Alright ladies and gents. It’s that time of year again, the time when most Americans begin to experience uncomfortably desperate pumpkin cravings. You know who you are. You’re the one in the corner mainlining pumpkin spice lattes. Don’t try to hide! YOU’VE BEEN SPOTTED.
Ahem.
Sugar pie pumpkins and all manner of squash are currently on sale at Whole Foods for 99 cents a pound, which is what made me want to buy one. That and “sugar pie” pumpkin is such a cute name. Don’t you want to go buy one now? Sure you do. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
I’ve never actually been a fan of pumpkin pie (one of the only pumpkin incarnations I am aware of, I’ll admit) and I’ve recently decided that this might be because my grandma uses canned pumpkin. I know, I know, apparently there are really awesome and good quality canned pumpkin products out there, but this is just my THEORY. I really want to like pumpkin pie. I feel like I might be missing out on something. In any case, making your own puree is really easy, and if you get the pumpkin on sale it is SO CHEAP. My pumpkin cost me about $1.50. You’re welcome.
The first step is to grab your pumpkin. Hello pumpkin! He is a sugar pie pumpkin, one of the smaller, sweeter varieties best for dessert making, and he weighs approximately 1.5 pounds. Aww.
Now, wash him. Cut off his stem and then cut him into quarters. This is his better half.
Use a spoon to scoop out all of his insides-seeds and stringy pulpy bits. Put it all aside because you can use the seeds for roasting, or making pumpkin brittle.
Put the quarters on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and roast in a 400˚ oven for 35-40 minutes.
My pumpkin has battle scars.
When it’s done, the pumpkin should be soft enough for you to scrape the shell off with a spoon. I left mine for 35 minutes and it was perfect.
Allow the pumpkin to cool for 10-20 minutes, then take a spoon and scrape the shell off.
Using some sort of mixing or mashing device, puree your pumpkin! I used my very favorite immersion blender that I use for everything. You might prefer a cuisinart, or a fork. I just don’t know.
The puree will keep for a few days in the fridge. I am still trying to decide what to so with mine. Right now, I’m thinking either pumpkin cheesecake or pumpkin pavlovas. I’ll decide in the next few days and post the results next Monday. In the meantime, happy pumpkin making!
❤ stef
Dinner Love. 
yummy! i am obsessed with the pumpkin quark i just got from the farmer’s market this weekend. it’s so yummy spread on a cracker with a sprinkle of sea salt. NOM!
Ooooh, yum! That sounds so good!
delish!! my mouth is watering. i may need to hold myself over with a pumpkin latte…i’ve got pumpkins on the brain now.
what did you end up making with the puree?
p.s. thanks for visiting my blog.
Haha, I admit, I found you via The Bloggess. Your ad is working! YOU DID NOT SPEND MONEY IN VAIN! I think your blog is hilarious and provocative. I love the idea. I went one month not buying anything except food in June 2006, and I did it, but it was so.hard. So, you’re basically my hero.
I ended up making pumpkin cheesecake. It’s in the fridge right now. I’m going to take some pictures of it tomorrow before work and have the post up tomorrow afternoon…..ish. OH! This adorable blogger I follow has a recipe for homemade pumpkin spice lattes if you’re interested. It’s here: http://vanillaandlace.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumpkin-spice-latte.html
How was the pumpkin cheesecake? And how many people got to share in the joy? Will you mail me a slice next time….please?
I love, love that your fiance was so shy around you. God, can you you imagine what was going through his mind every time you walked up to him. He must have just wanted to disappear!
Probably something like, “Oh shit she’s coming. Hide!” The cheesecake was pretty evenly split between work and my internship class. I was pretty proud of myself because I only had like 1.5 slices. I can TRY to mail you a slice but I can’t guarantee that it will be intact once it reaches you. I’m willing to take the chance if you are.