I forgot I wanted to return and post about the Thanksgiving pie and custard I made from our Halloween jack-o-lanterns.

Many suggest to use only the pulp near the rind and to toss the stringy portions that are common in the large pumpkins bet used for jack-o-lanterns. Since the strings were a large portion of our pumpkins, it seemed like such a waste to toss them. My husband also thought it would sink my idea of having a good bargain on making pie filling. He said his Mother would use that part as well. I gave my own Mother a call and she confirmed that she too had used the stringy parts waaaaay back before she started her cooking strikes(heh).

So we took the chance. I cooked pulp and strings together into what can be described as puree. I froze this in multiple containers, marking the amount by the cups on each.

The day before Thanksgiving, I thawed a pack with four cups by reheating it on the stove, added the ingredients to make it pumpkin pie filling and not only got enough for two pies but two batches of custard as well. These were delicious. The only part we didn't like was my pie crust which needs work.

I have six cups of that puree left to work with for more dishes. I call it a success, even if I do need to work on those pie shells.

I used pumpkin I cooked up from Halloweeen 2007's jack-o-lantern to make this year's pumpkin pie. It had been in my freezer that long!

I wish I had cooked the pumpkin just a bit longer, though. It seemed a little grainy, not as smooth as if I had used an actual pie pumpkin. I just pureed it longer, and added more cinnamon to mask the "squashy" flavor.

We didn't do a jack-o-lantern this year, so I'll have to either grow my own pumpkins for pie or break down and buy another pumpkin this fall.

Brandy, how do you make your pie crust?

slk2042:

It seemed a little grainy, not as smooth as if I had used an actual pie pumpkin

I think the cooking I did before freezing really made the difference. I put the pumpkin pulp and strings to cook before I went to watch a movie and then cooked a bit after that. I should have written the times down so I would know for certain how long I cooked it. I turned it off when I felt it looked like pumpkin filling should and it was all well blended and smooth.

Then I cooked it for another 15 minutes or so when I thawed it and added the spices and other additions for the filling.

slk2042:

how do you make your pie crust?

I used the recipe from HillBilly Housewife this time. I will have to type up the recipe I normally use when making my top pie crust.

Brandy:

I used the recipe from HillBilly Housewife this time.

That looks like the recipe I use for my pie crust. I use butter instead of shortening, though.

I cheat and mix the dough in my food processor. I use COLD butter, and pulse all the ingredients except for the water in my food processor. Don't over-pulse, or else the butter bits get too incorporated and the crust won't be flaky. Then I add COLD water, one tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the pie dough just barely holds together. It's really easy to add too much water, though, so I check after each tablespoon to see if I can mash the dough together and have it stick a little.

Using cold butter and water, and not adding too much water seems to help in my case.

slk2042:

Using cold butter and water, and not adding too much water seems to help in my case.

The dough turned out fine except for not being quite cooked enough in the center of the pie. My husband and son prefer store bought graham cracker shells. So I need to find one that appeals to them and get it to cook properly in the center.

Oh I see. Sorry, I don't have any hints on that. I do use glass pie plates, but I don't know if that makes a difference.

I bet pumpkin pie in a graham shell would be tasty, though!!

slk2042:

I bet pumpkin pie in a graham shell would be tasty

It is and so is apple. I have seen recipes for making shells from crumbled graham crackers but I don't think I am ready to try something like that.

When I try a shell from scratch again, I believe I will try precooking it just a bit.

Have you seen pie weights, that are supposed to keep the cooking pie crust (empty) from bubbling up? They look like ball bearings. I've never used them, I wonder if they work well. Usually I pierce my empty pie crusts a little bit with a fork to keep it from bubbling up. But I run the risk of having my pie filling seep through underneath the crust. Pre-baked pie shells and I don't seem to get along well. Any hints?

slk2042:

Have you seen pie weights, that are supposed to keep the cooking pie crust (empty) from bubbling up?

I have not seen those. If you try them, be sure to let us know what you think.

Brandy, I'm glad to hear that your pie turned out well! 

 Part of pumpkin No. 1 has gone into 2 pies, which went over well, and the roasted part went into some pumpkin soup.  Pumpkin No. 2 is still hanging out in a cool place till we get more room in the freezer.

    We drained an incredible amount of water out of the puree before we froze it ... and a bit more before it went into the pies...