Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Multiply the ingredients as required (I often make six pies at once).

The Pumpkin

Any pumpkin, preferably a sugar pumpkin (a sweet variety) or a can of commercial product 2 cups.

Cut a fresh pumpkin in half and clean out the seeds and debris to the pulp. Invert the halves on cookie sheets and bake in the oven 300-400, 30 minutes (size dependant) until soft. Blend the pumpkin pulp in a food processor or mash it manually. 

The Shell

Pate Brisee or a Pate Sucree (fancy French names for pie crust)

Here the idea is to mix flour and fat evenly so that it balls on its own, about pea size balls. If this is your first time working with pie crust you should have the proper tools; a pastry cutter, a canvas to roll the dough on and a proper rolling pin, cloth covered is optional. Once you have mixed the fat salt and flour you can store this mixture for up to a week in the refrigerator. I can not store this for a week as I omit the salt (personal preference). Now that your pastry is forming clumps on its own mix the measure of water or egg in and roll the dough out. After you have added water or egg you can no longer store this for a week in the refrigerator. Water will give you a more difficult time rolling out the pastry but will give you the flakey crust, egg will give you a pastry easier to roll that will brown but will be firmer and not flakey. When rolling, add flour to the roller and the canvas to prevent the pastry from sticking during the rolling process. When ready roll the pie crust on the roller using the canvass to pull it up on the roller. Then roll it out on the pie plate pushing the pastry down as you roll it out on to the plate. Finally on the crust: a Pate Brisee is as described above, to make it a Pate Sucree, add a table spoon of sugar and decrease salt to taste. Or buy a pre made pie shell at your local market

Pie Shell Ingredients

• Flour 2 cups.
• Salt ½ teaspoon and/or Sugar 1 table spoon.
• Butter (unsalted), lard or vegetable shortening ½ cup.
• Cold water or beaten egg 5 table spoons.

Once the pie shells are made in the pie plates they store well in the freezer for months.

The Filling

Put these ingredients together, break the yolks but don’t beat this mix to death ( no machine) make sure you didn’t leave the sugar on the bottom when filling your pie shells. On the spices; grate cinnamon sticks, chop cloves and grate fresh ginger. Spices are best ground freshly.

• Pumpkin 2 cups
• Cream or Evaporated whole milk.1.5 cups
• White sugar ½ cup
• Brown sugar ¼ cup
• Cinnamon1 teaspoon
• Ginger ½ teaspoon
• Allspice ¼ teaspoon
• Nutmeg ¼ teaspoon
• Cloves ½ teaspoon

On Cooking

Pre heat oven to 425, place the pies in and then reduce the heat after the pie rises to 325. The pie will fully rise in about a half hour ( the center will be higher than the sides). Then finish the pie at 325 for another half hour. To check the pie insert a tooth pick or sharp implement in the center of the pie, when it is ready it will come out clean of the filling.

Enjoy with fresh whipped cream!

———-

This recipe was provided by Richard Pattee of North Studio Web Design