Bernell DorroughIf I didn’t make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving from scratch using fresh pumpkin, I might be banished to a field with the weather-beaten scarecrows.
I can’t remember precisely how it became a family tradition, but for a long time, since Brendan was a young sprout, pumpkin pies in our house have always been made with fresh pumpkin, which makes for a distinctly delicious pie. When he and his brother were young, we always painted a couple of pumpkins for Halloween in addition to carving a big Jack-o-Lantern. After Halloween passed, we washed away the paint, split them and baked them to yield pumpkin for pies.
Any pumpkin which has not been carved will do, but some produce better results. Our search for pumpkins for pie started out a bit hit-and-miss. We discovered that the deeply creased, darker colored pumpkins (often not very good for carving) yielded more flesh. Eventually we discovered some marketed as pie pumpkins-they tend to be smaller, thicker-walled and result in drier, more flavorful pulp.
You didn’t save any Halloween pumpkins? Whole Foods stores have been selling “pie pumpkins” this fall. So you can still get them!
Preparing fresh pumpkin is not difficult. Split the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and strings. If you like toasted pumpkin seeds, wash the debris off the seeds in a bowl of fresh water, rubbing away the goo. Then put the seeds in fresh water to cover with one or two tablespoons of salt and soak for several hours. Drain thoroughly and spread the seeds in a single layer on an oiled cookie sheet. Bake them at 325 degrees, stirring every five minutes until dried and lightly browned. The seeds will continue to dry and darken a bit more after you pull them from the oven.
Put the pumpkin on a pan, skin side up, and into the oven at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the pumpkin. You can tell it is ready when the skin of the shell becomes shiny and soft, almost beginning to collapse. Scrape the pulp from the shell with a spoon and pur‚e in a food processor or blender.
Fresh pumpkin can be kept up to a week in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container, or it may be frozen for several months. You are now ready to make your favorite pumpkin pie, bread, pudding or mousse recipes. The greatest difference is in the taste-hard to describe-but ask Brendan, who prefers fresh pumpkin pie to cake to celebrate his November birthday.
Here are some tips for adapting your recipes if you are accustomed to using canned pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin is more moist than canned pumpkin and may need longer cooking times than your recipe calls for. Just be patient; it will cook. Also note that fresh pumpkin-without the color additives of canned pumpkin-is sometimes more yellow or paler. When the brown pie seasonings are added, the pie color is more of a light brown than the shades of orange you usually see.
Mix the beaten egg yolks with pumpkin, then add spices, sugar and flour. Add the melted butter, evaporated milk and salt to the pumpkin mixture. Fill the pie shell with the mix. If you have too much custard, grease a small oven-proof bowl or dish and put any remaining filling into it and bake this, too.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes to prevent crust from becoming soggy. Lower the heat to 325 degrees and bake 45 minutes longer. (If you have a smaller dish of custard in the oven, check it after about 25 minutes as it will cook in half the time.) Check the pie by shaking it lightly. If the center wiggles or still looks shiny or wet, it is not done. Continue to bake checking at 5-10 minute intervals until it seems set in the center. When the pie seems firm, turn off the oven and allow pie to stand in the oven 15 minutes longer so the filling will set. Remove it from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream.
Pumpkin Pie
Prepare a single crust pie shell and chill well while you prepare the pie filling. Makes one deep dish 9″ or 10″ pie.
2 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon cloves
4 eggs, beaten separately
1 tablesoon flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
Laura Watson is the mother of regular “Foodnatic” columnist Brendan Watson. He turned the column over to his mother this week because she is a true Thanksgiving expert. Laura is a first-time newspaper columnist, part-time pre-school teacher, a great chef and mother from Chicago, IL.