A few weeks ago I came home and Orion ran out of the kitchen exclaiming, “There’s Pumpkin Pie!”
Oh, how I jumped for joy!
Then Trish corrected, “No, there’s not… yet.”
She was putting a whole pumpkin into the oven to cook.
Oh, how I slumped for sorrow! I wanted that pumpkin pie NOW!
Then Trish went to work. She had not left any other ingredients to make a pie, and I do not make crusts from scratch when pumpkin pie is concerned. I certainly don’t substitute almond milk when sweetened condensed milk is required. I don’t usually follow ANY RECIPES, but I loves my pumpkin pie CLASSIC STYLE.
I had told Trish that my goal this year was to eat 16 Pumpkin Pies, and time was a-wastin’. Trish called to check in. I told her, “Don’t come home empty handed!” She asked what I needed.
“A PUMPKIN PIE!”
Well, she was willing to stop, but she decided that rather than going three more blocks to Fred Meyer’s she’d check out Cattin’s. About a half an hour later she arrived with a styrofoam clamshell full of chicken pasta alfredo and an unopened box with a frozen pumpkin pie! Apparently, Trish misunderstood my request. If I had wanted to bake a pie I would’ve asked for condensed milk!
She took a few bites of the pasta and remarked, “This is awful. Remind me to never stop there again.” We watched a movie in the office while the pie cooked. It was what I needed, for sure.
As soon as it was gone we bought some pie crusts for the farm pumpkin.
When I scooped out all the meat into a bowl it looked like we might have enough for FOUR pies, but something didn’t seem right to me. I knew that air and water comprised much of the volume, and I considered boiling it down. I opted for blending it first.
With a closer reading of the Joy of Cooking I noticed that they recommend draining it in a colander with cheesecloth. Lacking cheesecloth I used a dish towel. After the excess liquid had drained we had enough for TWO pies.
On Orion’s SECOND trip to the farm with his preschool, he brought us home another pumpkin. This one we saved for carving.
Right now on top of the stove I have a Fred Meyer $1.99 Pumpkin Pie cooling off!
And in the fridge, Pumpkin Egg Nog!
[edit: how’s that pie going to cool off on top of the stove? It needs to be here in the office next to me! ;) ]
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