Peaceful Daily Blog

The Pumpkin Philes Part II: The Pie

Having had a pumpkin patch for the last few years, it seems only natural that I have become a bit of a pumpkin pie aficionado.  I have tested and tweaked more pumpkin pie recipes than I care to admit, finally landing on a tried and true recipe that I rarely deviate from. It remains my most requested recipe and I have written it down more times than I recall. And have I pumped out the pies from this very recipe over the years. One year I made 17 pumpkin pies over the course of 3 days--the lion's share slated for the local food bank. The pies were a hit, city folk were thrilled at having eaten a pie grown from the cook's garden, and a Thanksgiving tradition was born. 

What makes this pie (or any dish for that matter) special is the quality of the ingredients. Whenever possible, make sure they are local and /or organic and minimally processed. Over the years, I have setteled on a few special ingredients that really make this pie pop.

Pumpkin puree:  Use only those that have a high sugar content specifically grown for baking. If you can get these local and organic, all the better. If you really want to make it pop, grow your own. You can experiment with any number of high sugar content varieties that are hard to find. "Winter Luxury" is one variety that is delicious and is small enough to be grown in a container.

For the puree, I like to steam or roast pumpkins. Clean out pulp and seeds, cut into halves, and cook until a fork easily pierces the skin like butter. For steaming, place halves face down inside steamer basket over hot water for approximately 40 minutes. For roasting, place pumpkin halves face down on tray and cook at 375 for 60-90 minutes. Scrape the insides and puree in blender or food processor until smooth.

Eggs: Ideally these should be from free range, grass-fed chickens that are happy. Yes, content chickens make really good eggs. I am lucky to own my own healthy, happy chickens, so I use their eggs now, but before the ladies entered my life, I patronized the local egg man and his chickens made some rich, creamy eggs.

Spices: Buy them fresh and grind them yourself, it really makes all the difference in the world. Tinkering around with Indian cooking has taught me that this step is necessary in all styles of cooking.

Crust: Okay, I have tried so many types of crust and the one that everyone goes absolutely ga-ga for is the graham cracker crust, it simply dissolves in the mouth and the crumbly texture is such a nice complement to the creaminess of the pie. If you are blessed enough to have access to a Trader Joe's, it is critical to use their graham crackers, they are insanely delicious and up the yum factor dramatically. If you don't, just use the best quality ones you can find.

Once you have amassed your beautiful bounty of ingredients, it is time to get to work. Start with the crust, you'll need the following:

1 cup of graham crackers (roughly 8 to 10 crackers)

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

Place the crackers into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Add the flour, sugar, and butter (slightly cooled) and mix. Press into a pie pan to form the crust then cool in refrigerator while preparing the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350 and start the filling. You will need the following:

1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup heavy cream

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

1/3 cup honey or agave nectar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1-2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

pinch freshly ground nutmeg, cloves, & cardamon 

Mix all the ingredients and pour into prepared crust. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. If you have time to chill overnight in refrigerator, reduce baking time to 35 minutes.  

 

Happy Thanksgiving and Peace!

 

Annie

The Pumpkin Philes Part I: The Patch

To the delight of neighborhood children (and squirrels), for the past few years I have transformed our front yard into a sprawling urban pumpkin patch. It was such a treat pulling into our driveway (mindful to avoid the occasional renegade vine) only to be greeted by charming hand-like leaves embracing countless orange globes of varying sizes. I came to adore my pumpkin patch and tended each pumpkin tenderly: I rotated them to avoid flat sidedness, placed them gently atop a mound of straw to deter slug and moisture damage, and sprayed them with varying homemade concoctions to deter squirrel snacking (they were not deterred). Despite the fact that squashes are about as easy to grow as dandelions, I felt an incredible sense of pride and accomplishment with the arrival of each new pumpkin. 

As children discovered our patch, we began to have regular visitors (we are experiencing this surge once again since the addition of front yard chickens). I would watch with delight as they marveled at the pumpkins perched in their natural habitat. I put up pumpkin-shaped signs that said, "Welcome" and "The Pumpkin Patch". When the pumpkin patch became bare and straggly looking, I filled it in with straw and potted chrysanthemums. Later, I over seeded with nasturtium which provided heaps of gorgeous autumnal-hued flowers perfect for bejeweling many a salad and water infusion.

At Halloween time we chose the best pumpkins for carving, and harvested these first. As Thanksgiving approached, we chose the best pumpkins for pies and harvested those next. The more we grew pumpkins, the more pumpkins grew on us.The pumpkin patch became our most treasured Halloween decoration, especially once embellished with a scarecrow and a few strategically-placed red lights. It became our favorite photo shoot location, documenting halloween costumes, pregnancies, and loved ones. The subject of pumpkins became our favorite fall reading and we would borrow whatever books we could find on our most treasured squash and display them, along with those from our own growing collection, in the middle of our living room table.

As the time came to look for a new home, one of my requirements was that there by room in the front yard for a dedicated pumpkin patch, preferably within view of passersby. When (after a 4-year search) we found this home, I immediately designated  the corner of the front yard for our new patch. Since we are now in between homes, this is the first year that I am without a pumpkin patch. The kids miss it. I miss it. The squirrels really, really miss it. I can only reflect on the perfection that is the pumpkin patch...and of course plan for the one to come. 

This time our pumpkins--notorious for their thirst--will be irrigated with water reclaimed from our clothes washer and showers. This time our pumpkins will have an apple tree border, making it easier to string up netting to keep out--once and for all--those pesky pumpkin-loving squirrels. Yes, I will have to relocate many a rose bush to make room for the pumpkins and, yes, I will have to move many a shrub to improve access for our anticipated visitors, but this is but a small price to pay for all that is reaped from the patch of pumpkinphile. 

Peace,

Annie