The Beauty of Pumpkin

Remember those beautiful pumpkins I roasted?  In addition to the Pumpkin bread on which I already reported, I've been enjoying the pumpkin almost every day. 

When I roasted these pumpkins I fully intended to freeze enough for a pie later in the year, but it's so tasty.  I've been eating a bowl every day.  Sometimes with Greek yogurt, but always sprinkled with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.  It's been a great snack and sometimes breakfast! 

Now my pumpkin is gone.  But before that happened I did make one pie.

Isn't the benefit of Pumpkin Pie that it's easy?  Mix the ingredients and pour them in the shell - right?  Well, maybe my cookbooks are getting more involved, but I chose a recipe for this pie that added a step of heating the filling before baking it in the pie crust.  For this pie I used Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything book.  This is like the Betty Crocker Cookbook for this generation of young cook's.  All the necessary recipes are here and it includes a lot of grains, which are old in other countries, but newly found here in the US.  This really is one of the best catch all cookbooks you could buy.

Pumpkin Pie (from How to Cook Everything)

1 pie crust of your choosing.
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch ground cloves
pinch salt
2 cups canned or fresh pumpkin puree
2 cups half and half, cream, or whole milk

1. Prebake the pie crust.  When the oven is done turn the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat the eggs with the sugar, then add the spices and salt.  Stir in the pumpkin puree and then the half and half.  While the crust is baking, warm this mixture in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is hot to the touch; do not boil.
3. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet.  Pour the pumpkin mixture into the still-hot crust and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the mixture shakes like Jell-o but is still quite moist.  Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Don't ever underestimate the power of a simple piece of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whip cream.  Perhaps it's the orange color or maybe all that vitamin A that just leads to happy feelings and thoughts.  Either way, have yourself a slice this holiday season and see for yourself.