Think Pumpkin!
Perhaps you bought some pumpkins at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market to use as fall decorations. If you bought some small pumpkins you might want to turn these sweet varieties into pie. Why buy canned pumpkin when you can easily make your own pumpkin puree for a pie?
To do so, first cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. Baked pumpkin seeds make a great snack, so save them. If you don’t mind cutting the skin off the pumpkin, chunks of pumpkin will steam or boil in about 15 minutes.
Otherwise, place the pumpkin halves flesh side down on a baking tray, add about ½ cup water, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until the flesh is tender. Allow pumpkin to cool then scrape flesh from skin.
Puree pumpkin in a food processor or put through a ricer or food mill. Place in a sieve lined with cheese cloth and allow excess liquid to drain off. Use the pumpkin puree in your homemade pumpkin pie. If you have extra pumpkin puree, freeze it.
Like all winter squash, pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamin A. One slice of pumpkin pie provides 180% of the daily value for vitamin A.
Pumpkin Pie
1- 9 inch pie crust
2 cups pumpkin* puree
2 large eggs*
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup half-and-half
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pumpkin in a large bowl. Add eggs and whisk together.
In a small bowl combine the spices and salt with brown sugar. Add to pumpkin and egg mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Stir in half-and-half. Pour into pie shell.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition per serving: 260 calories, 6 g fat, 200mg sodium, 37g carbohydrate, 4g protein, 180% DV vitamin A.
This market recipe appears courtesy of Diane Whitten at Cornell Cooperative Extension and The Saratogian. Ingredients marked with an asterisk (*) are available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.
For information about food and nutrition, contact Diane Whitten at Cornell Cooperative Extension at 885-8995 or email dwhitten@cornell.edu.
