Pumpkin Pie History & Recipe

Ah, yes. It’s time to talk about…..dum, dum, dummmmmm!! PIE!

Since I hadn’t been blogging here a year ago, you didn’t know about a Thing that I do. I do this Thing, you see. Everyone is good in certain ways, and bad in other ways. Or, to put it less judgementally, they soar in some ways, and drift gently down in other ways. I happen to soar, when it comes to pumpkin pie. From REAL pumpkins.

I developed this Thing years ago, when confronted with the knowledge that I, do not, enjoy cooking. I do not have the Thing that tells me when to add certain spices, how long to braise/sautee/bake/broil, or what flavors would bring out the best of the meal. I just don’t. I’ve heard from foodies the world over–how relaxing cooking is, how creative, how wonderful the sense of altruism: making art, enjoying it through the body, sharing it with others, and the pleasant aftereffects of indolence.

Trust me, while I enjoy eating, and fresh food is very important to me, I really am a baker. Give me the structure, the measurements. Give me sweets! or I shall surely perish, I cry. So somehow, it became pumpkin.

I’ve been doing this for 15 years now. Isn’t that crazy! 15 yesrs! And I’ve experimented with some wacky stuff in my time, as a tree-hugging dirt-worshipper. Sucanat (bleck) Fructose (yay!) Egg Replacer (meh) Almond Milk( ok, but pie spoiled QUICK), and the latest, Goats Milk!

I’ve engaged in drunken baking-so much fun. I’ve had people grow pumpkins for me-SO COOL. I’ve had mortal enemies, end up with pie, just because I can’t see denying them the Orange goodness. And, I’ve kept pie from ex-boyfriends who I was pissed at. Last sentence notwithstanding ;P

Some details for the ones who care-

I’ve largely replaced my original recipe from cream and 1/2 & 1/2 to fat free 1/2 & 1/2 only. No one needs that much heavy cream, seriously.I do not make my own crust, I buy at the store. Why? Because I make 20-30 of these each Fall, and give them away for Free. To Whom? The Bike shop, the Video Store, Work Colleagues, the Security Guard, not to mention the numerous families I know. And Mom.

So without further ado, I introduce my coveted, prized, famous pumpkin pie recipe, which is very long I know, but it’s because it has instructions on how to prepare the pumpkin itself.

So enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie (Read all the recipe first!)

Materials you will need:

¨  tongs

¨  potato masher

¨  large cook pot

¨  large mixing bowl

¨  Large knife

¨  Small knife

¨  Large sturdy spoon

¨  Colander

Food stuff you will need:

¨  10” round sugar pie pumpkin Qty 1 (2 cups of cooked pumpkin)

¨  pie shell from the frozen section of the grocery store Qty 1 (yes, I know they come in packs of 2)

¨  cinnamon 1 ½ tsps

¨  ginger ¼ tsps

¨  cloves ¼ tsps

¨  cardamom ¼ tsps or nutmeg, as you prefer. Try maple even!

¨  half and half 1 1/4 cup total (or ¾ cup half and half, ½ cup heavy whipping cream)

¨  sugar or fructose 1 cup ( with fructose, use a 1/3 less)

¨  3 eggs, or egg replacer if you prefer

Get a sugar pie pumpkin, about 10” round (smaller is fine, it just means you have to prepare more), from the grocery store. Bring it home and pet its lush contours by cleaning it externally. Take the pie shell out of the freezer and leave it out to defrost naturally.

Preparing the gourd:

Boil 4 cups of water in a large stewpot. DO NOT ADD SALT. Take a small and sturdy knife, and carefully carve out the stem. Do not throw away seeds! Most folks like pumpkin seeds, even if they don’t care for pie. After the stem is out, which you have thrown away, cut the pumpkin in half with the large knife. Scrap out the seeds with a strong spoon or ice cream scoop, and set aside in a bowl. Cut all pieces of pumpkin into 3-4” pieces (Square cut is easiest).(Note, if you want to skip the Long Hot Bath, you can use a deep potato peeler to remove the skins, but this is not necessarily faster, just a different method.)

