pumpkin pie from scratch

[Chaos Coordinator]

actually its just the filling i want made from scratch. we've got all these pumpkins lying about after all.

i gutted, cut up and am now baking one of the pumpkins (didn't have room in my oven for the other)

what all goes into the filling? im guessing some egg, milk, sugar and spices?

how much pumpkin makes one pie?

[Can'tTurnLeft]

Make sure you aren't using jack o lantern pumpkins. They don't taste good, they are watery and stringy and you won't like what you get.

[Chaos Coordinator]

:doh

i was told by OTHER gcmers on chat that it would be fine lol

[BarefootBetsy]

This is the recipe I followed last year and it worked really well! It tells how to prep the pumpkin too :yes and follows that with the actual recipe. I use an oatmeal crust instead of a regular pie crust because I'm lazy and buy lots of bulk oats that I need to use up :shifty

www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php

[mamaKristin]

If you are using a non-pie pumpkin variety, I've found that cooking it a bit to thicken it and drain off some excess liquid helps with the less sweet pumpkin varieties.

[dylansmom]

We got some pumpkins from a pumpkin patch for $1.00 each after Halloween. I cooked those up. After I cooked them, I pureed the pumpkin in the blender. It's worked great for pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and pumpkin pies! I used a pumpkin pie recipe I found on the internet at http://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php

It was great! I used only 1 can of milk and 3 eggs and it turned out great. I would have used a little extra sugar but I ran out and I'm glad b/c it tastes sweet enough - especially topped with whipped topping.

[nadezhda]

Save yourself some work & just cut some slits in the pumpkin & bake it whole. Once it cools, it will be MUCH easier to gut and you can scrape out the flesh. If using a big pumpkin, puree the flesh & cook it down on the stove for like, 3 hours. :yes

My pumpkin pie recipe takes sour cream. :yum Most recipes call for either evap. milk or condensed milk. :shrug The recipe I use is here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sour-Cream-Pumpkin-Custard-Pie/Detail.aspx I use more spices (lots of ginger, if you have it) b/c I like a spicy pie. :yum

Good luck! :tu

[me]

Definitely bake and dont boil just like nadezhda mentioned. The filling is fluffier and creamier that way.

[Chaos Coordinator]

ok i made the filling according the directions on the pick your own website. except i screwed up the spices a little but that's not that big of a deal. and i didn't have any vanilla and i didn't add salt. BUT. the big difference was, i used reg milk instead of evap milk because i was being cheap :shifty and that i used 2 cups of sugar for three pies. so i cut way back on the sugar (esp when u consider it says to do 1.5 cups of sugar per pie if using jack o lantern pumpkins)

but, after 3 hours baking in the oven, they were finally non-jiggly and solid pies. and delicious!! and kind of too sweet :shifty

next time - and there WILL be a next time - i will cut slits :phew instead of cutting up the whole pumpkin, what a great suggestion!! should i dig out the pulp first or can that wait too?

and next time, i will add less sugar. AND cook the pumpkin down a bit so its not so watery.

and also maybe use a bigger food processor :shifty my food processor must only be like 1 cup or something ridiculously small, because it took me forEVer to puree 7 cups of pumpkin (only supposed to need 6 but i kept having to add milk to the puree to get it to blend instead of just sitting there on top of the blades, so i accounted for that milk when mixing the filling)

H loves it. he thinks its cake :giggle

[BarefootBetsy]

Yeah, I usually cut back the sugar in pie recipes a LOT :yes unless I'm making them for my extended family because they're used to having HFCS in a lot of things :shifty

[Chaos Coordinator]

yeah i still have this awful sweet taste in my mouth. but idk. the real test will be what my grandma thinks. lol

[backtobasicsmum]

Good for you! :rockon

[MiriamRose]

For future reference, here's what I use which is from my hardcopy of Betty Crocker. My dad has been using this recipe for years and it's always great!! In fact I just baked 2 pies tonight to take to Thanksgiving tomorrow.

1 can of pureed pumpkin (or obviously you could use your own cooked and pureed pumpkin)
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Beat the eggs first then beat in all other ingredients. I make my own crust too, and if you do that, then cook the whole thing for 15 minutes at 425 F, then turn it down to 350 F for 45 minutes. Soooooo good!!

[nadezhda]

next time - and there WILL be a next time - i will cut slits :phew instead of cutting up the whole pumpkin, what a great suggestion!! should i dig out the pulp first or can that wait too?


Wait to dig out the pulp. Just cut slits in the whole pumpkin (kinda like how you prick a potato before you bake/microwave it to let the steam out) & bake whole for about an hour - until it's soft enough to poke a butter knife or skewer through. Let it cool before halving & scooping the pulp: steam burns are NOT fun! :( The bonus to this method is that the inside is steamed, so it's really soft & fluffy! You can mash it w/a fork or potato masher in lieu of the food processor. Or, just add less pumpkin to your processor & do smaller batches. :wink

So glad you had a good experience! Another trick (shhh) is to use a combination of pumpkin & butternut squash. The butternut is creamier than pumpkin, and has a bit more flavor. I used about 1 c. of each in my pie for Thanksgiving and it had an almost satiny mouth feel. :yum

[Macky]

I grow my own pumpkins and make scratch pie all the time. :)

Bake it however you want, as long as it's nice and tender when it's done. I wouldn't cook it down – it changes the flavour (been there, tried it). Instead, I use a large colander lined with cheesecloth (or these days, a very large, fine-mesh strainer that I bought a couple of years ago). Dump all the pureed pumpkin in there and let it drain for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring periodically. Discard the liquid. The texture of the flesh that's left will be perfect for pie.

Mine is very similar to a previous poster's. This is the basic recipe. I often like my spices stronger, so I double them if I know the people I'm serving will like it that way, too.

2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
160 ml (about 5.5 oz) evaporated milk

Combine all ingredients (use a mixer if you like) and pour into your favourite pie crust, already prepared for an uncooked filling. Bake at 450˚F for 10 minutes, then at 350˚F for 40 to 45 minutes. It will set further as it cools.

No way a pumpkin pie should spend 3 hours in the oven. :jawdrop Evaporated milk is definitely a must. Don't substitute condensed milk either, just because you have it in the pantry (blech).

Fwiw, I use jack-o-lantern pumpkins (Connecticut Field, large op variety) all the time and they taste just as good as the pie pumpkins. I'm growing them myself, though, so that might be the difference. :shrug

[Soliloquy]

I make it from carving pumpkins every year. When I get home i'll post my recipe. Everyone loves it.