Authentic Pumpkin Pie

Authentic Pumpkin Pie

I pulled a homemade pumpkin pie out of the freezer tonight and we had a slice for dinner.  Delicious!

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But wait, there’s more to this story.  Get your notebooks out.  I have a history lesson for you. I recently read that the first “receipts” of pumpkin pie from England in the early 19th century say that to make a “pumpion pie” you must  hollow out the pumpkin and fill it with eggs, cream, sugar, and spices.  You can also add sliced apples, dried currants, sliced almonds, and molasses.

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Sounded intriguing so I thought, why not? I like cooked squash so I figured I could always just dump out the custard if I didn’t like it.  How’s that for a no-fail attempt?

I mixed together a custard of  1 tablespoon flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 cup milk, and 1 egg (assembled in that order).  I figured the brown sugar would impart the molasses taste. Then I added seasonings of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger,  You could also add allspice, cloves, rosemary, parsley, marjoram, salt, and pepper if you want to be historically accurate. Additionally, you can add almonds, raisins, and apples, too!  However, in full disclosure I must confess I altered history tonight and kept my custard on the plain side. But hey, go pumpion crazy if you wish.

I baked the pumpkin in a metal bowl placed in a glass dish of water at 325 degrees.

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And I baked and baked and baked and baked.  It took about 3 hours for the pumpkin to get soft and the custard to set up.

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Although it took a long time, it was worth the wait.  It was great!!!   I loved it and will definitely make it again.  Next time I will be a little more adventurous with the seasonings and I might turn up the oven a little higher so hopefully it won’t take so long to bake.  It might also be tasty to brulee the top to have that crusty, sugary burnt caramel to crunch into.  Lots of possibilities here for sure!

 

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4 Responses to Authentic Pumpkin Pie

  1. Phyllis Gragg October 29, 2015 at 9:46 pm #

    I love your blog and read every one. You are amazingly creative and interesting and still witty as ever. I am so proud of you.

    • dorot hy October 30, 2015 at 9:01 pm #

      Julie, you really are adventurous!

  2. Merry Carol October 30, 2015 at 7:05 am #

    This sounds so fabulous ….clever idea, great taste, and a fun idea…

  3. Julie October 30, 2015 at 8:15 am #

    Thanks! I enjoy doing the blog as a creative outlet but I also love how it helps me keep up with friends and family. So glad we have connected,too!

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