Recipe: Pumpkin Pie
Little pie pumpkins have the sweetness and soft texture that make them ideal for the custardy filling of the traditional pumpkin pie. Many recipes call for butternut squash or canned pumpkin because standard pumpkins (like the ones we carve at Halloween) are too bland and stringy. However a pie pumpkin is the perfect solution. Try one for Thanksgiving this year!
Ingredients:
- 1 pie pumpkin
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Steps:
1) Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds. Put them aside to roast later on with some olive oil and salt for a tasty snack.
2) Put pumpkins halves in a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour.
3) Scoop baked pumpkin flesh out with a spoon and throw in the blender.
) Puree pumpkin with 1/4-1/2 cup of water. Use just enough water to get the blender going, but ideally as little as possible to avoid watering down the puree.
5) Simmer pureed pumpkin on low for at least 1 hour. The goal is to reduce to the thickest consistency possible, so if you have time to let it continue reducing while you get your turkey or other Thanksgiving prep going, keep it on the stove.
6) Beat egg yolks with sugar and then add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom and mix thoroughly.
7) Stir egg mixture into pumpkin puree and then add whipping cream.
8) Pour into pie crust and bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. Then lower the heat to 350 F and bake for another 45-50 minutes. The pie is done when the edge are set but the centre is still wobbly. You may have extra filling left over after you've poured it into the pie crust, and this can be baked separately in a small baking dish for a pumpkin custard treat.
9) Let cool and serve with some whipped cream on top. Happy Thanksgiving!