Freezer Cooking/Baking Day, Part 3

My baking day goals changed a bit from my initial plan. I was missing some key ingredients for a couple of items, but I decided to go ahead and make a pumpkin pie using some of the fresh pumpkin I cooked yesterday.

Doesn't it look pretty?

Not only did I make a pumpkin pie, I actually made my own pie crust. (pause for effect) From Scratch. (Longer pause, please)

Are you suitably impressed?

If you're a regular reader, you may recall I've blogged about making two different kinds of blackberry pie, and even a pie made from navy beans, but I have never--repeat, never--made a pie crust. Until today, that is.

Most pie crust recipes call for shortening, which is not something I regularly keep on hand, but after a quick shout-out on Twitter I found a recipe for Butter Pie Crust at the Natural Mommy, and decided to give it a try.

Now, before you go any further, you really do need to check out Natural Mommy's post with her pretty double crust pie; then come back here, and remember--no pies were harmed in making of this post.

But it is not a pretty sight.


Natural Mommy's recipe is for a double crust pie, so I cut the quantities in half--the amounts listed below are for a single crust pie.

Ingredients:

• 1 c plus 2 T flour
• slightly less than 1/2 t salt
• 1/3 c cold butter, cut in small pieces
• 4-5 T ice water
  

Mix together flour and salt, and cut in butter with a pastry blender

Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, stirring lightly with fork until the dough forms a ball

And this is where everything began to go Terribly Wrong.

Beth at the Natural Mommy recommends a pastry cloth and a rolling pin. I had neither, so I used my counter top and a wine bottle. (I promise, the bottle was already empty, I am not the culprit!) It was a really weird shape for a while, but I kept on until I got it semi-roundish.*

Not pretty. Not pretty at all.

Maybe just a bit better--at this point I put it in the fridge while I mixed the filling,

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 3/4 c pumpkin
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c white sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• (I didn't have ginger, I ended up using 2 t pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices)
• 1 can (1 3/4 c) evaporated milk

Mix all ingredients, and pour into your unbaked pie crust. I had a fairly deep 9 inch glass pie plate and it filled it completely. (If I were using premade crusts in the little aluminum tins, it may have filled two.)

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes; turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until the center is set.

Serve with whipped topping of your choice----want a bite?

This was a good pie--it needed just a little more of something; maybe a little extra nutmeg, or little more pumpkin pie spice. And I admit it--the crust was tough. Not your fault, Natural Mommy, I think I worked it to death trying to get it round. *At one point I balled it all up and started over. Yes, I know that was a Big Mistake. Don't laugh.

But...

My husband was tickled to death (southern expression alert!) he loves pumpkin pie and he never gets pumpkin pie at home. Well, I did make one once with a bought crust and can of pumpkin pie filling, but I'm not sure that counts...

One pie is not a lot for a baking day, but I was so extraordinarily proud of myself for making the entire thing from scratch, from cooking the pumpkin to making the pie crust. After all, I'm the gal with "quick and easy" in the title of every recipe!

This post is linked to:

Holiday Food Fest at Hoosier Homemade

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Recipe Swap at The Grocery Cart Challenge

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

DIY at A Soft Place to Land

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!