Never, ever would I have tackled a pumpkin pie from anything other than a can. And honestly barely that – store-bought is perfectly fine for me. When my daughter asked if we could attempt making a fresh pumpkin pie – out of a pumpkin – I was not having it. I am not a baker. But like the carving of the jack o’ lantern, my motherly guilt-ridden instincts took over and a “yes” beat the “no” in my answer. When my husband and son heard about our autumn antics, they actually both looked utterly confused and asked the same question: “You can make pumpkin pie out of a pumpkin?”
My daughter was behind this baking scheme and took complete control. I was not really her accomplice; I would say I was there for moral support. And of course kitchen-clean up and damage control. But first we needed “the great pumpkin.”
At the farm we wandered through the various pumpkin bins in search of a “bakeable” pumpkin. We must have looked bewildered because the owner made her way over to us and asked “Can I help you with something?” .We told her we were looking to bake a pie, and with that she confidently claimed that the cheese pumpkin was what we were looking for, insisting they make the best pies. We had never heard of a cheese pumpkin so we jumped at her direction.
The process wasn’t all that difficult (easy for me to say). Not sure we would do it again – the canned pumpkin is really just as good if not better. But it’s a festive fall activity and makes for a memorable experience. Definitely worth trying at least once in a lifetime.
We followed a recipe we found on Allrecipes.com (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13711/homemade-fresh-pumpkin-pie/).
Pumpkin Pie
One 9-inch pie crust
2 cups mashed, cooked pie pumpkin 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
2 large eggs, beaten ¾ cup packed brown sugar 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ½ teaspoon salt
For the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove the stem from the pumpkin and scrape out the insides, discarding the seeds. Cut the pumpkin in quarters and lay the pieces on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Scoop out the pulp from the roasted pumpkin and puree in a food processor until smooth (you should have about 4 cups). Let cool.
For the filling: Beat pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Bake for about one hour. Let cool.
We served it with either whipped cream or Honey Cinnamon ice cream from Magic Fountain in Mattituck (if you haven’t tried this yet get in your car and start driving). The texture was a bit grainier than I’m used to, but it was really delicious. Well done.
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