#Workshop - November 14th @ 7:30pm EST: From Raw Pumpkin to Delicious Pie

Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
I know there will be a few people coming on towards the end and tomorrow due to work/school commitments. The more the merrier, right?
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Hey Melanie! Glad you could make it.

No baking so far, haven't had much time lately.
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
Hey Melanie! Glad you could make it.

No baking so far, haven't had much time lately.
I just had to donate my newest pie to the school. Silly Room Moms making me bake amazing stuff and then give it away. I thought about just doing canned pumpkin for it, but I couldn't make myself do it. Canned pumpkin is not real pumpkin, you know. But we'll get to that.

I'll give it a few more minutes to see if anyone else shows up, if that's OK with you, Stormy.
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
I just had to donate my newest pie to the school. Silly Room Moms making me bake amazing stuff and then give it away. I thought about just doing canned pumpkin for it, but I couldn't make myself do it. Canned pumpkin is not real pumpkin, you ... more
Oh boo I'm sure they'll love it though!
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Well, it's 7:35, so I guess it's time to get started.
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Well, it's 7:35, so I guess it's time to get started.
You guess? LOL I you! Don't worry, more people will trickle in once they see the convo bouncing on walls. I alone have 700-something people following me, if they're here they may stop in and lurk and if we're lucky they'll comment, too!
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
You guess? LOL I you! Don't worry, more people will trickle in once they see the convo bouncing on walls. I alone have 700-something people following me, if they're here they may stop in and lurk and if we're lucky they'll comment, too!
Woohoo! Pimping remotely!
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Today, we are making some yummy pumpkin treats, starting with a whole, raw pumpkin! Making pies and other baked goods from scratch has a better flavor and is easy to do, but be warned! It is both addictive and time consuming.

Before we continue, I need to tell you that the kind of pumpkin you use here matters. DO NOT use a Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin. Their flesh is watery, stringy, and doesn't have that great of a flavor. What you want to use is a “pie pumpkin,” also called a “sugar pumpkin.” These are smaller, and have a better flavor and less watery flesh. You can find them in a grocery store's produce section, often hiding among other fall squash.

Now we're going to learn to make the pumpkin puree. After that, we'll do pie and roasted pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Trivia! In Scotland, the traditional carving vegetable is not the pumpkin, but the turnip.

post1
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Today, we are making some yummy pumpkin treats, starting with a whole, raw pumpkin! Making pies and other baked goods from scratch has a better flavor and is easy to do, but be warned! It is both addictive and time consuming.

Before we ... more
Love the cleaver, just sayin. If we were able to get this together before Halloween I totally would have been like "yo, put some fake blood on that shit". Hahaha
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Of course, in between posts I'll be pausing to answer questions.
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
Love the cleaver, just sayin. If we were able to get this together before Halloween I totally would have been like "yo, put some fake blood on that shit". Hahaha
Mwah haha!
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Everybody good so far?
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Everybody good so far?
Yes'm and please do be checking your private messages.
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
Yes'm and please do be checking your private messages.
Done and answered. On to the next step!
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Part one: Making the pumpkin puree

For this part you'll need your pie pumpkin, a good knife, a cutting board, baking sheet with rim and a bowl of water.

Step 1:
Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the pumpkin in half-ish. Pumpkins are kind of hard to cut exactly in half. Just do the best you can and don't worry if it comes out lopsided. Be careful, though, because the skin can be very tough. Don't let your knife slip and cut you!

Once you've got your pumpkin open, scoop out the seeds and pulp and put them in the bowl of water. Leave them there for right now. We'll come back to them as soon as the pumpkin is out of the oven.

Remove the stem from the pumpkin, but be careful! Some pie pumpkins have spines on the stem. It has recently come to my attention that removing the stem may be optional. I've just always done it.

Pumpkin Trivia! Pumpkin pies did not become a Thanksgiving staple until the beginning of the 19th century.

