How to Use a Pie Pumpkin
What do you do with an Heirloom Pie Pumpkin?!
There are many delicious possibilities!
Roast the pumpkin and eat with maple syrup or honey, use pureed pumpkin in all types of desserts and fall foods or preserve the pumpkin for eating all winter long. The most common use is making pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie, but this pumpkin is great for all types of sweet and savory recipes.
Most pumpkin recipes use pureed pumpkin, and that is easy to make (see below)! But you can also dice, mash, or use whole.
For a full step by step guide and video tutorial on making pumpkin puree, click here. Or read below for a short summary.
Roasting the Pumpkin:
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy insides.
Pro Tip! Use a sharp knife. If you don’t remember the last time it was sharpened… sharpen it before trying to cut a pumpkin! Then carefully use the tip of the knife to pierce the pumpkin and then slice around the rest of the pumpkin. I demonstrate this in my video - click here.
Place the pumpkin, cut edges down, on a baking sheet with edges.
Depending on the size of the pumpkin it will need to roast for 1-2 hours. After about an hour use a fork to check if the pumpkin is soft. Continue checking every 15 minutes until soft.
Separate the pumpkin flesh from the skin. I let the pumpkin cool enough to handle and then scoop the pumpkin off the skin with a spoon.
If needed, add the pumpkin to a saucepan and cook it until very soft. If the pumpkin is already soft enough from baking, you can skip this step.
Run the pumpkin through a food mill or blender to puree the pumpkin. If the pumpkin seems ‘watery’ you can continue to cook it down in a saucepan to remove some moisture. The final water content level can affect baking times and recipe results. Aim for a thick puree.
The pumpkin puree is ready to use fresh or preserve. It freezes well!
You can use this puree for MANY recipes, sweet and savory. This includes cookies, muffins, bread, pumpkin fluff dip, soup, risotto, pie, hummus, pasta and more!
Baking a Pumpkin Pie:
This recipe makes two traditional pumpkin pies.
Ingredients:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups pureed pumpkin at room temperature
¾ white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice blend (The original recipe calls for 1 t. cinnamon and 1/8 t. cloves)
12 ounces of evaporated milk
Two pie crusts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 F. Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Place your pie crusts into your pie pans, trim and decorate edges. Place the EMPTY pie crust into the oven, THEN pour in the filling. This prevents spilling the filling all over the floor!! Bake for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F and bake an additional 45-50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. The pie will ‘setup’ as it cools but should be fairly firm before removing from oven. Cool for at least two hours before serving. Store the pie in the refrigerator.
Tips: You can use a pie crust shield or foil to cover the edges of the pie to prevent the crust from burning or drying out too much. Place a baking sheet on the rack below the pie to catch any drips in the event the pie bubbles over.
This pie goes well with real whipped cream and a cup of coffee!!
Recipe adapted from the original Roundtop Farms Heirloom Pie Pumpkin Recipe given to me by my grandparents. The heirloom pie pumpkin seeds were also passed down to me, originating with my great great grandmother. I hope you truly enjoy this pie pumpkin experience!! God Bless. – The Heirloom Farmer
