Marijn came to visit for a month, and while he was here I put him to work making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner. This recipe comes to me from my great grandmother, Deborah Ferrier.
Don’t bother trying to prepare a regular pumpkin for pie this way as your mash will be too watery and kind of stringy. Pumpkins may have been more edible and less decorative in Deborah Ferrier’s day.
For the shell, I like to make a nut crust out of finely chopped walnuts or pecans but whatever your favorite crust is will be perfect.
Pumpkin Pie (imperial)
3 cups of either:
1½ cups sugar or Splenda
3 eggs, separated
¾ cups melted butter
¾ cups cream
1½ t cinnamon
¾ t nutmeg
¾ t ginger
1 T vanilla
Combine all ingredients except the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture. Pour into two 9-inch or one deep 10-inch unbaked pie shell. Bake 45 minutes at 375°F.
*Halve a butternut squash. Bake it cut-side down on a baking sheet for an hour or so at 325°F.
Pumpkin Pie (metric)
750 mL of either:
375 mL sugar or Splenda
3 eggs, separated
200 mL melted butter
200 mL cream
8 mL cinnamon
4 mL nutmeg
4 mL ginger
15 mL vanilla
Combine all ingredients except the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture. Pour into two 22-cm or one deep 25-cm unbaked pie shell. (I like to make a nut crust out of finely chopped walnuts or pecans.) Bake 45 minutes at 195°C.
*Halve a butternut squash. Bake it cut-side down on a baking sheet for an hour or so at 165°C.