Pumpkin Pie Au Natural Part 1

This is my first time making pumpkin pie the old fashioned way. I kind of cheated though because I didn't use a wood burning stove. And I have a refrigerator.

This is also my first time putting up pictures! I saw another culinary blogger had put up really nice photos and I thought, "ooooooo, good idea!". I am not a photographer, so be prepared for some pretty mediocre cell phone pictures. The food, however, is fantastic!

I am going to start with the pumpkin preparation, move onto the pie shells, and finish up with the final pie fashioning, hence the "Part 1". This whole thing is actually really easy, it just takes a long time.

Preparing your pumpkin puree!

Step 1: Pick your pumpkin. DO NOT use your old Jack O Lantern. Ew. And don't use the huge ones that stores sell for Jack O Lanterns; they tend to be bland. Sugar Pies, Fairytales, Cinderellas, and pretty much any other pumpkin that doesn't look like a traditional pumpkin are good choices. Also, if they advertise it as food, it's probably pie material. I'm not 100% sure what my variety is called, but I think it's called Casper. It's 5-10 lbs, which should yield a good amount of pie filling.



Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and clean your pumpkin. Wash it off like you would any other vegetable and cut it in half. Scrape out the insides. I like to use a cookie cutter - it makes a perfect scraper. You can roast and salt the seeds at this point, but I don't like pumpkin seeds, so I'm not going to talk about it. (nyah!) Baste the insides of the pumpkin halves with butter or olive oil and lay the cut sides down on a cookie sheet or other oven safe dish. You can use cooking spray for a lower calorie alternative, but butter and olive oil really do give pumpkins a wonderful flavor. The dish should have a lip to it because pumpkins release a lot of water when they cook.


Step 3: Bake and wait. Every pumpkin will take a different amount of time to cook. I cooked mine for about an hour. You want it to be tender when you stick a fork or knife in it. It'll be hot, so let it cool before moving onto the next step. This would be a perfect opportunity to work on Part 2: The Pie Crust!


Step 4: Once your pumpkin halves are tender and cool, you should be able to peel the skin right off. Put a cheesecloth into a strainer and squeeze most of the liquid out of your pumpkins. You may need to let the pumpkins drain overnight if they are really moist. Soggy pumpkin puree means soggy pie, and no one likes soggy pie. Make sure to put it in the refrigerator if you intend to leave it overnight because bacteria LOVE pumpkins!


Step 5: Plop those babies right into a blender and push "puree" until it is silky smooth. This should make a fabulous, smooth base upon which you can let your imagination run wild! Visions of ravioli, soup, and sauces are running through my head. mmmmm. pumpkin. Anyway, we're going to use this particular piece of yummy for the pie, so set it aside for a few minutes so that you can finish your crust!



To be continued...