The long hot bath:

Your water should be boiling now. Add pumpkin pieces carefully to boiling water. Let boil for 10-15 minutes, or until skins are soft. Remove pumpkin pieces from pot with a pair of tongs.

Put pumpkin pieces on cutting board, and carefully peel off skins.

Metamorphosis:

Once skins are removed, put the pumpkin pieces back in the boiling water. Make sure water covers pieces. Let water boil until pieces start to become very mushy. As they get mushier, apply pressure from the potato masher, gently pressing down as the hardness boils down. You can do this every 15 minutes or so, until you are able to really start mashing out the lumps. Once the consistency is like applesauce, leave it on boiling (approx 20 minutes) and do not use the masher anymore. This is to let the excess water boil off. Once most of the water is boiled off, turn off the heat and let cool down for a few minutes.

During this happy transition:

While you are waiting between mashing, you can be preparing several other factors. Firstly, pre-heat the oven at 425 degrees. Secondly, get out the large mixing bowl and start on the mixture that will accompany the orange beauty that will soon be your dessert.

Add the sugar/fructose to the bowl first, and then the eggs, half and half, whipping cream, and spices. Mix thoroughly, until there are no spice lumps. Set aside until pumpkin is ready.

Back to the pot:

Remove the pumpkin puree from the pot, and place it in a colander to drain off all excess water. Shake colander a bit. It should act exactly like applesauce at this point.

Unity

Measure out two cups of pumpkin puree, and mix with contents of mixing bowl. As for the excess, place in a bowl or ziploc bag, and freeze for future bakings. There is almost always some left over. If you are so inclined, you can use it for pumpkin bread.

Fireworks:

And now. The grand finale. Carefully pour the pre-heavenly mixture into the pie shell, which should be completely defrosted by now. Do this on a very flat surface, with no lip at the edge of where you are working, if possible. This next part is the easiest time to mess up everything, so be uber careful. Do not fill all the way to the top, as when you are transporting it to the oven, there will be some sloshing about, and you will need the extra ½ inch of space.

Go and open the pre-heated oven’s door, and slide out on the shelves to make it easier to get inside. Whatever heat you might lose in this process is minimal, so don’t worry about it too much. When you have filled the shell, ever-so-very carefully walk it over to the oven, and place it gently down on the rack. Even-more-so-gently slide the rack back into the oven. If you would like, you can take a small ladle and add some of the pumpkin mixture to the pie shell, now that it is level and in the oven.

Close the door, turn on the light, and immediately set the timer for 10 minutes ONLY. After 10 minutes, turn down the temp to 375 degrees exactly for one hour.

Go and meditate deeply, imagining the joy your taste buds will be feeling in such a short time. Life is good, when you have pie.

Aftershocks:

Remember to let pie cool for at least an hour, if you can stand to wait that long. It will give the pie time to congeal. Also, clean the kitchen when you are done. It’s considered polite in this country.

You should still have pumpkin seeds left over. Clean them off from the pulp, lay them out on a sheet of aluminum foil, and place foil on a cookie sheet. Salt liberally. Bake until brown on roughly 350 degrees. Voila!

Interesting Alternatives:

1.   Substitute Almond Milk for the half and half, and cream. Same ratios.Must be eaten within 3 days, as the milk spoils faster.

2.   Sucanat-not the fun ride you would think. If you use it, you have to cook the pie for an additional 15 minutes. That’s a guess.

3.   Egg Replacer instead of eggs-mix FIRST, don’t just throw in the powder and water.

4.   Have Fun with Ginger-Some people like a spicy pie. Heh. Heh.

5.   Spelt frozen crusts. Falls apart a bit, but generally good.We also like the gluten-free crusts!

6.   Teeny tiny pies-Vunderbar! Bought pre baked graham shells, about 3” across. So cute!

7. Goat’s Milk-Same story as Almond Milk, keep pie refrigerated.

Related Reading

• the 3 P’s, CUPCAKE, and Grilled Cheese.