were equal. She claimed that after the invention of canned pumpkin, there was no reason ever to deal with actual cooking pumpkins again. THAT said, I once used a real pumpkin to make pumpkin soup. It turned out really boring. But I'd still eat your pie, if I had a piece.
uh, that should be "by my former SISTER in law."
Dean and I made pie from a pumpkin last year and found also that it was paler and lighter than canned, but quite good, although certainly more trouble. I think I've read that they don't actually use pumpkin in canned pumpkin, but some kind of squash.
Mary Turzillo here.
Fascinating about the pie pumpkin. You know that thing I do with a pumpkin stuffed with meatball stuffing -- it was originally from a book about how to get diabetic kids to eat real food, although it's evolved through time. Anyway, that takes a pie pumpkin.
You know you can thicken pumpkin pie filling up a bit with a sprinnkle of Wundra (which I imagine Karen's mother wouldn't approve of).
We miss you here in jolly Cleveland!
Actually, my mouth is watering -- I'm still on South Beach and a million miles from being able to eat any sort of pie.
Mary,
My wife makes me a low-carb pumpkin pie that uses the pumpkin as flavoring and depends on a quantity of tofu for the bulk of the pie. It is sweetened with Splenda as is the whipped cream on top. The crust is crushed walnuts. It would probably be South Beach compatible and it is delicious.
Stuart
Hmm. I bought a pumpkin after reading Maureen's first post. A pie pumpkin I mean. But then I read it again and--skinning it? Ick. Maybe we will just have a cute little decoration.
Laura
I've been rendering pumpkin for years (although I don't know whether they're pie pumpkins or not...I'm a city girl). The trick, as far as I can tell, is to take the mashed pulp and drain it--I use a Melitta cone filter--until it's as thick as you can get it. Even then the results will be lighter than the canned pumpkin (something about the way the pumpkin is cooked, I think) which might be considered a virtue. I freeze the pulp in 2-cup servings--two cups being about what you need for a pie, or two pumpkin breads. Speaking of all this, there's a pumpkin I need to remember to disembowel...
I'm in the UK and can't find canned pumpkin. Or pie pumpkin for that matter. But my boyfriend is determined to celebrate thanksgiving and as an ex-chef I'm determined to cook everything from scratch...
I'm just glad that there are various tips of how to get my pie at least somewhere near edible. I guess I should not have invited my friend who made the most disastrous pumpkin pie some years ago and is expecting great things from me.
Wish me luck
I have rendered pumpkin twice. Once I baked it. Just cut it in half scooped out the yucky stuff and turned it upside down on a jelly roll pan (to catch liquids). Baked it at 350 forever-until it got tender. Then blended it up and made pie (following the trusted Libbys recipe). The second time I cut it up in to 2inch squares and boiled it. This took more prep, but was somewhat quicker. Tonight we are trying a crock pot. Cut it like a melon and put it in the crock pot with 1/2 cup of water. We will see in the morning how well this works.
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