Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Every year I make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.  No canned pumpkin here – just fresh, delicious goodness.  I get asked a lot how I make them, and it’s really not too hard, so I thought I’d share my recipe.  This year’s pie wasn’t the prettiest to look at, but it sure tasted good.

 

First, prepare the pumpkin. 

I usually do this around Halloween time,since that is when most of the pumpkins are in the stores.  It’s actually harder to find them close to Thanksgiving.  If you can get your hands on some sweet sugar pumpkins (aka “pie” pumpkins), then get those.  The flesh is a little sweeter and less stringy.  But if all you have is some regular carving pumpkins, that can work too.  This year I cooked 6 sugar pumpkins, which gave me about 6 cups of pumpkin puree.  I use some for pumpkin pie, and save the rest for pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup and any other delicious pumpkin food you like.  You can freeze the pumpkin puree for a few months while you use it up.  On a side note, if you like to can your food, you can do it with pumpkin chunks but sadly not the puree.  If you want more information about canning pumpkin for later use (you could just can the chunks and puree them later), check out the Blue Book, which is the bible for all things canning related.

First, wash your pumpkin. 

 

Then I cut mine into fourths and scoop out the insides.  Place pulp side up on a foil lined (for easier cleanup) baking sheet.  Brush lightly with vegetable oil (or other mild tasting oil). 

 

Cook at 350 degrees until soft, about an hour.  Then let cool and scoop the meat off the skin.  Put the meat in the food processor and process until it is smooth and creamy, just like the canned stuff.  I usually do this in batches so I don’t overfill the food processor.  This can work with a blender or food mill also, but a food processor is the easiest and gives the smoothest results, in my opinion.

Now you can freeze the pumpkin puree until you need it, or keep it in the fridge for a day or two if you’re going to use it right away.

 

Second, the crust.

When you are ready to make your pie, assemble your pie crust.  My recipe makes enough crust for about 4-5 crusts, depending on the size.  I also roll out the extra crusts and freeze them for later.  Also, my food processor can only hold half the crust mixture at a time, so I use half the recipe at ta time and make two batches.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. white sugar

1 cup (or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold (I pop mine in the freezer for about 30 minutes)

1 cup (or 1 stick) butter flavor crisco

1 egg

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 cup cold water (may need more depending on humidity and temperature)

Directions:

Beat the egg in a measuring cup.  Add vinegar and enough cold water to make one cup of liquid.  In a large food processor, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Cut up the crisco and butter into small cubes and add in several batches to the dry ingredients.  Pulse 3-4 times after each addition.  Mixture should be crumbly after it is all added in.  Add the liquid ingredients and pulse a few more times.  If the dough is too dry, add enough additional water to make a soft ball of dough.  Shape dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

 

Finally, the pie.  This is pretty easy.  Make the filling.  Roll out a crust and put it in a 9 inch pie plate.  Fill, cook and eat.  Yummy!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cup evaporated milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine first nine ingredients.  Beat well.  Add evaporated milk and combine.  Fill pie crust with mixture.  Bake for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Continue baking for about 30-40 minutes, or until the middle is just set and still a tiny jiggly.  Cool on a wire cooling rack.  Top with whipped cream, if you want.  Serve and eat.

 

Churros

I found a recipe for these online and wanted to try them. I love churros. They remind me of spending time in Mexico when I was young. These are a pretty good approximation of the originals.

Recipe

From Rockin' Robin's Cooking Mexican Recipes

1 cup water
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup white flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, depending on taste

Tips
Make sure your oil is hot, otherwise you may end up with soggy churros. The easiest way to squeeze the churros is to use one of the frosting decorator tools. Use the biggest star tip you have. They make your churros look like the kind you buy.

Directions

Preheat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a 10 to 12 inch frying pan to 375 degrees F. In a separate dish mix the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

In a 3 qt. sauce pan add the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter and heat to a good boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour. Stirring in the flour will take some muscle. Mix it in until well blended.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla together and then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until well blended and all the egg is completely mixed in.

Fill your decorating tool with the churro recipe dough and attach the largest star tip you have.

Test your oil by placing a small amount of dough in it. The dough should bubble up right away or that means the oil is not hot enough and a soggy churro is on the way.

Once the oil is hot enough, squeeze some dough (with decorator) into the oil about 4 inches long. I used my finger to release the dough from the decorator. Careful not to burn yourself. You should be able to cook 4 or 5 churros at a time. Cook them about 1 minute and turn them over with a slotted spoon. Cook an additional minute or two. You're looking for that nice golden brown color.

Remove the churros with the slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-covered plate to absorb excess grease. While still warm, roll each churro into the dish with the sugar and cinnamon until coated.