Wednesday, December 28, 2011

PUMPKIN PIE


I don’t really have a sweet tooth and I haven’t had much of an opinion about the pumpkin either. So it must have been quite a strange coincidence that among a plethora of dessert options I picked up the pumpkin pie at a recent office lunch, let alone the fact that I picked up a dessert in the first place. I have heard a lot about the pumpkin pie and its rich and old tradition and history though that did not have any bearing on my decision. Anyways surprise surprise: I really liked it. It had a very unique and distinct taste that kindled my senses.

Now this led to 2 things: I wanted to know more about its history and I wanted to make it on my own. The first one was quite easy. I was able to dig up quite a few articles that provided lots of information about its origins and its entry into popular American culture. So here’s a concerted effort to succinctly present (not bore) you with a brief peek into the life and times of Mr. Pumpkin Pie.

The Pumpkin Pie Culture: The pumpkin has been native to the continent of North America for a long long time. Northeastern Native American tribes grew squash and pumpkins and roasted or boiled them for eating. Historians think that the early American settlers from Europe (in southern New England) were not very impressed by the Indians’ squash and/or pumpkins until they had to survive their first harsh winter when about half of the settlers died from scurvy and exposure. The Native Americans brought pumpkins as gifts to the first settlers, and taught them the many uses for the pumpkin. This is what developed into pumpkin pie about 50 years after the first Thanksgiving in America. And since then the pumpkin and pumpkin pie have been an integral part of Thanksgiving, Haloween and Christmas in America.

Now to the not so easy part! I love cooking and have made many Indian sweets as well before but haven’t done much of baking. (Cakes, pies, cookies etc...) Reason being I have had the company of some wonderful friends who make excellently delicious cakes; so I never ventured into that zone. But nevertheless, making pumpkin pie turned out to be an exciting and delicious affair. So before you start cursing me I will give you my methodology (note that there is nothing really original here as you can find this recipe with slight variations in many places in the web). But I am trying to give you one of the easier ways to do it.

Ingredients:
v      2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed or 2 cups of pumpkin pulp puree from a sugar pumpkin
v      1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
v      1/2 cup brown sugar
v      1/3 cup white sugar
v      1/4 teaspoon salt
v      1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
v      1/2 cup half-and-half
v      1/4 cup melted butter
v      1 teaspoon vanilla extract
v      1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
v      1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
v      1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
v      1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
v      1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
v      1 piece pre-made pie dough
v      Whipped cream, for topping
v      Ready made Pie crust


The pie shell (or crust) is a very important part and adds a lot to the taste. You can either make it from scratch or get a ready-made one. I went for the easier option. If you are perfectionist, you can go for the other option too.

The Recipe:
ü       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
ü       Take the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat it well (a hand mixer would come in handy).
ü       Now add the pumpkin and beat them nicely together until they mix well.
ü       Now mix the sugars, salt and spices and continue the beating.
ü       Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, melted butter and the vanilla extract and beat well for one last time.
ü       Now pour the filling into the ready-made (or self made) pie crust and bake it in the oven for about 50-60 minutes until the center is set.

That is it. Your delicious pumpkin pie should be ready and hopefully edible. Help yourself (and others) generously. The whipped cream goes well with it too.

See you next time. Pie Pie!!

29 comments:

  1. So, it's a pie story. Hey, we do have a book with that name...:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. is this the first time i am seeing a "recipe" on a man's blog?!! and written so neatly & nicely too...step by step method of doing the pie. :))

    ReplyDelete
  3. That was an edible and sweet post! Agree with Sujatha here and I must admit it is a pleasant surprise :) Wish you a very happy new year!

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Saru.. Ohh.. is it? I didnt know about that. I shall look it up to read. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Sujatha: Is it so? ;) I love cooking a lot. You can see more recipes in the cuisine section. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Zephyr: Thank you so much. :) Wish u a very very happy new year too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tho' I am not exactly ecstatic for Pumpkin,your post makes a good case for it.

    http://autopublie.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. wow! you cook! isn't that awesome :D...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hope the cyclone has not affected you adversely.
    Stay safe

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey... loved it....
    have to try it out sometime....

    ReplyDelete
  11. sweet post indeed ! n have a great year ahead buddy :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Looks Delicious...
    Happy New Year:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Zach: Exactly my sentiment. I am not a big fan of pumpkin either. But liked this one. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. @Stuti: I love cooking and more often than not, something edible comes out of it. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. @Santosh: Thank you so much. It should be an easy one for you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you so much Maliny. Wish u too a very happy new year. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. @Deepa: Thanks so much. And wish u a wonderful new year. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am yet to taste a pumpkin pie, same reason not fond enough of pumpkin...but the Americans have sure done a great job of popularising it even to people like me who never have been to the US of A :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yeah.. me too.. am not too fond of pumpkin either. But the pie somehow has a different taste to it which makes it very likeable. :)

      Delete
  19. i love pies but have neva got a chance to try pumpkin pie...thanks for sharing the recipe am gonna ask my daughter to try it she loves cooking and i love eating..hehehehe:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome. :) I had never had it before too. But then I liked it when I had it recently and decided to make it.

      yeah.. you and your daughter should try this. It is quite easy and turns out well. :)

      Delete
  20. Oh Mr R!
    P. Pie sounds tempting:) and gud to hear its history...dare I say you are turning American now!
    Enjoyed your blog...thanks for your indirect hint at my cake baking skills :) and I think I should try my hand at ....blogging :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. For those who do not want to waste pumpkin during halloween time and those who donot have sweet tooth can make pumpkin soup..very simple.
    Peel all the pumpkin and cut into squares and boil for 7-10 minutes with required amount of salt and fresh garlic.
    Once soft, mash it in fruit mixer or grinder and make it into liquid.
    If you like you can garnish it with basil leaves or coriander leaves .Add ground pepper if you like spicy. Voila! done. Enjoy soup when sick...or in cold winter.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gгеat ροst.

    Ηere iѕ my wеbsite ... Lloyd Irvin

    ReplyDelete
  23. My brothеr ѕuggested Ι might like this ωeb ѕite.
    He was totаlly гight. Τhis publiѕh аctuallу made my day.
    You cann't consider simply how so much time I had spent for this info! Thank you!

    Feel free to surf to my web page ... Lloyd Irvin

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sweеt blog! I found іt whіlе
    seаrching οn Υahoo News.
    Do you have anу tips on hoω to get listed in Υahoo
    Newѕ? I've been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Many thanks

    Here is my blog post ... online reputation management software

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...