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...

Return of the Kitchen Jedi - Christmas Mac & Cheese

I am back after a long hiatus during which time I learned how to spell "hiatus"! I am trying to keep myself busy and have decided to start cooking school. I plan to keep y'all up to date with the yummy things I am burning at school, so sit down, shut up, and pay attention!

I won't start school until late January, so I will fill the time with all the holiday goodies I can wrap my gut around. To start off, I would like to introduce you to my Christmas Mac & Cheese. (Disclaimer: If you don't celebrate Christmas just call it Michelle's Totally Awesome Mac & Cheese. I won't mind the name change.) I recently had a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and was so grossed out that I decided to make my own. I find that I am spoiling my palate by learning to cook, but life just seems so much more fulfilling with good food in my belly.

The Christmas part comes from the red and green vegetables and the appetizer nature of the dish. I designed this recipe for two appetizers since I live in a small household, but you could easily double it for the first course of a family dinner or make a whole casserole dish full of it for a large party. I wouldn't recommend making this the main dish because it is very rich.

Are you ready, young Jedi? OK, let the kitchen force guide you...

Ingredients
1/2 lb farfalle pasta (any small pasta could be used here, such as the traditional elbow macaroni)
2 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp minced garlic (I used store bought minced garlic with peppers which will be less potent than fresh garlic, so you may want to use more or less, depending on your garlic preference)
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup cream (Use milk if you want less fat, but I mean, really,at this point does it matter?)
1/4 cup of each cheese: Mozzarella, Gruyère, Swiss, Blue (I prefer Gorgonzola to Blue)
A handful of your favorite cheese and/or panko bread crumbs for topping
1 tsp cumin
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 cup of frozen chopped spinach (Don't like spinach? Try fresh basil, braised kale, steamed broccoli, sauted green beans...the options are endless! Basil and Spinach tend to cook quickly, so add them last. The other vegetables take longer, so add them with the pepper.)
red pepper flakes and/or pepper to taste (This recipe shouldn't need extra salt because of the butter and cheese, but taste as you go and add as you need.)

How to make your guests go "yum!"
Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package and set aside. Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple minutes. Add the wine and bell pepper and simmer for about 4 minutes. Add the cream, and Gruyère, Swiss, and Blue cheeses. Also add the cumin and any other spices you like, like the red pepper flakes. Simmer and stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until the spinach is completely incorporated. Make sure you taste it before you plate it! Turn on the broiler in your oven. Divide your pasta between 2 16 oz ramekins or other similar sized oven safe dish. Don't mash the pasta down. If you have extra pasta, that's OK (extra pasta + melted butter + Parmesan cheese = white trash pasta = awesome!). Divide the sauce between the two ramekins of pasta. Don't worry about being pretty or mixing it, just pour it right over the top of the pasta. Sprinkle a handful of your favorite cheese and/or panko bread crumbs on top and put under the broiler for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

You really can't screw this up, so be adventurous and make it your own! Happy Holidays everyone!

Cheers,

Cupcake the Nerd