From Scratch Pumpkin Pie Food

PUMPKIN PIE FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Making Pumpkin Puree.
• Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into large chunks. Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Carefully drop a few pieces of the pumpkin into the boiling water. Let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes, just until the skin is soft. Using tongs or a large slotted spoon, take the pieces out and drop them into a sink of cold water until they are cool enough for you to handle. With a sharp knife carefully peel the rind away from the pumpkin meat. Set the chunks to the side for now and keep doing this until all your pumpkin chunks are done.
• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut your larger chunks into smaller two to three inch chunks. Put a rack down in a roasting pan and put your chunks on top of the rack. Pour a cup of water in the roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil. Let the pumpkin bake for 45 minutes to an hour. When you can insert a fork into a chunk easily they are done.
• With a food processor or blender blend your pumpkin chunks up until you get a smooth puree.
• Recipe for Pumpkin Pie Filling.
• 1. In a large pot with a heavy bottom heat pumpkin puree. Add the sugar and spices and stir until well mixed. Bring to a simmer and allow it to simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure it doesn't burn.
• 2. This recipe will make six to nine pint jars of pumpkin pie filling. Fill sterilized jars. Using the back of a spoon insert along the glass and the pie fill to help remove any trapped air bubbles. Cap the jar and let it sit for a few hours to set. You can freeze right in canning jars, leaving one to two inches head space. If you don't leave the head space in the jar it will expand as it freezes and bubble out your lid. It is not advised by the USDA to can your own pumpkin puree or pie filling.
• 3. OR - measure two cups of the pie filling into small sandwich freezer bags . Set them into you freezer, flat. When you are ready to use your pie filling just take out of the freezer and allow it to thaw out completely.
• Pumpkin Pie Recipe using Homemade Pie Filling.
• 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix eggs, milk and pie filling together in a bowl with a mixer or hand held beater. Blend until well mixed and smooth. Pour into a pastry lined pie plate.
• 2. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Drop the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 45 to 60 minutes.
• 3. Pie is done with a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• This pie filling can also be used on toast and in sandwiches as you would apple butter. It is also good for making pumpkin bread and cookies or any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin pie filling.

FROM SCRATCH PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• For the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the stem from the pumpkin and scrape out the insides, discarding the seeds. Cut the pumpkin in half and lay the pieces cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Rub canola oil all over the skin and bake until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Let cool.
• For the easy pie crust: While the pumpkin is cooking, make the crust. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add in the butter and work into the dough with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in just enough cold water (4 to 5 tablespoons) with a fork just until the flour is moistened. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap one ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another use.
• Roll out the remaining dough ball on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold the overhangs under and crimp decoratively. Pierce the dough all over with a fork. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Line the crust with foil, fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake until the sides are set, about 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• For the filling: Scoop out the pulp from the roasted pumpkin and puree in a food processor until smooth. Add the condensed milk, cream, cornstarch, molasses, canola oil, cinnamon, ginger, salt and eggs and combine thoroughly.
• Pour the filling into the crust and bake until the filling is set in the center, about 1 hour. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool for 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
• Decorate with whipped cream before serving, if using.

HOMEMADE FRESH PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Prepare pie crust by mixing together the flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour; add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time (you may need only 3 tablespoons, or up to 4 tablespoons). Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together.
• With lightly floured, hands shape dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inch larger than the upside-down 8- to 9-inch pie pan. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right-side up onto the pie pan. Unroll, easing dough into the bottom of the pie pan.
• In a large bowl, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt with an electric mixer or immersion blender. Mix well. Pour into a prepared crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a knife is inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.

SCRATCH PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Wash pumpkin, remove seeds,place in bowl and set aside,(more on seeds later).
• cut pumpkin into pieces small enough to fit into metal colander, or veggie steamer, place into large enough pot so colander fits into it, fill bottom with water (to your second knuckle) put tight lid on pot and bring to boil. When water is boiling reduce to a hard simmer. Fork test for doneness after 1/2 hour, check water level. Repeat every 15-20 minute until done-like your boiled potatoes.
• Drain water carefully, with clamped on lid and potholders.
• Set aside to cool. When cool, place skin side in palm of hand and remove pulp with spoon, spoon into bowl.
• If you want puree type pumpkin, put through sieve, food mill, blender, or food processor. I like mine using the hand potato masher, mashed well.
• Measure out 2 cups pumpkin for pie, put into bowl. Place the rest into freezer containers for later (2 cups for pies) pies and bread or cookies, or as a side veggie.
• Add in bowl sugar, salt, spices, eggs. Mix then carefully add milk and stir.
• Pour into pie shell, foil edges, and place on foiled, cookie sheet and bake 350°F for 50-60 minutes. Give knife clean test. If not clean, bake longer.
• Left over pumpkin pie mix I place into a greased 1 qt.oven proof dish and bake in a water bath like, custard.
• Pumpkin seeds keep the kids busy, let them clean them, do not worry about the strings this is there project. Soak over night in salt water. Heat oven to 300°F; melt some butter (2-3 tsp) on cookie sheet in oven. Place drained seeds on sheet and add pumpkin pie spices and sugar or cinnamon and sugar to taste. Stir every so often- 15-20 minutes, they will stick together, just mash out with your pancake flipper. After about 30-45 minutes they should be done. Give them the "crispy" test. Careful--the hot sugar will burn your fingers.

