Pumpkin Pie From Scratch- Part Two

I leave the majority of cooking chores to my wife, Darlene, who is more than an expert in this area. I didn’t even know that there were several kinds of pumpkins. For example, she would never use a jack-o-lantern for pumpkin pie bur rather a pie pumpkin.

“Pie pumpkins” are smaller, sweeter, less grainy textured pumpkins than the usual jack-o-lantern types. Grocery stores usually carry them in late September through December in the U.S. In some parts of the country, they are also called sugar pumpkins or even “cheese pumpkins”. Go figure that one. TIP: If you’re in a pinch and can’t find a pie pumpkin, here’s a tip: butternut squash taste almost the same! Commercial canned pumpkin is from a variety of butternut, not true pumpkins! If you insist on using a regular Jack O’ Lantern type pumpkin, you may need to add about 25% more sugar and run the cooked pumpkin through a blender or food processor to help smooth it out.

Just like selecting any squash, look for one that is firm, no bruises or soft spots, and a good orange color. One 6″ pie pumpkin usually makes one 10 inch deep dish pie and a bit extra; or two 9 inch shallow pies! If you have extra goop (I love that term), you can always pour it into greased baking pans and make a crustless mini pie with the excess.

As far as preparing the pumpkin for cooking, here are those steps.

Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap. Cut the pumpkin in half. A serrated knife and a sawing motion works best – a smooth knife is more likely to slip and hurt you! I might suggest using a hand saw.

Scoop out the seeds. And scrape the insides. You want to get out that stringy, dangly stuff that coats the inside surface. I find a heavy ice cream scoop works great for this. By the way, save the seeds. The seeds can be used either to plant pumpkins next year, or roasted to eat this year! Place them in a bowl of water and rub them between your hands. Then pick out the orange buts (throw that away) and drain off the water. Spread them out on a clean towel or paper towel to dry and they’re ready to save for next year’s planting or roast.

I will have more on pumpkin pie from scratch in Part Three.