Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Pumpkin Pie Spice Ingredients
Fellow pumpkin pie fans, after a few technical difficulties, I am back! I looked into this whole pumpkin pie spice thing and recalled numerous debates on this ingredient thing. Now as for me, a good pumpkin pie must absolutely call for nutmeg. My family likes lots of cinnamon and a pinch of ginger is nice as well. Just try not to overdo the ginger though. Just a hint of ginger in the background will do the trick. The jury is out on the cloves so I'd say just experiment with this and consider the tastes of your family. I'd use no more than a pinch (less than 1/8 tsp) of cloves but that's just me. Some people like that heady taste underlying the pumpkin with the other spices present. And dried is nice but fresh is best! If you can use a combination of fresh pumpkin pie spice ingredients you will not be disappointed! There's something about fresh nutmeg in a homemade pumpkin pie that just calls out to you! Trust me, the extra effort is worth it and you will not regret it.
As for the pumpkin itself, no one will hold it against you if you take the easy way out and use a canned pumpkin pie filling. But, the same thing applies here. If you opt to make it fresh , this will bring your pie up a notch. You will have to do the work though. If you decide to make your own fresh pumpkin pie, here is what you do. It's actually somewhat similar to cooking spaghetti squash. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice the pumpkin along its length and in this case, remove the strings and seeds. Bake on a baking sheet cut side down until the pumpkin flesh and skin is soft. It may take approximately an hour, give or take, depending on the size of the pumpkin. Be prepared for it to take at least that long. You'll know it's done when it is soft and you can pierce it with a fork. Now here comes the work. You will have to strain out all of the pumpkin liquid leaving you with the actual pumpkin puree once strained. You can use cheesecloth for the straining. If you are like me and you find yourself without cheesecloth, one of those disposable cloth wipes works reasonably well for some of these chores. Honestly, this is much too much work for me for what is likely to be an unnoticeable improvement in the quality and taste of your pie. Some may notice but most will not. But, try it and let me know how it turns out. I say you'll get more bang for your buck with the fresh pumpkin pie spice ingredients as far as improving the overall taste of your pie.
As for today's pie, you can do some great things with just slight changes in a basic recipe. If you use the recipe in the Nov. 5th posting and increase the eggs up to 3, you instantly will have a more custardy pie. I prefer a more pumpkin like flavor but this will work for you if you prefer custard. Also, you can use light cream instead of the evaporated milk for a richer pie. I like to do things like include both dark brown and light brown sugar in the same pie and also use heavy cream cut with milk. For instance, you might split the difference and use 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 heavy cream instead of the 1 1/2 cup of evaporated milk or some other variation to your own taste. Try these changes in the earlier recipe and you will end up with a richer, more custardy pumpkin pie.
As for the pumpkin itself, no one will hold it against you if you take the easy way out and use a canned pumpkin pie filling. But, the same thing applies here. If you opt to make it fresh , this will bring your pie up a notch. You will have to do the work though. If you decide to make your own fresh pumpkin pie, here is what you do. It's actually somewhat similar to cooking spaghetti squash. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice the pumpkin along its length and in this case, remove the strings and seeds. Bake on a baking sheet cut side down until the pumpkin flesh and skin is soft. It may take approximately an hour, give or take, depending on the size of the pumpkin. Be prepared for it to take at least that long. You'll know it's done when it is soft and you can pierce it with a fork. Now here comes the work. You will have to strain out all of the pumpkin liquid leaving you with the actual pumpkin puree once strained. You can use cheesecloth for the straining. If you are like me and you find yourself without cheesecloth, one of those disposable cloth wipes works reasonably well for some of these chores. Honestly, this is much too much work for me for what is likely to be an unnoticeable improvement in the quality and taste of your pie. Some may notice but most will not. But, try it and let me know how it turns out. I say you'll get more bang for your buck with the fresh pumpkin pie spice ingredients as far as improving the overall taste of your pie.
As for today's pie, you can do some great things with just slight changes in a basic recipe. If you use the recipe in the Nov. 5th posting and increase the eggs up to 3, you instantly will have a more custardy pie. I prefer a more pumpkin like flavor but this will work for you if you prefer custard. Also, you can use light cream instead of the evaporated milk for a richer pie. I like to do things like include both dark brown and light brown sugar in the same pie and also use heavy cream cut with milk. For instance, you might split the difference and use 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 heavy cream instead of the 1 1/2 cup of evaporated milk or some other variation to your own taste. Try these changes in the earlier recipe and you will end up with a richer, more custardy pumpkin pie.
# posted by Mrs. C @ 7:21 PM 
