Pot Luck and Pumpkin Pie

Unanimity in polls! (4.00 / 1)

The new trend?

Details coming up at 11...

(oh wait, I'm not a newscast teaser!)

Ah okay, anyways - I'm watching a Vancouver Canucks hockey game on tv right now with the captions on - certain words are spelled the Canadian way.  I don't know why I find that interesting, but I do.

"Pass to centre"...

:)

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 03:27:21 AM UTC

MMM Pumpkin! (4.00 / 2)

I love pumpkin pie.

I like pumpkin for soup too. I was listening to Mike Darcy's gardening show on AM 750 KXL in Portland a while back. He had someone on talking about squash and they said that the smaller pumpkins are better if you're going to use them for cooking, so I'm sinking some Sugar Pumpkin seed in the winter squash patch this year.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 05:37:42 AM UTC

Isn't that always the rule? (4.00 / 1)

He had someone on talking about squash and they said that the smaller pumpkins are better if you're going to use them for cooking

I go by that in everything, actually.  Squash, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, apples...

If any two pieces of whatever look equal, I'm always going for the smaller one.

Something to do with concentration of flavor and etc, maybe?

Of course, I'm open to suggestion or correction here.  Is there any instance where I should overrule my "smaller is better" instinct?

And - pumpkin soup?  Recipe, please?!

:)

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 06:27:28 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

my take on pumpkin pie (4.00 / 2)

EASY PUMPKIN PIE-TWO VARIATIONS

(by desmoinesdem)

It's been a very cold and snowy winter here in Iowa, and I've been baking more than usual. Normally I cook savory food; baking is not my thing. But these recipes are easy if you don't make the pie crust from scratch, and pumpkin pie has more nutritional value than most desserts.

These recipes make two pies each. You could halve them and make just one pie, but it's really no more work to make two, and wouldn't your friends or co-workers love to be surprised one day when you bring in an extra home-made pumpkin pie?

I use canned pumpkin or butternut squash most of the time. If you want to use fresh, cut the pumpkin or winter squash in half, scoop out the seeds and strings, and bake face down at 350 degrees F for about an hour until done. Scoop out the flesh, mash and PRESS OUT AS MUCH WATER AS YOU CAN. If you don't, the pie will be watery. What bugs me about using fresh pumpkin is how much work it is to press out enough water. Canned is easy and tastes good.

First, I'll give you my farmer friend's traditional family recipe. She makes pie crust from scratch using lard-I didn't even bother getting those instructions from her, because I knew I was never going to do it. So, if you want to make your own crust, pick a recipe you like and either press the crust into the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass pan or into  two pie dishes.

3 cups mashed pumpkin or winter squash
1 ½ cups brown sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
3 cups evaporated milk or cream
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. My friend mixes the spices with the sugar first so they don't clump in the liquid, but I haven't found that necessary-just a little extra whisking takes care of any clumps.

Pour into two pie shells or a 9 by 13-inch glass dish with crust on the bottom.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350 and bake until set (this takes about another hour in my oven, but start checking after 45 minutes or so).

Cool, then refrigerate. The pie tastes best after it has been chilled.

Now, this recipe is pretty good, but there are a few problems. First, that's an awful lot of fat and sugar.

Second, if you use canned pumpkin, you'll end up with part of a can unused, wondering what you can do with it. Ditto if you buy a quart of cream and end up with an extra cup spoiling in your refrigerator.

Third, where is the cardamom? No sweet dish involving winter squash or pumpkin should be without ground cardamom, in my opinion (I substitute anywhere dessert recipes call for allspice or nutmeg).

After some tinkering, here is my solution. It has half the sugar, less cream and more pumpkin, so you get more vitamins. You can buy one pint of cream and use it all, or a quart and make this recipe twice in one week. If you buy frozen pie crust, as I do, this will fill two 9-inch shells very full. Be careful when transferring to the oven! If you want to reduce the sugar but not the cream, go ahead and use 3 cups of cream, but then you'll have some extra pie filling to bake in a little greased casserole dish alongside the pies.

Desmoinesdem's super-easy, somewhat healthy pumpkin pie

2 cans pumpkin or winter squash
¾ cup brown sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
2 cups cream
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom (a little goes a long way)
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix ingredients in large bowl with whisk. This takes only a few minutes, even with my four-year-old "helping" me stir.

Pour into two frozen pie shells (you do not need to defrost first). Transfer carefully to oven rack so the filling doesn't spill out.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350 and bake for another hour or so, until set. Depending on your oven, the pies may need less time at 350.

Cool, refrigerate, and enjoy.

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by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 09:01:11 AM UTC

Why canned pumpkin? (4.00 / 2)

Get yourself a real pumpkin, or even squash (butternut, kabocha) for that matter.  The pie tastes even better and you have the satisfaction of making a real pie.  And for heaven's sake, don't forget the cinnamon - everything tastes better with cinnamon!  We've found that all commercial, and even a lot of private, recipes prescribe way too much sugar and salt.  I automatically cut the recipe amounts in half. Taste doesn't suffer at all.

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by: DennisP @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 16:28:16 PM UTC

Cinnamon can even be used where you might least expect it (4.00 / 2)

My dads mom used to put just a pinch of cinnamon in her spaghetti sauce. It somehow blends the other seasonings together. You don't want to use enough that you can tell what it is, but it does work.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 20:01:57 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Good Idea! (4.00 / 2)

Thanks.  Never thought of that.  We'll try cinnamon next time we have pasta.

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by: DennisP @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 20:06:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

re: canned pumpkin (0.00 / 0)

because I had some sitting around. Trying to save cash by eating all the food in the house :)

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Tue Mar 17, 2009 at 02:35:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]