Thread: What to do with those Sugar Pumpkins?

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Making the Perfect Pumpkin Pie

I am a traditionalist and follow the long-practiced traditions of my family (at least, that's what I'd like to say).

My mother is still the Thanksgiving matriarch and every fall we look forward to her homemade pumpkin pies. She learned from her mother, who in turn learned from her mother, and so on back through the ages. It starts with a homemade crust from scratch. Made from all the things that were "good" for you 100 years ago: butter, white flour, eggs, sugar, etc. Her recipe makes the perfect, buttery, flaky crust that melts in your mouth and puts your salivary glands into overdrive (yup, there they go just typing about it!)

Then, the filling. This is where history has changed over the generations. What once was an all-day process of pulp puree from home-grown sugar pumpkins has given way to opening a can of Libby's Pumpkin Pie filling. This has just made things easier. On occasion, my mother will still purchase a sugar pumpkin or two from the store and do a filling that is half puree and half canned filling.

To the filling, you add evaporated milk. Nothing else will do. Not fat-free milk, not whole cream, not buttermilk, and certainly not some Soy substitution. If it was good enough for the frontiers and the depression, it's good enough now! take the puree add the evaporated milk, dark brown sugar, sugar, 2-3 egg yolks, and the right spices.

You can't forget the spices. Some people will tell you a dash of cinnamon and some "pumpkin spice" is all you need. I honestly pity these people and the injustice they're serving their tastebuds. You should include ground: Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves, and Cardamon. Some people will tell you to add lemon zest, or to cut out the ginger. When these people speak, be polite, but understand they just didn't have what you had growing up. Sometimes I like to pat them on the head and tell them, "you'll be okay, you can help with the whipped cream" before sending them out of the kitchen.

Put the pie in the oven, 400 degrees for about 50 minutes, and then take them out to cool. Tradition dictates you perform the "knife" test before removing them from the oven. If the knife comes out clean, then the pie is done and needs to cool. Best to elevate them and allow them to cool for 2+ hours. Now allowing a warm pumpkin pie to cool is a difficult thing. While not banned from the Geneva Convention, it's a difficult test of strength and will power. Of course, that's why they invented whipped cream!!

Making your own whipped cream is just as important as the crust and the filling. To cut corners now would just be crazy!! Get a carton of whipping cream and a bag of powdered sugar. There really aren't any measurements I can give you, as this is all based on years of being a witness to the splashing cream and clouds of sugar that puff out from the mixing bowl. What I can tell you is the experience is fun for kids and adults, and distracts you for about 15 minutes while the pies cool.

If you really need to know, I suggest you add two cups of whipping cream into a five quart mixing bowl (our family has KitchenAid mixers) and snap on the wire whisk. You turn the mixer up to medium/high and whip that cream! As you go, add powdered sugar. I wish I could tell you how much to add, but I just don't know. That's part of the fun, I think. Adding tablespoons of powdered sugar until the sweetness is just right. If you feel a need, you can also add some vanilla extract. Eventually, the powdered sugar and the cream whip together to create the perfect whipped cream topping. You know it's ready when the peaks stay up and anyone in the vicinity of the mixer has a thin layer of powdered sugar dusting their upper body.

After that, you sit down and enjoy your slice of pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream. You enjoy the company around you, the laughter, the smiles, the toothy grins of children taking bites that are too big, and you give thanks again for all that you have.

I think you've been on a diet WAY too long lol You seemed to be drooling as your typed that!

In the US, I used to order my pumpkin pies from the Frisch's restaurant bakery. They always had the best pies. Obviously they stole the recipe from your grandmother!
Now that I live where pumpkin pie doesn't exist, I have to make my own. Since making pumpkin puree scares the crap out of me, I've always managed to get canned pumpkin via friends who go back home to visit the states. I still have one can in reserve in my pantry for this year. But I think its time to bite the bullet and learn to make my own pies from scratch....including crust and puree.
Last year...and again this year, I'll be celebrating halloween with a bunch of crazy american expats here in Groningen. Last year one of them made pecan pie from scratch! It was heavenly! It was no small accomplishment considering pecans are very rare here as well!

So, what in the heck is a sugar pumpkin and how is it different from a regular pumpkin??!

MsM

Hi MsMeeple! A sugar pumpkin is also known as a "pie" pumpkin, and here in the US they are usually labeled or marketed as such. They are fairly small, about 1 or 1 1/2 pounds (US weight) and the flesh is less stringy than a Halloween type pumpkin. I believe these are the only type of pumpkins that will produce a good pie.

Those were the good old days when pie was made by mom in her own kitchen with love. In the 21st century there is this demand for preprocessed, fast, qick and made from some high out put operation with profits not love as the motivation. We need to get back to the slower and gentiler way of life and the old recipies made from scrate and love.

I agree! Some things are nice to have done quickly, like dry cleaning! Other things should be steeped in tradition and fill the house with wonderful aromas all afternoon.

Truth be told, we start baking pumpkin pies in October. Making some pumpkin puree is a great way to keep the other pumpkins in line before you carve them all up for Halloween.

No No No - THIS is how we make Pumpkin Pies!



Sorry TK - just couldn't resist!

Hahahaha SusieBoo!

Cinders: I googled sugar pumpkin and they look just like a regular pumpkin but smaller...at least from the outside. This is the pumpkin that's available here. Does it look ok to make puree with?

Originally Posted by HallowSusieBoo

No No No - THIS is how we make Pumpkin Pies!



Sorry TK - just couldn't resist!

That is toooo cute!! Love it!
TK421, I was getting hungry when I read your post, I've never tried making my own pie, but my uncle does it really well- lots of spices.

My only addition to this would be to definitely go with a little pure vanilla extract in with the sugar when making your real whipped cream- makes all the difference!

HallowSusieBoo, that is hysterical! I love it!

MsMeeple: That pumpkin is different than the ones I see out here, but that doesn't mean its not a pie pumpkin. I don't know if you can really tell just by looking at the insides, but it does seem to have a lot of good flesh there. I say you should just go for it, and if it makes good puree then you'll know what to look for, and if not. . .you can just take your frustrations out on another one and slash it up and stick a candle in it!

If Halloween is not too popular in the Netherlands, maybe the small pumpkins you find there are more geared toward eating.

Maybe someone else can chime in here, especially TK, who grows pumpkins and makes pie. The last time I used a real pumpkin for pie it was all stringy, and though it looked like the pie type, it obviously was not. I may want to try it again if I can find any now that are inexpensive.