It's that time of year again. You just finished cleaning up the Halloween decorations, and it dawns on you that Thanksgiving is right around the corner! One thing you can look forward to? Pumpkin pie, and lots of it! But pumpkins can be used in a number of ways. All you need is the right base!
Sure, you can buy a can of pumpkin puree at the grocery store. It's convenient, it's quick...what's not to love? With the many varieties of pumpkins everywhere you look, why not explore a little? Here's a step by step guide on making your own pumpkin puree:
1) Pick your pumpkin- The first thing you need to know is that the standard jack-o-lantern pumpkins aren't very good for eating. They're meant to be carved. Choose a good baking pumpkin, like the Sugar (which is most commonly used) or Fairytale varieties. A four pound pumpkin should yield about 4 cups of puree.
2)Choose your method- You can make puree one of two ways: baking or boiling. If you decide to bake, make sure your oven is at 350*F. Otherwise, have a very large pot handy. I recommend baking the pumpkin, since it's less time consuming all around.
3)Cut the pumpkin- Carefully cut the pumpkin in half widthwise and seed it, making sure to remove any of the stringy bits. Discard the seeds, or roast them if you wish! Make the most of it! For baking the pumpkin, place the two halves in a roasting pan or sheet pan with about 1 c. water and bake for 90 minutes (more if necessary). For boiling, cut the pumpkin into smaller chunks, add to the pot, and cover with water.
Puree- Once you remove the pumpkin from the oven (or pot), it's time to act fast. Use a spoon to scrape the cooked pumpkin from the shell while it's still warm, otherwise it will be too hard to work with. You may want to wear oven mitts! Add to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. If you're worried about chunks, run the puree through a mesh strainer.
You may use the puree right away, or you can store it in the freezer for later use.
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