It's pumpkin season again, which means fresh pumpkin pies, cakes, and toasty salted seeds. Homemade pumpkin puree is, of course, far superior to the canned version, and fresh roasted pumpkin has a depth and a sweetness that comes through even in baked goods.
Here's a couple different methods for making your own puree for pumpkin pies. Look for small sugar pumpkins, or "pie pumpkins." The large jack-o-lantern types are too stringy and watery.
First, split the pumpkin in half and scrape out seeds and strings with a spoon. Reserve the seeds for toasting!
Method 1: Spray the two halves with baking spray oil, then put them upside down in a baking dish. Bake at 350ºF for about an hour, depending on the size of your pumpkin, until the flesh inside is very soft. This can take up to 90 minutes. Scrape the flesh out of the halves and run through a food processor until smooth.
Method 2: Cut the cleaned pumpkin into quarters and place them pumpkin side up, rind down, in a baking dish. Bake at 350ºF for 45-60 minutes. Scrape off the flesh and whiz through a food processor until smooth.
The first method gives a slightly softer texture, while the second gives a darker, more roasted flavor to the pumpkin, which I prefer, personally.
After the the pumpkin has been pureed, it will stay good in the fridge for up to three days. It can also be frozen for several months.
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Then what? Do you pour it into a pie crust and bake?
Having all these gourds around is so lovely for looks and cooking. I made two rounds of fresh pumpkin soup already this year, and it really hits the spot.
Pumpkin tastes great; it's underused. Hunter Cashdollar
What's the usual pie-pumpkin pound to puree ratio? I need to know if I should roast & puree just the one I have or if I need to do two for my pie recipe.
ap - the rule of thumb I use is slightly under a cup of puree for each pound of pumpkin. So to get the 1 3/4 cup you would find in a standard 15 oz. can of commercially packed puree, you would need a 2-lb pumpkin.
Usually the pumpkins I buy are 3-4 pounds, so I find that 1 pumpkin will yield quite enough for my recipe plus leftovers.
I agree, the darker roast is nicer. I prefer to use a food mill instead of the food processor. It gets any bits of stringy stuff out instead of chopping it up. And you don't need to spray any oil if you have a Silpat.
faith -- thank you!
I have a pie pumpkin from my CSA basket and I think I will be making my own puree and pie this weekend! It sounds like I have more than enough for a pie.
I also like the sound of the darker roast, although I don't have a food mill. Whenever I used canned pumpkin I always ran it through my food processor anyway to eliminate the strings, so hopefully it will work fine with the fresh pumpkin.
Pumpkin soup sounds good for the leftovers or for sustenance while I'm baking...
love love love pumpkin puree! salt & pepper the puree and sub for mashed potatoes. also great mixed half and half with mashed potatoes or turnips.
"First, split the pumpkin in half ..."
six small words that are sure to perplex and terrify newcomers to the glorious world of winter squashes. There are two ways to split a pumpkin without going all lizzie borden on the thing.
1. throw it off a balcony.
2. Use the rubber mallet from your tool box to tap the biggest knife you've got into the pumpkin. Once the top of the knife is flush with the top of the pumpkin, you can usually lift up the pumpkin with the knife and gently thump it down on the cutting board, driving the knife further into the pumpkin.
I just made a big batch of pumpkin puree (I used the first method)! Mine went into a pumpkin pie recipe, but there are plenty of other approaches. A friend and I recently made the pumpkin, chocolate chip, walnut cookies from the Moosehead cookbook, which were very cake-y and wonderful. Other good uses for pumpkin: soups, cakes, pancakes, pasta fillings, muffins. I'm sure the list goes on. One thing to note, though. If you save the puree in the fridge, you have to use it relatively quickly. It keeps longer in the fridge, but it would be worthwhile to freeze it in 1 cup, or 1 1/2 cup portions (rather than just a tub of all the puree from one pumpkin).
One question-- why is homemade pumpkin "of course" superior to canned? I like the homemade pumpkin, but I've heard people say that canned is just as good or better. I'm just curious.
Sorry-- I mean the Moosewood cookbook.
For a fun twist--how's about pumpkin gnocchi?! About 2 lbs of pumpkin (pureed/mashed) kneaded with about 1 - 1 1/2 c. flour and an egg or two. (or if you want to get all technical about it--there's a recipe for pumpkin gnocci on the food network website from an Emeril Lagasse show!)
pumpkin sweet empanadas:
http://cookierecipes101.com/pumpkinempanada.htm
v - my experience with canned puree has been it tends to be watery, a little sour, and sometimes bitter. I generally assume that fresh is better! :-) But I don't think this is invariably the case; there are probably some better brands out there.
anna, that's hilarious. So true. That's another reason I look for small pumpkins: they usually can be cut easily with my big chef's knife.
If any of you take pictures of your final pumpkin baking send them along!
Awesome -- I made puree & pumpkin pie today (using a Cook's Illustrated recipe) using method #2 for roasting the pumpkin. It was really excellent & I have one cup of puree left to decide what to do with tomorrow!
Thanks for the tips & inspiration!
Well, we tried making pumpkin puree and it was fun, but the filling turned out to be watery - which surprised me because the baking process should have removed the water (and the tooth pick test was used). I have one more frozen container of puree left (about 1 1/2 cups), and would like to use it if possible, but I need to get rid of more moisture. Any suggestions?
Some of the ideas I'm considering are to thaw, place in a cheesecloth bag, and try to squeeze out more water. Another idea is to thaw and then treat it the way one does mashed potatoes - dry it in a large pan under low heat for a few minutes, then cool before making the filling.
While on the subject of getting the water out of pumpkin puree, I found the use sieves and coffee filters too much work and too ineffective. One method I may consider is to use a cheesecloth lined colander set in a pie plate, and place in the refrigerator. This method will increase the surface area for better drainage. The other idea is to remove the pumpkin from the shell while it is still warm, place it in a sauce pan on low for a few minutes, and let the water evaporate. Any thoughts on these ideas?
Notably,a primary reason the Dept. of Agriculture's food home economists do not recommend freezing pumpkin puree, is due to the variability among pumpkins' water content . I have found pie pumpkins--the small ones--to be far moister than the jack-o-lantern types.
To squish the water out try using a rolling pin after mascerating the product on a cutting board with a french chef knife. Place the board over a jellyroll pan crosswise as you roll to catch the drippings. This technique lets you put your larger shoulder muscles to work hence not as tiring as mashing the puree through a seive.
I favor the manual method over the equipment-lade n one due to the messiness of transferring alot of product back and forth. One can also resort to reducing the puree on the stove for a time as pastes are made, but the more the pumpkin is subjected to heat the less nutrient value remains. However, if you've opted to stew the raw pumpkin in the first place, this is a reasonable technique. You might put the question to the Ag's extension service at any of the states' sites. Then a professional could advise you if you've the time.
I microwaved my pumpkin to make the puree, and then baked bread. Saved time and energy, and it was still delicious! Step by step photos here: http://www.quitecurious.com/pumpkin-cake/
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