Recipe 36: Pumpkin Puree

This blog pairs with the next blog, yet to be written...I expect it will be finished tonight or tomorrow, depending on times. I started this recipe last week...I found a nice beige 6# pie pumpkin and bought it at my local farm market. It was a little more than I needed, but I figured I'd figure out something to do with the rest...if it didn't all end up in the pie.

The pumpkin did still need to be seeded, and cut and cut and cut some more. I believe we worked with eighths of the pumpkin when it was done...its still not easy to cut through, silly pumpkins. I did think about carving or painting the pumpkin first, but decided I wanted to use the insides for pie more.

So, I cut the pumpkin in half, scooped out the seeds and proceeded to cut it into eighths. I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper(it makes life so much easier) and I arranged the pieces on the sheet. I drizzled them with olive oil...and used a little more than the recipe called for.

When I got ready to make the pie...I began removing the rind/skins. I used a paring knife as it did not peel as easily as I'd hoped. then I chopped the pumpkin into pieces and attempted to strain the solids through a cheese-cloth lined sieve(which I had to buy this week). I wondered as I read through the recipe if this was really the approach I wanted, seems like that would give me more of a pumpkin juice than a pumpkin puree. After a couple of attempts to put the pumpkin through the lined sieve, I said to heck with it and dropped it in the blender.

I know, I know, that's the quickest way to kill a blender. So I looked in the fridge and found some orange strawberry banana juice to help the pumpkin process in the blender. I probably should have pulled out the food processor that was kindly given to me after I killed the last blender, but the food processor was in the cupboard under the counter, and the blender was already on the counter and is easier to assemble. I need to switch that arrangement around;-). Alas, enough with the organization woes...back to the puree.

The juice helped a little, but did not give it quite enough juice, so i checked the recipe--as not to add too much extra liquid, and dumped in the heavy cream the recipe called for. Finally, we got the start of a blend. I think this made enough for two pies really, and if I'd prepped two pie crusts, I'd have made it. I might have some puff pastry left...but that's a different blog.

As for the extra...I ended up adding the spices, some clove(not included in the original recipe and some brown sugar to make a smoothie. I left out the eggs due to not cooking them.

I will definitely make this recipe again...probably with a smaller pie pumpkin and some cloves.

For the pie, you'll have to catch the next blog...which may be written after laundry gets folded tonight...