Cooking: How to Make Pumpkin Pie from Real Pumpkin (Gluten Free)
Okay, so it may be out of season for pumpkin pie, yes. However I still wanted to share this recipe. Who needs seasons, anyway? I used to really not like pumpkins, or pumpkin pie, or anything of the sort when I was younger. But one day last year for some reason I just really wanted a pumpkin pie.
It sounded challenging, and I was up for a challenge that night. My mom always makes what we like to call "a pie per person" at Thanksgiving. We had the usuals - pumpkin, mince meat, apple, and cherry, but there were always a few extra other flavors as well, depending on what was available and what my mom felt like making. We would eat pie for days!
Now that my parents live in Michigan and my siblings live in Virginia (I'm the only one in the Carolinas now) it's hard and I've been trying to learn how to make them all so I can keep up the tradition. So, since my family wasn't around the day I wanted pumpkin pie, I ended up making it for the company Thanksgiving potluck (my coworkers are always the taste-testers for my experiments, thank goodness for them!). And I decided when I made it that I wanted to make it from real pumpkin.
I found a bunch of recipes online for pumpkin pie (pretty common in America, right?) and there were aspects of each one that I liked, but either I didn't have the ingredients I needed or I didn't like the ingredients. The other problem was that it was hard to find one with a gluten free crust. So I kind of mishmashed the ingredients that I liked together - and came out with a beautiful, delicious, rich-like-it-should-be pumpkin pie that had a gluten free crust. And now I want to share the recipe with you! Please, try it when pumpkins are back in season and let me know how you like it too!
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Cook Time
Helpful Hint
Adjust the spices as you see fit. Some people may not like as much spice in their pie and some people may like more! It's all a matter of your personal preference!
Ingredients
- 1 small pie pumpkin, small
- 2 medium eggs or equivalent egg substitute
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 bag Breads from Anna Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix, and listed ingredients, OR
- 1 container Pillsbury Gluten Free Pie and Pastry Dough
- sunflower oil
For the Pie Crust
- Make the crust according to the directions on the back of the bag. I highly recommend Breads from Anna's Pie Crust Mix as it provides an amazing contrast in taste between the pumpkin filling and the crust. It is really easy to use and set into a pan for baking, and can be rolled out with a rolling pin without falling apart.
- If you don't like this crust or can't find it, I also recommend Pillsbury's Gluten Free Pie Crust and Pastry Dough - this stuff bakes really well and tastes great! Follow the directions on the back of the container.
- Once your pie crust is made, pop it in the oven to bake a little bit, then take it out after about 10 minutes or whatever is listed in the mix's instructions. Your pie crust is ready for the filling!
For the Pumpkin Filling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a knife and carefully cut the stem off of the pumpkin like you would if you were carving it, except slightly closer to the stem but still making a big enough hold to stick a spoon inside.
- Take the stem off and throw it away. Scoop out the inside of the pumpkin with a spoon as if you were going to carve it.
- Cut the pumpkin in half after scooping, then cut into pieces and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle the pumpkin pieces with sunflower oil. Then sprinkle cinnamon to taste over the pieces. Make sure to coat as evenly as possible.
- Bake the pieces for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your pieces (if they are kind of big, such as cut in quarters, they will need a little bit more time. The pieces will be ready for removal from the oven when they are soft when pressed with a spoon, are slightly darker than when you first put them in, and the pumpkin skin appears to be a little hard. When you have taken the pieces out of the oven, set the oven higher for 400 degrees.
- Let the pumpkin pieces cool after removal from the oven for about 15 minutes before handling.
- Peel the pumpkin from its skin with a spoon once cool enough to handle, and place into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour the pumpkin into a separate bowl and whisk in cream, egg, sugar, and spices.
- Pour mixture into pie crust. Pop pie crust into the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, then lower the heat to 325 and bake for about 45-50 minutes.
- If you would like to make a delicious garnish for the pumpkin pie, top with homemade vanilla whipped cream by following this recipe: taking 1 cup of heavy cream and whip on high with a stand or hand mixer until peaks begin to form. (You can do this by hand but it will take a while!) Reduce speed to medium and add in 1 tbsp granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. YUM!
Did You Make My Pumpkin Pie?
I love to hear about suggestions and variations to recipes - I think it adds a lot to really create a great recipe! If you make this pumpkin pie this year, PLEASE let me know how it turns out or if you did anything differently. I can't wait to hear from you!
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