How To Make The Best Homemade Pumpkin Pie From Scratch

You probably take pumpkin pie from canned pumpkin for granted. You're there, the can is there, there's a pumpkin on the label... open it and mix it up with spices to make a pie, right? Ah, but a pumpkin pie made from a fresh pumpkin tastes so much better. Pumpkin pie is just one of the traditional Halloween food craved for every month of October, and making it homemade makes it more delightful to serve. Here's a recipe on how to make homemade pumpkin pie or specifically how to make homemade pumpkin pie from scratch.

The cooking procedure is quite lengthy and the video is slow. But still the quality of the output is worth your while. Watch the full video from Youtube by April Bailey.

Ingredients: (per pie)

• 2 cups cooked pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup light cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 deep dish pie shell

Cooking video:

Cooking procedure:

Set I. Preparing the pumpkin.

1. Start with two pumpkins, about 3 lbs each.
2. Thoroughly wash the outside of each.
3. With a large sharp knife, split each pumpkin down the middle.
4. Using a large spoon, scoop out all of the seeds and pith of the pumpkin. Do not scrape too far into the flesh of the pumpkin.
5. Place the halves of the pumpkin on a cookie sheet lined with foil so that the skin side is facing up.
6. Place pumpkin halves into a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, rotate cookie sheets from one shelf to another to allow even cooking.
8. Cook for an additional 30 minutes. A butter knife should be able to be inserted through the skin with no effort at all.
9. Leave pumpkin halves on cookie tray and allow to cool part way - approximately 20 minutes.
10. Once partially cooled, place pumpkin half on a cutting board and begin to scoop out all of the flesh. (You will see dark spots around the rim of the pumpkin. This is OKAY! It's the sugar that have caramelized. be sure to include!)
11. Place the flesh into a bowl and allow to cool further. There will be a lot of juice which needs to be kept in the bowl.
12. While the pumpkin cools, prepare your cheese cloth and colander set-up. Cut cheese cloth into strips of approximately 18 inches.
13. Place a large colander into a pot or deep bowl.
14. Open each cheesecloth strip to its full spread, then refold it in half to form a double-layered sheet. Place over the colander.
15. Place the second cheesecloth sheet over the first but with the corners positioned in-between those of the first sheet.
16. Take the cooled pumpkin and place spoonfuls into a blender until it's filled about 2/3 full. (NOTE: DO NOT use HOT pumpkin - it will explode from the pressure of the blender!)
17. Set the blender to puree or blend until the pumpkin looks like baby food.
18. Pour pumpkin puree into cheesecloth that has been placed over colander.
19. Find the opposite corners of the top-most layer of cheesecloth and tie them in a knot pulling as tightly as possible.
20. If pumpkin squeezes out the other part, that's okay. Take the opposite corners and tie them over the first knot.
21. Now, take two opposite corners of the bottom layer of cheesecloth and repeat the process. Take the final two corners and tie. (You will probably have some pumpkin that had escaped the cheesecloth at this point. Don't worry!)
22. Remove the pumpkin, put one more layer of cheesecloth (folded as before) in the colander and flip the ball in knot-side down.
23. Again, tie off the corners as before, pulling as tightly as you can.
24. Juice should be running down the colander by now. Pour this out then place heavy plates on top to press down more.
25. Let the pumpkin sit and drain in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
26. After several hours of draining and pressing, the pumpkin should look something like a tight ball in the cheesecloth.
27. Carefully cut the cheesecloth near the knots and remove the pumpkin.

Set II. Preparing the other ingredients.

1. Set out your other ingredients.
2. Gently beat the eggs and mix with cream in one bowl.
3. Pour all the dry ingredients together in another bowl and thoroughly mix.
4. Add the combined dry ingredients to the pumpkin and mix thoroughly. (The pumpkin should take on a nice dark color when the ingredients are all incorporated.)
5. Begin adding the cream mixture to the pumpkin mix. Do this in small amounts (about 1/2 cup) at a time.
6. The pumpkin will begin to loosen as you add more of the cream mixture. (After adding all the cream mixture, the pumpkin will take on a silky appearance. Perfect!)
7. Place two deep dish pie crusts on a foil-lined baking sheet. Set your oven to 400 degrees F. (If you use frozen pie shells, DO NOT precook them.)
8. With a ladle, carefully begin placing pumpkin mixture into each pie shell.
9. Fill each shell as close to the top as possible and use the ladle to even out any high spots.
10. Carefully place pies in oven on middle rack and bake until a butter knife inserted in the middle comes out clean (40-45 minutes).
11. Remove pies from oven and place on a cooling rack.
12. Enjoy!

Video credit:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/156145/april_bailey.html