Pumpkin Puréeing and Other Thoughts

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog article that explained all the various reasons why a person shouldn't use a spent jack-o-lantern for a festively unsanitary post-Halloween pumpkin pie. (See article “Pumpkin Safety 101” for more details.) However, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought some of you out there might be curious as to how to transform the giant gourds into a delicious pie-making purée in lieu of using one of those cans of almost ludicrously orange pie filling. (Not to imply that there is anything wrong with purchasing your pumpkin already puréed, of course. It is a time-saving ingredient that tastes just fine, despite the addition of food colorants that makes the purée a most vibrant shade of candy corn orange.)

The first step in preparing your pumpkin purée is finding the perfect pumpkin. And I know that sounds rather odd. (In fact, it sounds rather like I'm recommending you go on something of a speed date with all the pumpkins in the produce market before selecting your prefect mate.) But the simple truth of the matter is not all pumpkins are created equal. And in the case of pie-making, you will want to select small, flavorful pumpkins with little fiber and a lot of sugar – the veal of the pumpkin patch, if you will. I often use jack-be-little pumpkins or small sugar pumpkins for my pie making.

Next, wash the pumpkin well, snap off the stem, and split the pumpkins in half crosswise. Then, scoop out and discard the innards. (Of course, if you are feeling in a particularly ambitious sort of mood, the pumpkin seeds may be cleaned, seasoned, and roasted on the side for a festively seasonal snack or garnish. Waste not, want not would seem to apply here.)

Place the pumpkin halves, cut-side-down, in a roasting pan and pour over about 1 cup of water. Roast the pumpkin in a preheated 350°F oven until very tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Then, scoop the flesh out of the rind (discarding the rind – unless, of course, you enjoy a bit of roughage with your pie) and dump the mash into a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment. Give it a good blitzing, and you'll be left with a delicious pumpkin purée that can then be cooled and used in the requisite Thanksgiving pie making.

I do remind you once again that not all pumpkins are created equal. So if your pumpkin purée seems a bit too watery, you may need to let it hang out in a jelly bag or cheese cloth-lined strainer for a while to drain off a bit of the excess water. And also the differences between individual pumpkins, as well as the various pumpkin varieties, makes it difficult to provide accurate guidelines for safely canning pumpkin purée. So, I recommend freezing your pumpkin purée if you are making it in advance.

And now that you know how to transform that pumpkin into a delicious purée, why not try it this Thanksgiving? It's a great way to put those leftover autumn decorations to good use. And it's as easy as opening a can. Well... almost as easy.