Suzanne's Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

2 cups of pumpkin pulp pur?e from a sugar pumpkin* or from canned pumpkin pur?e1 1/2 cup heavy cream or 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar1/3 cup white sugar1/2 teaspoon salt2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg2 teaspoons of cinnamon1 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest1 good crust (see p?te bris?e recipe)

* To make pumpkin pur?e from a sugar pumpkin: start with a small-medium sugar pumpkin, cut out the stem and scrape out the insides, discard (save the seeds, of course). Cut the pumpkin in half and lay cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with silpat or aluminum foil. Bake at 350?F until fork tender, about an hour to an hour and a half. Remove from oven, let cool, scoop out the pulp. (Alternatively you can cut the pumpkin into sections and steam in a saucepan with a couple inches of water at the bottom, until soft.) If you want the pulp to be extra smooth, put it through a food mill or chinois.

1 Preheat oven to 425?F.

2 Mix sugars, salt, and spices, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in the pumpkin pur?e. Stir in cream. Whisk all together until well incorporated.

3 Pour into pie shell and bake at 425?F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the temperature to 350?F. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

4 Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.

Serve with whipped cream.

Yield: Serves 8.

View the original article here

Read More

Pumpkin Gingerbread

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups (200 g) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup (240 ml) pumpkin purée*

1/2 cup (1 stick, or 112 g) butter, melted

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 Tbsp finely minced candied or fresh ginger (optional)

2 eggs, beaten3 Tbsp water

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

* To make pumpkin purée from pieces of leftover pumpkin, just roast or boil the pieces until tender, then remove the skin. Smash the cooked pumpkin with a fork. If using a whole pumpkin, sugar pumpkins work best. Cut in half, scoop out the strings and seeds, bake the pumpkin halves at 350°F on a foil-lined baking pan until soft, about 45 minutes to an hour. When cool, scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork.

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray or butter to keep the pumpkin gingerbread from sticking to the pan.

2 In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3 In another bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the pumpkin pur?e, melted butter, sugar, molasses, fresh or candied ginger, eggs, and water.

4 Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the raisins if using. Stir only until incorporated.

5 Place the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then gently run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert the loaf to remove it from the pan. Let it cool on a rack for 30 minutes or longer.

The loaf's flavor will improve with time. If you cut into it while it is still a bit warm, it may be crumbly. In which case you may want to make your slices with a bread knife.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

Read More