Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Making your own pumpkin pie is so worth it and very rewarding as well. What an amazing feeling it was at Thanksgiving to serve Pumpkin Pie that we grew right from seed in our very own Garden. The only thing we cheated on was the Pie Crust but in the future I would also like to make that from scratch as well. You can use different varieties of Pumpkins for Pumpkin Pie Puree filling but we choose to use a Jarrahdale Pumpkin (Blue Pumpkin) for ours and we were not disappointed!
STEP 1: Make sure your pumpkin is all ready to use. A good indication is the stem is woody and hard and the pumpkin itself is not easily punctured with a fingernail.
STEP 2: Cut Pumpkin in half, scoop out guts and seeds and place face down on a tinfoil tray in oven to roast. We roasted for about 45 minutes at 350'C. You will know the pumpkin is ready when you can pierce the flesh with a fork right through without little force. (You can save the seeds for roasting which is a nice and healthy treat).
STEP 3: Let Pumpkin cool and then scoop puree into a blender or food processor. Blend until you have a smooth consistency; no chunks. Once you are happy with the consistency you can add puree into a saucepan on low and start by adding both your granulated sugar and brown sugar as well as pumpkin pie spice. I add a few tablespoons but this is personal preference. Bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes!
STEP 4: Remove from heat and whisk in COLD CREAM and Vanilla. Add your eggs one at a time while hand beating until mixed. Sift cornstarch into filling then mix. You can sprinkle as well, I just like to sift so i get no chunks of starch.
STEP 5: Pour the runny pie filling into your warm crust and place on trays; now you are ready to place pies in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 400'C then lower the temperature to 350'C and bake for 45 minutes or until the pie has set. You can tell as it will have just a little jiggle in the Centre when moved and the edges usually have a bit of darker brown color.
INGREDIENTS :
4 Cups Pumpkin Puree
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
4 TBLS Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
6 Medium Eggs
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 Pre Maid Pie Shells
Its also nice to buy some small tart shells for the left over mix. They make a nice quick treat! If you would like to watch the whole process of making our Homemade Pumpkin Pie; Click the link below to watch the Video.
