Preparing your pumpkin for cooking
Pumpkin
Pie
2 eggs
1t. cinnamon
1 ½c. evap. Milk
½t. ginger
¾c. brown sugar
¼t.
nutmeg
1 ½c-2c. pumpkin puree
¼t. cloves
1t. vanilla
Mix all
ingredients and pour into an unbaked 9” pie crust. Bake at 350 for 1hr.
Let cool and
serve with whipping cream. Yummm!
Pumpkin
Bran Muffins
2
cups flour 1t. soda
1
cup pecans
2/3 c. milk
1/2
tsp. salt 2-3t. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1
cup raisin bran cereal
½ c. butter, melted
2/3
cup sugar
1c. pumpkin puree
3/4
cup bran
2
tsp. baking powder
2
eggs
Mix
together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, soda, and spices in a BIG bowl. Add
pecans, raisin bran, and bran. In another bowl whisk eggs, milk, melted butter
and pumpkin together. Add to dry ingredients, stirring quickly. Fill muffin pans
3/4ths full and bake at 375 F 20-25 min. Makes 21 muffins.
Pumpkin
Scones
Makes
4-6
1
Tbsp butter 1/2 cup sugar
1
egg
1
cup cold mashed cooked pumpkin
2
cups self raising flour
1/8
tsp salt
Grease
a scone tray or baking tray. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and
fluffy. Add egg and beat well.
Add
pumpkin, flour and salt and fold in by hand. Knead lightly and cut into 1-inch
squares.
Place
close together on the scone tray and bake at 425 deg. F until well risen and
golden on top (about 15 minutes).
Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
Makes
approx. Two dozen muffins.
1c fresh or
canned pumpkin
31/2 c.
flour
1c. sugar
2 eggs
1 ¼ c.
2% milk
¼ c. soft
butter
1 c. raisins
4 t. baking
powder
½ t.
cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
½ t. salt
Preparation Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put
muffin cups into muffin tins or grease the tins.
Cream
butter(or margarine) and sugar until fluffy.
Beat
in pumpkin and eggs.
Dredge
raisins in 1/2 cup of flour.
Sift
remaining flour and spices together.
Pour
milk into a mixing bowl.
Mix
in dry ingredients by hand until just mixed.
Stir
in raisins. Spoon mix into paper cups in
muffin tin.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Filling:
2 pkgs. Lite cream cheese (8 oz.)
½ c. sugar
3 eggs
1t. Vanilla.
Save 1 cup
of this mixture aside.
Add:
1c. Pumpkin puree
¼ t. nutmeg
¾ t. cinnamon
¼ c. sugar
Use a
10-inch graham cracker pie crust. Pour ½ the pumpkin mixture followed by ½ the
cream cheese mixture that was set aside. Repeat. Finish by swirling through the
pie with a butter knife. Bake at 350 for 45 min. Cool and Serve.
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese
Frosting
Preheat oven
to 350.
1c. Crisco
or Veg. Oil
2t. baking powder
2c. sugar
1t. bakin soda
2c. pumpkin
puree
2t. salt
4 eggs
2t. cinnamon
2c. flour
nuts (optional)
Mix together
and put in an 11x 15 jelly roll pan. Bake 25 min. at 350.
Frosting: 3
oz. Cream Cheese
6 T. Margarine
1T Cream/ milk
1t. Vanilla
1 ¾ c. Powdered sugar
Mix and
spread on COOLED bars.
Preparing your pumkpin for cooking
To
prepare your pumpkin for cooking is a lot easier than people think. Here are
some different methods for you to choose from. If you have ever made fresh
squash from a butternut, hubbard or other squash, you can follow the same
process. We’ve found the best
varieties to use for cooking are Sugar Pie and La Rouge.
Before
cooking the pumpkin do the following:
- Select
a ripe and firm medium pumpkin. Larger pumpkins can be used, but they begin
to take on a grainy texture the larger they get.
- Cut
open the pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy stuff.
- Cut
the pumpkin into four to eight pieces.
Boiling:
In large pot with approximately an inch of water, add two pounds of chopped
pumpkin pieces (the larger the chunks, the longer it takes to cook); bring to a
boil, cover, reduce heat, and let simmer. Stir occasionally. Larger pieces take
between 20 - 25 minutes to cook; cubing the pumpkin into half-inch cubes results
in a quicker cooking time of 10 - 15 minutes. When cubing pumpkin, it's easiest
to remove the skin first with a potato peeler; when using larger chunks, just
peel the flesh from the skin after it's been cooked, drained, and cooled.
Steaming:
Fill large covered pot with 1 inch water; place a steaming rack inside. Add
pumpkin pieces/chunks, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and steam for 30
minutes (or until tender). Remove flesh from skin once pumpkin has been drained
and cooled.
Oven
baking:
Place two-inch chunks in shallow baking dish and lightly brush with oil or
melted margarine. If you're planning on serving this as a side dish, sprinkle
with salt and pepper before cooking.
Finishing
the Process:
Once the
flesh has been removed, mash with a fork or potato masher, or puree with a food
processor or blender until smooth; then simply measure out the amount you need.
If you're using a recipe that calls for canned pumpkin, figure one 29-oz. can is
equal to about 3 - 3/12 cups fresh, cooked, and pureed pumpkin.
Use fresh pumpkin for all your
recipes! You’ll be amazed at the taste!
Freeze
in individual bags for easy use later.
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