All kinds of pumpkins can be used to cook with to make this, our best pumpkin pie recipe. The best ones have the least interior fibre. We baked pumpkin pies after our 2018 squash trial using Galeux d’Eysines – and they were GOOD. Before you can use your pumpkin as an ingredient, it needs to be rendered down from a big orange fruit into usable pumpkin puree. One pumpkin will produce quite a lot of puree, so work in batches, and simply freeze any leftovers. We like to pour leftover puree into ziplock bags, which can then be stored in the deep freeze for winter use.
1. Cut pumpkin in half, and scoop out all the seeds, sparing as much of the flesh as possible. Cut the seeded flesh into workable sized pieces, and remove the skin of each with a sharp knife.
2. Steam batches of peeled pumpkin chunks in a double steamer over one inch of water for 30 minutes each batch. You should be able to easily pierce them with a fork once they’re ready.
3. Once cooked, transfer to a food processor or blender, and puree.
4. Pour the puree back into a saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until nearly all the water content has evaporated out. Pumpkin tastes best when it has just begun to scorch – but be careful not to let it burn.
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
Have ready one 9” pastry shell, homemade or store bought.
In a large bowl, mix:
2 eggs
¾ cup brown sugar
5 oz evaporated milk
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon powdered ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons hot rum (heated in a saucepan)
Once these ingredients are blended smooth, stir in:
1 ½ cup cooked pumpkin puree
¼ cup half & half cream
Pour mixture into your pie shell. Bake at preheated temperature for 15 minutes, then lower oven to 300°F (150°C), and cook for a further 30 minutes. Watch for the filling to completely coagulate, except for a small circle in the middle. Remove to a cooling rack and allow pie to cool for at least 2 hours. Refrigerate.
