Pumpkin Pie From Scratch

For me, holidays are always a connection to the past.  It’s a time for remembering.  Of course holidays connect me to my grandparents and the family I remember; but they also make me relate with the generations of people who came before us.  There’s a rhythm and a tradition that really makes me feel like I am part of a bigger alliance of humanity against the darkness that would be here without us.

I like to do at least one thing at each holiday that people before me may have done.  I usually find that similarity through food.  We have such long, interesting relationship with food.  The history of what we eat today is so long and complicated.  There is evidence that people may have started eating pumpkins in North America almost 6000 years ago, though at the time people may have only eaten the seeds.  Pumpkins used to be too bitter to eat, but when we started growing them as a crop, they changed enough to make them edible. [1] 

I think of the European colonists when I think of pumpkins.  I think of the bravery they had to come to a new land with none of the comforts of home.  They got on a boat that may not even make the trip, with almost nothing to built a home and a culture they couldn’t find where they were.  Many of them had to be dependent on the the generosity of others, and have faith that things would work out for them.  Today, I think of the people who have signed up to be the first to go to Mars.  I think about the fact that I don’t think I could take that journey, but I am here today because of people in my past who made a similar decision.

 

At the feast we think of as the first Thanksgiving, they likely did not eat pumpkin pie.  The Plymouth colony probably did not have any sugar left. The tribe of people who were teaching the colonists how to survive did use pumpkins and other squash.  They were one of the things that would have kept best over the winter.

Originally, the idea of pumpkin pie would not have included a pie crust.  The flour didn’t last any longer than the sugar.  But the colonists did have access to wild honey, milk, and local spices.  The pumpkin seeds and guts could have been removed, and the whole pumpkin roasted in the coals with the other ingredients to make a delicious dessert similar to the filling we use in pumpkin pies today. [2]

My mother in law hosted Thanksgiving this year, so I decided to help out with dessert.  I decided since I had very few other responsibilities that this would be a great holiday to try out making a pumpkin pie from scratch.  First, I got my hands on a sugar pumpkin.  It was about the size of a cantaloupe.

• 1 pie crust (Here is my recipe for two pie crusts; you can make pie crust cookies or make a second pie)

I did one thing very differently than they did in the 1500’s.  I was having such a hard time cutting the top of the pumpkin off.  I don’t know if I just had a really tough pumpkin or if they are all this difficult, but I was afraid that I would cut myself if I kept trying.  It was more difficult than any jack o lantern I’ve ever carved.  So, I took a tip I learned from cooking squash and popped it in the microwave for eight minutes.  Be sure to pierce the skin before microwaving the pumpkin!  A few well placed pokes with a fork will do the trick.

Method:

1. Pierce the skin of your pumpkin with a fork.
2. Microwave the pumpkin for eight minutes.
3. Cut the top and bottom off of the pumpkin, then cut it in half.
4. Remove all of the seeds and strings from the middle of the pumpkin.  Keep the seeds if you want to roast them later, but throw out the guts.
5. Place a sheet of baking paper on a cookie sheet, or oil the sheet.  Place the pumpkin on the tray flesh down, and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the flesh is tender and pulls away from the rind easily.
6. Allow the pumpkin to cool until it is easy to handle.  Peel all the flesh away from the rind.
7. Par bake the pie crust.  Line the raw crust with foil and fill the bottom with dry beans or lentils.  Put the pie crust into the oven for approximately 10 minutes.
8. Cut the pumpkin into chunks and put it in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  I ended up with 3-4 cups of pumpkin.
9. You can choose to skip this step and just mix the rest of the ingredients together, but they taste better if you take the time.  Add the puree to a skillet over medium heat.  Allow the puree to cook until it is a little thickened.  Add half and half, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger brandy and salt.  Stir continually for 3-4 minutes, then turn off the heat.
10. Dissolve the sugar into the eggs.  Whisk the egg mixture, corn starch and the molasses into the pumpkin.
11. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.  Cover the edges with a pie shield or foil.  I always put mine on a cookie sheet so I don’t spill in the oven.
12. Bake for approximately 40-60 minutes, or until the pie is set in the center.  Remove the pie shield when the pie only jiggles in the middle.  My pie looked like glass on top when it was done.
13. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

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