When we make pumpkin pie from scratch we usually just use the regular old pumpkin we have sitting outside with the corn stalks for decoration. Is a sugar pumpkin those smaller ones you see on sale that are advertised as "pie pumpkins?"

Would a regular pumpkin do just as well--or--is there such a difference in taste it would be wiser to buy a pie pumpkin? Thanks.

I enjoyed reading this post. I tried making a pumpkin pie from scratch once, but I used the regular old pumpkin that people typically carve. Perhaps it was too big, or not the "sugar" type. Anyway the pie flesh was quite stringy and the pulp had a yucky consistency. Probably I baked the pie as I would any other squash, and that was not the right technique either. Anyway it was good to see how it is supposed to be done! By the way Trader Joe's also sells an organic canned pumpkin puree.
cheerio--Andrea

Hi Elise, I made this pie out of our jack-o-lantern (a huge sugar pie pumpkin). It was the first time I've made pumpkin pie out of a whole pumpkin and it was actually pretty easy and turned out beautifully. My husband said it was the best pumpkin pie he's ever had!

I've used regular pumpkins any size for years. All you need to do is cut the pumpkin in half scoop out the seeds and extra strings. Place the halves flesh side down on a cookie sheet. Make sure you use one with sides to trap the moisture that will render. Bake in a 350 degree oven until fork tender. I use a serving fork for that job. Remove cookie sheet from oven let set to cool slightly. Next take a metal serving spoon and scrape out the cooked pumpkin. If you find some of the pumpkin seems too firm just put it in a microwave safe dish and cook longer till tender. When ready put the pumpkin in a food processor. Run processor to get an even consistency. We usually take ziplock bags and measure out the proportions needed for recipes and freeze. We also date and put the volume amount on the bags for future baking. When the pumpkin puree defrost you will find alot of fluid, we just drain it off and use as is. The work goes fairly fast because my wife and I worked out a routine for this kitchen ritual.

THis is great..I am not a fan of the sugary pumkin pie. I used this amount of sugar (almost a cup) for 4 cups of canned pumpkin that was unseasoned.

In our area the Amish swear by "neck pumpkins", which look like butternut squash with a longer neck, for making pies. They are delicious.
And recently I read that the canned pumpkin sold by Libby's is actually a form of butternut squash.
So that just goes to show that whatever squash you like the taste of will work, but I think fresher is definitely better.

I will try to translate the recipe in French. Ca m'a l'air délicieux.

I plan to make this recipe for Thanksgiving using butternut squash instead of pumpkin. I prefer butternut because it is never watery and it has more flavor than most pumpkins. Kabocha makes a nice pumpkin pie too.

Penzey's Spices has a *wonderful* Pumpkin Pie Spice
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html

They have awesome everything actually - I've basically made over my spice drawer after discovering them! I'll never be able to buy "grocery store spices" again! :)

I'll have to keep my eye out for sugar pumpkins next year, it is probably too late this year, but I'd love to try making a pie from scratch.
p.s. if you want to add a little "spice" to a regular canned pumpkin pie recipe, try using egg nog instead of condensed milk - adds a nice hint of nutmeg flavor to the pie.

Another good spice is sold by the Pampered Chef. It is called Cinnamon Plus. Yum! Not sure what is in it, though, but when we run out I definitely hear about it.

I'm looking for a old fashion pumpkin recipe that has dark brown sugar and molasses in it. I thought it was on the libby cans back in the 60's but I lost my recipe. It was a heavy pie not a custard pie like todays pies.

I've always used sugar pumpkins and wouldn't do it any other way. They make the best pumpkin pie with an original taste and impress my guests always. I get many compliments on the flavor, you can actually taste the natural pumpkin flavor and are not overwhelmed by all the spices. The recipe creates a very creamy and delicious pie. Don't be discouraged and try it again. Make sure to get a small sweet pumpkin, I get mine from the local farm but you can get them at certain grocery stores, I know Haggen's and Alberstons carry them at certain times throughout the year.

I will never bake another pumpkin pie from the can again. We used the recommended sugar pumpkins, and I put them through a food mill, which made it very smooth. Also, since we did not have ground cardamom, we used the seeds and ground them ourselves. I think that added to the flavor. Worth the effort. And that crust, I have never made a good pie crust but today I definitely did.

