Friday, October 17, 2008

Boiled Pumpkin Equals Fresh Pumpkin for Recipes

My boyfriend will only eat pumpkin pies with Fresh Pumpkin. He can tell the difference. Only the past year or two have I even attempted making a Pumpkin Pie. Tedious chore, labor of LOVE for Robby's Favorite Birthday and Holiday dessert. Fresh Pumpkin and homemade pie crust are a must, too. Bottom line, only Pumpkin Pies made by his Mom, Diane are the best. Hands down, Di is the Queen of the Pumpkin Pie.


Here is what you need.


One Large Jack O' Lantern Pumpkin uncarved.
A large stock pot
Water
Cuisinart
Ziploc bags
Sharpie Marker


Clean your pumpkin with soap and water. Rinse well and dry it. Carefully cut the top off of your pumpkin. Remove seeds and set aside if you want to roast them later. Using a bread knife, saw into the pumpkin. I usually cut 6 to 8 slabs, and then I cut the slabs into smaller chunks. Toss the chunks into your stock pot filled with water. Put the pot on the stove and cook until the pieces are fork tender. Sorry, I have not timed it. I do other things while my pumpkin is boiling, so check them periodically. Once pumpkin chunks are fork tender take them off the stove and drain them. Allow them to cool. Once pumpkin chunks are cooled, take a paring knife and cut the skin from the the chunks. (the first time I ever made pies, I called Robby's sister to ask how this process is done, she gave me directions. I did not write them down. I got to the cooled point, called her to double check and asked do I peel the skin from the chunks? She said No, thinking I was going to peel them before boiling. Anyway, I tried to run them through the Cuisinart and the skins would NOT blend up. My pies were made with the skins. People ate them though.) Process the chunks in the Cuisinart. Measure two cups of Pumpkin puree per bag or however much you see fit. I do two cups for pumpkin bread and pumpkin pies. Label your bags with the Sharpie.

Freeze them and use them for all your Holiday baking or for a Harvest Pumpkin Soup!

2 comments:

Monroegirl said...

Okay, THAT is love! I always thought the canned pumpkin was just fine! Who is this guy, Emeril?! HAHA! LOVE the recipes! Keep 'em coming!

jmisgro said...

I have made pumpkin pie using fresh pumpkin. We used neck pumpkins.
I found a photo of one on this blog. http://knittedgems.blogspot.com/2007/10/homemade-pumpkin.html
I have never tried it with a jack o lantern pumkin. Maybe I will have to try that!