Pumpkin Pie the Long Way
November 16, 2011, 15:44 pm Posted by Kristi Pfeffer
It’s the time of year when Mom looks forward to my cooking! I’m no baker, but I love making pumpkin pie—and I go all out. Canned pumpkin is no good in my opinion, so I start with a fresh pumpkin. All sorts of pumpkins can be found at the local farmers market. This year I discovered a “peanut pumpkin,” so called for the rough numbly growths on its shell you can see in the above photo to the right. Kudos to anyone who can name all the pumpkin kinds shown. I used the long candy roaster for my first pumpkin pie of the season.
I carve the pumpkin in half, scrape out all the seeds, boil them in butter then roast ‘em. The pumpkin halves are filled with maple syrup, a dash of dark rum and then baked for about 2 hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I used to cut the skin off and chop up the fresh pumpkin, but I’ve found that baking them whole makes for a firmer pie. After scraping out the baked pumpkin the aromas fill the air.
My recipe is straight forward and I add as many spices as possible with butter and rum. If you know of any additional flavors to throw in I am game to try it. All the following stuff goes in a big blender:
2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup of light brown sugar (if you like it sweeter, use 1 cup)
1/2 a stick of butter (melted)
3 eggs (whipped)
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 tablespoon of real vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of dark rum
1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
These lovely ingredients get pureed then poured into a pie crust. I like to drip along the top of the pie for texture and extra browning.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for a wee bit more than an hour. Stick a tooth pick into the pie, and if it pulls out without any pie it is done! I am a Georgia girl, so I like to serve it warm with a big dollop of Cool Whip.
