Pumpkin Pie

Sincere Pie



Although my mother taught all her children to cook, I don't recall anything of my siblings' efforts -- with one exception. When Loren was 11 or 12 he decided one Halloween to make pumpkin pie from the Jack-o-Lantern. I've no idea what prompted him. And I vaguely recall my mother trying to talk him out of it (at 11 he'd have needed a lot of help). But he was determined.

I don't recall the results of his efforts either, but I suspect that given the fact that it wasn't a cooking pumpkin it wasn't very good. At any rate, it was a one-time deal.

I don't recall if I've ever made a pumpkin pie, though I'm sure I've never made one starting with a raw pumpkin. But for some reason I formed the urge to make a pumpkin pie from scratch this fall, so I bought a cooking pumpkin, researched recipes, and made a pie to go with my Cheddar Chowder.

It turned out ok, if not great. The pumpkin was a bit bland, but tasted fresher than any pumpkin pie I remember eating. The spices weren't assertive enough, either, and I've tweaked the amounts in the recipe below. I added some rum and really liked it. For a topping, I whipped cream with maple syrup and that was really good with the pie.

Even though this effort wasn't great, I think I'll try it again using the recipe below on Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Pie

2 c pumpkin puree (see below)
1/2 c heavy cream
3 ea eggs
1/2 c light brown sugar, tightly packed
1/4 c rum
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 pinch ground cloves
1 ea 9" pie shell

Heat oven to 375F.

Whisk together cream, eggs, sugar, rum, and spices. Thoroughly mix in pumpkin puree. Pour into pie shell and set on lower middle rack in oven.

Cook 40 minutes or longer until center is set. Cool on rack for two hours. Top with maple whipped cream. Serves eight.

Maple Whipped Cream

1 c whipping cream
2 tbsp maple syrup

Whip cream to soft peaks. Gradually whip in maple syrup and continue whipping until cream is stiff.

Pumpkin Puree

1 ea 4 lb sugar pumpkin

Heat oven to 350F.

Cut pumpkin in half crosswise. Scoop out seeds and pith. Place pumpkin halves cut-side down in a roasting pan and add 1 1/2" of water to pan. Bake 60 - 90 minutes until pumpkin is very soft. Allow to cool.

Scoop flesh into a food processor and process until smooth. Scoop puree into a sieve and set over a bowl to drain for at least one hour.

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