How to Make Fresh Pumpkin Purée
My two favorite pie pumpkins are Winter Luxury and a French heirloom called Rouge Vif D’Etampes (AKA Cinderella Pumpkin). Winter Luxury is one of the best tasting pie pumpkins you can grow — it has a very sweet taste and a smooth, velvety texture. It’s a small pumpkin (about 6 lbs.) and has a distinctive white netting on its skin. The Rouge Vif pumpkin has a smooth, silky texture similar to canned pumpkin. It’s delicious as a pie filling or can be used for stews or soup.
A medium-sized pie pumpkin (about 4-6 pounds) should yield around 1 1/2 – 2 cups cups of mashed pumpkin. You can use this puree for all your recipes calling for canned pumpkin.
My sister and I have a running debate about whether to cut the pumpkin and remove the seeds before baking, or to leave it whole while baking. I prefer to cut mine, remove the seeds and save them for next year’s pumpkin patch or to make one of my favorite snacks — roasted pumpkin seeds! (More on that later!) If you bake the pumpkin whole, you’ll not be able to plant the seeds, however it’s a little less prep work.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Rinse the pumpkin under cool water to remove any dirt or particles.
Cut the pumpkin in half and discard the stem section and stringy pulp and seeds. (Save the seeds to toast for a healthy snack or for next year’s pumpkin patch, if desired.)
Lightly coat a shallow baking pan with vegetable oil. Place the two halves face down, add 1/4 cup water and cover with foil.
Bake pumpkin at 375°F for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until flesh is tender when pierced. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
After baked pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and mash by hand or purée it by pressing flesh through a food mill or using a food processor.
Place purée in a fine meshed strainer lined with a coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth and set over a deep bowl. Stir occasionally and drain until the puree is as thick as canned pumpkin, about two hours.
Immediately store in sealed container and refrigerate. Use within three days.
To Freeze:
Measure 1 1/4 cups of drained purée (which is roughly equivalent to 15 ounces of canned pumpkin) and place in rigid containers, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Label, date and freeze up to one year.