Thanks Elise for a wonderful pumpkin pie recipe! I love pumpkin pie, and tried NUMEROUS recipes, but this one may be my favorite. It was a big hit this Thanksgiving, and I think the lemon zest was a great touch.

I made this recipe and doubled it--I filled two crusts and two piepans without a crust. so this is for two pies! It was DELISH! A little sugarier than I like but very very GOOD and I am a pumpkin pie fanatic--one of the best I ever ate!!! I made it from a pumpkin my neighbor grew which was about 11 inches tall with a fine texture and a very bright orange color. PS I didn't have cloves so added some chinese five star spice. JUST RIGHT!!!! great bright color and glossy top, nice texture. YUMMM!!!!!

Wow! I made this pumpkin pie recipe with a Cinderella pumpkin. I cut it in half and put it in the oven. Scraped it and pureed it. I have never made a pumpkin pie from scratch, and let me tell you my family loved it. Great recipe!

I`m from Europe and ever since I first tried pumpkin pie, I have been a fan. This year I finally got to bake my own from scratch! Thank you so much, dear Elise! It came out just the way I like it! My family loved it too.

I like to make 2 desserts for Thxgiving, one has to use pumpkin, the other apple. Thxgiving tends to be very busy the actual day you make the turkey, so to free up time, I try to make one of the desserts the day before. This is a decadent alternative to pumpkin pie and is as smooth as silk, melts in your mouth.

PUMPKIN POT DE CRÈME

Ingredients:

500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar, divided
5 egg yolks
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each of ginger, nutmeg and cloves
1 tsp dark rum
1/2 vanilla bean
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpie pie filling)
½ cup toasted pecans
¼ cup maple syrup

1. Put the whipping cream, two thirds of the sugar, the spices and the pumpkin puree in a medium sized saucepan. Slit the vanilla bean vertically and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the vanilla pod to the cream mixture. On medium low heat, slowly bring the custard mixture to a simmer. Add the rum. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

2. Beat the egg yolks with the remaining third of sugar. Add one or two ladles of the custard to the beaten yolks and mix well. Add the egg yolk mixture back to the remaining custard. Stir well. Turn on heat and cook custard mixture a further 3 to 5 minutes, just to the simmer. Strain the custard mixture.

3. Oven should be pre-heated to 325F. Put your ramekins in a shallow rectangular pan. Divide the pumpkin custard evenly among 6 ramekins. Pour boiling water half way up the sides of the ramekins, cover loosely with a sheet of foil and bake.

4. Start checking the custards after 25 minutes. They should take anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes to bake. They should still have a “jiggle” in the center about the size of a dime. Do not fully bake the custards.

5. Remove the pan from the oven. The custards should be kept in the hot water in the baking pan for a further half an hour. The sheet of foil should still be loosely on top as well. After half an hour, the custards should have finished baking and there will no longer be a jiggle area in the center. Remove the foil cover being careful not to drip water from the foil on the custards. Remove the ramekins from the hot water and cool at room temperature a further half an hour. Now cover each ramekin with saran and refrigerate over night or up to 2 days.

6. Toast pecans at 350F for 10 minutes and coarsely chop. To serve, sprinkle each pot de crème with some chopped pecans, then put on a dollop of whipped cream, sift a bit of cocoa and cinnamon over the whipped cream, top with a truffle covered coffee bean and if desired, drizzle with 1 tsp of maple syrup.

I made this recipe according to the version that was listed here just last week (11/17/07), which recommended use of the Trader Joe's pumpkin pie spice. I'm so glad you pulled that recommendation off of this recipe because 1.5 TABLESPOONS of that stuff turned the custard part of the pie brown and completely obscured the taste of the pumpkin in the pie. There was so much spice in the pie, in fact, that the consistency of the custard was almost grainy. It was a huge disappointment both visually and taste-wise to my guests. Again, I'm glad to see that the Trader Joe's spice rec was taken down, but 3.75 tsp. of the various spices listed now still seems like quite a lot (1.5 TBSP = 4.5 tsp).