Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients
- 1 8" Sugar Pumpkin
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Wash the pumpkin and wipe it dry.
- Cut in half, vertically along the stem line. (see below)
- Scoop out the guts and save those for making roasted pumpkin seeds. You can use a spoon, large ice cream scoop, or carefully using a hand mixer.
- Sprinkle salt over the flesh.
- Place the cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Poke 3-4 holes in the pumpkin with a fork to let the steam out.
- Bake uncovered until you can easily pierce with a paring knife, approx 30-45 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely, approx 1 hour.
- Either cut the skin off, or scoop out the interior with a large metal spoon.
- Puree the pumpkin flesh in a food processor until completely smooth.
- Good for 1 week in the fridge, or freeze for 1 month.
- 8" pumpkin will yield around 2-3 cups of puree.
Notes
- You can also place a towel around the base of the pumpkin to help keep it in place.
- If you're not comfortable cutting the pumpkin, you can chop off a segment of the pumpkin and place that side down on your cutting surface to make it easier to cut.
Pie Crust
Makes 1 double pie crust (top and bottom, 9" pie plate)
Ingredients
- 1 lb flour see #1 below
- 8 oz unsalted butter, cold, and cut into 1" cubes 2 sticks
- 1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup ice cold water see #2 below
Instructions
- Place the flour, butter, and salt in a food procecssor, and pulse a few times, until the smallest pieces of butter are about the size of large peas.
- Slowly add 1 tbsp of water and pulse a few more times. Repeat until the dough starts to come together, but is still a little crumbly. The amount of water will vary a lot based on the flour you're using.
- Shape into a ball, cover with clingwrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Notes
- Measure the flour by weight, not volume (approx 4 cups).
- You might need up to 3/4 cup of cold water. The dough should hold its shape when you squeeze a small ball in your hand.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 16 oz can Pumpkin puree, (2 cups)
- 1 cup 10% cream
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated) ( see below )
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (use 2x the molasses)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 blind baked 9" pie crust (10-12 mins)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Simmer puree over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Stir in the cream, nutmeg, salt.
- Return to a simmer, remove from heat, and let cool 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, and yolk until smooth.
- Whisk in the pumpkin puree until thoroughly combined.
- Pour into warm pie crust, and bake until centre jiggles slightly, 45-50 mins
- Let cool on a rack at least 2 hours before slicing. It's best the next day.
- Optional - sprinkle light brown sugar over the pie and torch it to make a crisp top.
Notes
Using just the nutmeg is great if you want your pumpkin pie to taste like pumpkin. What most people really want is for it to taste like the commercial version, so add 2 tbsp (yes, tablespoons) of my pumpkin spice mix.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Raw pumpkin seeds, dried with paper towel.
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp Spices (garlic powder, paprika, etc)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Wash and clean the inside of a pumpkin in a colander.
- Dry with paper towel.
- Toss in a bowl with all the ingredients until evenly coated.
- Toss around in the pan every 5 minutes, and bake for 12-15 or until you smell a nutty aroma and the seeds are golden brown.
Roast Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 8" Sugar pumpkin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder, or paprika, or get creative
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Cut pumpkin in half, scoop out insides.
- Remove the skin, and cut into 1" cubes (see below).
- Toss everything in a bowl until coated.
- Roast on parchment paper, flip after 15 minutes, for approximately 30 minutes or until fork tender.
- Serve immediately
Notes
The goal is to make 1" cubes. You can cut the top and bottom of the pumpkin off, so the flesh on those segments is about 1" thick, which might be easier for you to cut into cubes. Take the main section of pumpkin, cut into 1" wide strips, and cut those into cubes.