Now that I am nearly half a century old, I have finally gotten up the nerve to try baking from scratch. The following recipe allowed me to create pumpkin pie from a pumpkin! My pies turned out both beautiful and tasty!
Things you will need for crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening-I used real butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ice water
Mix together flour and salt. Cut the shortening or butter into the flour using two butter knives or a pastry knife.
Add enough ice water, very slowly, to hold dough together. Chill in fridge for half hour. Roll out until 1/4 inch thick. be sure to spray pie plates with non-stick spray before lining them. Makes two crusts.
Things you will need for filling:
2/3 cup brown sugar – golden brown
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 small pumpkin-see above picture
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup light cream
I began by cutting my pumpkin in two equal halves and removing strings and seeds. I cleaned the seeds and tossed them with vegetable oil and salt. Then I put the seeds on cookie sheet and baked them at 350 for 30 minutes, give or take, until they were a nice golden brown. Be sure to stir up seeds at least once, and you have a yummy traditional treat!
Then take the two pumpkin halves and place them face up on the same sheet you used to bake the seeds. (This is after you have removed the cooked seeds and are eating them!) I made some scratches and poke marks inside of pumpkin with a fork and then put maple syrup in them before putting into oven. Bake the two halves for about 30 to 45 minutes until te “meat of the pumpkin is soft. Remove the pumpkin from oven, allow to cool slightly and use a large metal spoon to scrape the pumpkin from the rind into a bowl.
Mix sugar, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. I used my Kitchen Aid mixer. Lightly beat the eggs and then add them to spice mixture along with the pumpkin, milk and cream. Put the filling in your pie shells and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 and bake an additional 40 minutes. Use a butter knife inserted into center of pie to determine if it is done. the knife will come out clean when filling is finished cooking. Remove pies from oven and cool on wire rack. Store in refrigerator.
Be sure to have a whipped cream available when serving. Enjoy!
