When Life Hands You Pumpkins - Make Pumpkin Pie!

My neighbors and I share a CSA veggie box each week and we have been bombarded with winter squash and pumpkins lately.  We decided to roast our pumpkin together and make a pie since the men in both of our households are huge pumpkin pie fans.  The only thing missing here is a bit of whipped cream ;)

How to Make Pureed Pumpkin
Photographs property of Dain S. ;-)

Cut your pumpkin into large chunks.  We ended up with 4 using this "pie pumpkin".

 Peel out and discard all of the seeds using a spoon.

 Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Place the pumpkin pieces face down.

Roast for about 2 hours at 375 degrees**.  Check your pumpkin about every 20 minutes after the first hour to make sure you aren't turning it into complete mush.  (**NOTE - cooking times are approximate.  We may or may not have been playing cards while the pumpkin was roasting).

Once your pumpkin is soft take the pulp out and place it into a large bowl until you are ready to make pie!  You can also freeze the pumpkin at this point, or puree it and then freeze it in baggies.

Pumpkin Pie
Recipe from Jillian S.

1 pie crust (We used the one in my Plum Tart)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 8oz block cream cheese or neufchatel cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg and 2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 stick salted butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup half and half

Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.  Roll out crust and place into pie pan, pinching the edges.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. 

While the crust is baking, begin making the filling.  I used a food processor since it was already dirty from pureeing the roasted pumpkin.  Feel free to use a hand mixer, blender, or standing mixer (whatever you have!)  Place the cream cheese in your mixer of choice.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined.  Pour into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. 

We had extra filling so we made two nice sized "pumpkin custards" in coffee mugs.  They also baked for 50 minutes. 

Allow the pie to cool at room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled. 

Remember...when life hands you pumpkins...make pie! :)