PUMPKIN PIE MADE FROM A REAL PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Pie pumpkins "are smaller, sweeter, less grainy textured pumpkins than the usual jack-o-lantern types. Grocery stores usually carry them in late September through December in the U.S. Note: the Libby's can of cooked pumpkin is just there for reference - it is the small can, so that gives you an idea of the size of a typical pie pumpkin. They're only about 6 to 8 inches in diameter (about 20 to 24 inches in circumference). If you're in a pinch and can't find a pie pumpkin, here's a tip: butternut squash taste almost the same! Commercial canned pumpkin is from a variety of butternut, not true pumpkins! If you DO use a regular Jack O' Lantern type pumpkin, you may need to add about 25% more sugar and run the cooked pumpkin through a blender or food processor to help smooth it out.
• Just like selecting any squash, look for one that is firm, no bruises or soft spots, and a good orange color. One 6" pie pumpkin usually makes one 10 inch deep dish pie and a bit extra; or 2 9 inch shallow pies!
• Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap.
• Cut the pumpkin in half. A serrated knife and a sawing motion works best - a smooth knife is more likely to slip and hurt you! A visitor suggests using a hand saw.
• And scrape the insides. You want to get out that stringy, dangly stuff that coats the inside surface. I find a heavy ice cream scoop works great for this.
• Note: SAVE THE SEEDS:.
• The seeds can be used either to plant pumpkins next year, or roasted to eat this year! Place them in a bowl of water and rub them between your hands. then pick out the orange buts (throw that away) and drain off the water. Spread them out on a clean towel or paper towel to dry and they're ready to save for next year's planting or roast.
• There are several ways to cook the pumpkin; just choose use your preferred method. Most people have microwaves and a stove, so I'll describe both of those methods here. But others make good arguments in favor of using a pressure cooker or baking in the oven. At the end of this document, I've included alternative instructions to replace step 4, if you'd rather use a different method.
• Method 1 - Put it in a microwaveable bowl.
• Remove the stem, and put the pumpkin into a microwaveable. You may need to cut the pumpkin further to make it fit. The fewer the number of pieces, the easier it will to scoop out the cooked pumpkin afterwards.
• Put a couple of inches of water in the bowl, cover it, and put in the microwave.
• Method 2 - Steam on the stovetop.
• You can also cook it on the stovetop; it takes about the same length of time in a steamer (20 to 30 minutes). I use a double pot steamer, but you could use an ordinary large pot with a steamer basket inside.
• Either way, cook for 15 minutes on high, check to see if it is soft, then repeat in smaller increments of time until it is soft enough to scoop the innards out. Normally it takes 20 or 30 minutes in total.
• Whether you cook the pumpkin on the stove, microwave, or even the oven, once it is cooked until it is soft, it is easy to scoop out the guts with a broad, smooth spoon, (such as a tablespoon). Use the spoon to gently lift and scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the skin. It should separate easily an in fairly large chucks, if the pumpkin is cooked enough.
• Many times the skin or rind will simply lift off with your fingers. I'll bet you didn't realize making your own pumpkin glop -- err, "puree" was this easy!
• Note: there are many varieties of pumpkin and some make better pies that other (due to sugar content, flavor, texture and water content. Drier, sweeter, fine-grained pies; the small (8" across) ones called "pie pumpkins" are best.
• Watery pumpkin?.
• If your pumpkin puree has standing, free water, you may want to let it sit for 30 minutes and then pour off any free water. That will help prevent you pie from being too watery! Beyond, that, I have not found that the water makes a difference - I wouldn't be TOO concerned about it!
• Tip from a visitor: "I make my own pumpkin pies from scratch all the time. To eliminate watery pumpkin I strain my pureed pumpkin through a cloth overnight. If I use frozen pumpkin I do the same again as it thaws out. It works great and my pies cook beautifully.".
• Another visitor reported success using coffee filters in a sieve to drain out excess water.
• Again, don't go to great lengths to remove water; the recipe accounts for the fact that fresh pumpkin is more watery than canned!
• To get a nice, smooth consistency, I use a Pillsbury hand blender. By blending it, you give the pie a smooth, satiny texture; rather than the rough graininess that is typical of cooked squashes.
• A regular blender works, too (unless you made a few frozen daiquiris and drank them first.). Or a food processor or even just a hand mixer with time and patience.
• With the hand blender, it just takes 2 or 3 minutes!
• Another visitor says using a food mill, like a Foley Food Mill, with a fine screen, accomplishes the blending/pureeing very well, too!
• The pumpkin is now cooked and ready for the pie recipe. Get the frozen daiquiris out from step 7 and take a break! :) You may freeze the pie filling.
• Yes, I know there are ready-made pie crusts in the frozen section at the store, but they really are bland and doughy. A flaky crust is easy to make! Again, note that unless you use large, deep dish pie plates, you may have enough for 2 pies.
• It is also time to start preheating the oven. Turn it on and set it to 425°F (210°C, for those in Europe) (see my pie crust recipe).
• All the hard work is behind you! Here's where it gets really easy. If you start with a fresh 8" pie pumpkin, you will get about 3 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin. The right amount of ingredients for this is as follows:.
• 1 cup sugar - or 1 cup Splenda, or 3/4 cup honey (honey may make a heavier pie, though).
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves.
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice.
• one half teaspoon ground ginger.
• one half teaspoon salt (optional, I don't use any).
• 4 large eggs.
• 3 cups pumpkin glop (ok -- "sieved, cooked pumpkin").
• 1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk (I use the nonfat version).
• Mix well using a hand blender or mixer.
• Notes: The vast majority of people tell me this is the best pumpkin pie they've ever had. It's light and fluffy - however -- if you want a heavy, more dense pie, use 3 eggs instead of 4 and 1 can of evaporated milk instead of 1.5).
• like a deep, full pie, so I fill it right up to about one quarter to one half inch from the very top.
• Don't be surprised if the mixture is very runny! It may start as a soupy liquid, but it will firm up nicely in the oven! Note: the pie crust is brown because I used whole wheat flour! Tastes the same, but is healthier.
• TIP: What do you do if you end up with more filling than will fit in your pie crust(s)? Easy! Of course, you can make another, smaller pie crust and fill a small pie pan -- or just grease any baking dish, of a size that the extra filling will fill to a depth of about 2 inches (see the photo at right), and pour the extra filling inches then bake it. It will be a crustless pumpkin pie that kids especially love!
• Bake at 425°F (210°C ) for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 45 to 60 minutes, until a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• And enjoy! Warm or chilled, with whipped cream , ice cream or nothing at all - it's great!
• I use a blunt table knife to test the pie. The one at left has already been stuck in the pie, and you see it comes out pretty clean, when the pie is done.