post2-1
post2-2
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
So how do you tell the difference between a jack o' lantern and a pie pumpkin?
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
So how do you tell the difference between a jack o' lantern and a pie pumpkin?
Generally, jack-o-lanterns are really big. They are, of course, the kind you carve. Sugar or pie pumpkins are much smaller. They'll also probably have one of those little produce stickers that say "sugar" or "pie" pumpkin, sometimes "sugar pie pumpkin."
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Generally, jack-o-lanterns are really big. They are, of course, the kind you carve. Sugar or pie pumpkins are much smaller. They'll also probably have one of those little produce stickers that say "sugar" or "pie" pumpkin, ... more
Interesting. I've never really paid attention, but I did see some "pink" pumpkins this year. I thought those were neat.
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Generally, jack-o-lanterns are really big. They are, of course, the kind you carve. Sugar or pie pumpkins are much smaller. They'll also probably have one of those little produce stickers that say "sugar" or "pie" pumpkin, ... more
Ahah, a cantaloupe. A pie pumpkin is about the size of a cantaloupe.
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Step 2:
Pull out your baking sheet. It can be anything that is oven safe, but MUST HAVE A RIM. Pumpkins lose some juice when baking, and you don't want to make a mess of your oven. I've used both pyrex casserole dishes and metal baking sheets.

Place your pumpkin cut side down on your baking sheet. Stab it several times with a fork, and pop it in the oven. Check it once in a while with a fork. When the fork goes in easily, it's done. Baking times vary from oven to oven and pumpkin to pumpkin, but will likely take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.

Remove from oven and allow to cool until easily handled.

Pumpkin Trivia! Technically speaking, pumpkins are actually fruits.

post3-1
post3-2
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Any newcomers or current people have any questions so far?
11/14/2012
Contributor: Melan!e Melan!e
All good here!
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
What did your home smell like? *drools*
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Right-o, moving on!
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Part two: The seeds
For this part, you'll need the pumpkin seeds, a strainer, a rimmed baking sheet, some butter, and some sea salt.
Turn oven down to 350.

Use a strainer to rinse seeds and remove the pulp from them. If you can't get all the pulp off, don't panic. It's fine and bakes up crispy and tasty.

Pat seeds dry as much as possible with paper towels. If seeds stick to paper towel, fold paper towel in half so that seeds are on the inside, and rub between your hands. Seeds will fall out the bottom.

Toss the seeds in about 2-3 tablespoons melted butter (enough to coat them) and a pinch of salt. Spread in one layer on a baking sheet with a rim and bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring them occasionally. Remember that all ovens are different, so you'll want to check these often to ensure that they don't burn.

Pumpkin Trivia! Most parts of a pumpkin are edible. In addition to the flesh, you can also eat the seeds, leaves, and the blossom that forms before the pumpkin. However, if you eat the “female” flowers, no pumpkins will form. (Mmm...squash blossoms...)

post5-1
post5-2
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
What did your home smell like? *drools*
Tasty, tasty things. Like cinnamon and other good spices.
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Part three: The pie

Pie time! This part I usually do the day after I make puree and seeds.

Step 1: The crust
If you have a favorite crust recipe, feel free to use it. Otherwise, this is the recipe I use. It's for a whole wheat crust.

You'll need:
1 ¼ cups White whole wheat flour (NOT white, NOT whole wheat, but white whole wheat)
5-8 Tablespoons very cold water (seriously, just take a small glass, fill it with ice, and add water, and measure out from there)
1/3 cup Shortening
Dash of salt

Mix flour and salt together. Cut in shortening. You do this by using a pastry cutter, or, if you don't have one of those, use a fork to mash the shortening into the flour until the shortening pieces are about pea-sized.

Add water, one to two tablespoons at a time, fluffing with a fork in between. Stop when you can form a ball out of the dough. It takes less water than you think.

On a floured surface, flatten dough ball and use a rolling pin to roll it out. Put it into the pie plate. The dough should cover all of the bottom and sides of pie plate and hang over the top a little bit. Trim the excess around the top edge so that it is roughly even with the rim. If you like decorative edges on your pie crust, you can go ahead and do that now.

Pumpkin Trivia! Canned pumpkin is recommended by veterinarians as a dietary supplement for some animals suffering from certain ailments.

post6-1
post6-2
post6-3
11/14/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
If you can't wait until the pie is done for some goodness, you can roll out some of the extra dough you cut from the edges. Cut it into strips, sprinkle it with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and set it on a pan in the oven when you put your pie in. After a few minutes, you have some not-too-sweet cookies.
11/14/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
If you can't wait until the pie is done for some goodness, you can roll out some of the extra dough you cut from the edges. Cut it into strips, sprinkle it with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and set it on a pan in the oven when you put your ... more
Great tip!
11/14/2012
Contributor: Melan!e Melan!e
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
If you can't wait until the pie is done for some goodness, you can roll out some of the extra dough you cut from the edges. Cut it into strips, sprinkle it with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and set it on a pan in the oven when you put your ... more
That's a great idea! I will definitely try that with the crust trims.
11/14/2012