REAL PUMPKIN PIE FROM SCRATCH (EASY!!!)

Steps:

• Wash pumpkin and slice in half vertically.
• Scoop out seeds and pulp.
• Poke a few holes in the skin with a fork.
• Place pumpkin on a baking sheet cut sides up.
• Lightly brush with oil.
• Bake at 325 until tender (depending on the size of the pumpkin 30 to 60 minutes).
• Allow to cool.
• Scoop out pumpkin and puree with hand blender or food processor.
• Add remainder of ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whip for 3 minutes.
• Pour into pie crust and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 40 to 60 minutes until knife or toothpick comes out clean.
• Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
• Store in the refrigerator.

PUMPKIN PIE FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Combine sugar, spices (can substitute 3-4 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie spice if you prefer or don't have all the above on hand but I like using my own that way I can adjust if I want as I like a bit of extra clove in my personal pies), and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to break up any spice clumps.
• Add in Pumpkin puree and eggs and mix well.
• Add in evaporated milk and whisk to combine.
• Pour into prepared pie shell(s).
• It perfectly makes 2 standard depth 8" pies or 1 10" deep dish plus a little extra. I keep some mini pie tins on hand or buy those pre-made mini graham cracker crusts in the baking aisle. You can also make some mini pumpkin tarts by lining some mini muffin pans with a crust and then topping with a streusel or a whole pecan.
• Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 350 and bake another 45-60 minutes depending on the size pie you are making. The 8" pies take around the 45 minute mark but the larger, deep dish takes the full hour.
• If crust starts to brown too much, especially for the deeper pie, top with a crust saver or a couple of thin strips of foil around the edges.
• When a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean it is done.
• Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• If not eating immediately, place in refrigerator uncovered for 1-2 hours and then cover with plastic wrap (this will keep condensation from forming and making the top of the pie wet).
• I like this cold with a sweetened vanilla whipped cream.