pumpkin time

I roasted a real pumpkin. For the first time in my life.

And then, then I made pie.

It was awesome.

I really don't have much more to say about the whole thing. Other than it's November, so if you haven't gotten yourself some pumpkin pie yet, now is the time. Oh yes.

 Also, I make mine with coconut milk. And lots of ginger, of course. It's fabulous.

And please don't forget to eat it with some real whipped cream on top. Or some plain yogurt...it's so good, really, it is! Plus, it's obvious that eating anything with yogurt makes it breakfast-worthy...this was definitely taken advantage of.

Fall is still here in Minnesota. The leaves are still gorgeous. And I'm going to keep roasting pumpkins...the pie is almost gone.

Pumpkin Pie

1 pie crust of your choice--can be regular pastry or maybe some kind of gingersnap/graham cracker type
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups roasted* (or canned, I suppose) pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, plus the yolk of a third
1/8 cup good maple syrup
1 cup canned coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 375

Roll out your pie crust to your desired size, place it in the pan, and crimp the edges.

Whisk together the brown sugar, spices, and salt. Stir in the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla. Now stir in the eggs and coconut milk until smooth.

Before filling the pie crust, use a fork to prick the pie dough a few times to prevent air bubbles. Fill the pie crust with the filling and bake for somwhere around and hour or so - the center of the pie should just barely jiggle when you move the pie, and the edges should be set.You might have to tent the crust with foil toward the end of the baking time if the crust is getting too dark.

Let the pie cool a bit, this makes slicing less messy. It's even better the next day. And don't forget the whipped cream...or yogurt, if you're awesome. Enjoy!

Makes one 9 or 10-inch pie.



*Roasted Pumpkin


1 3 lb. sugar pie pumpkin--not just any old pumpkin, this is important!
2 tablespoons butter
salt

Preheat the oven to 400

Carefully cut the pumpkin into four big wedges - get rid of the stem (try not to hurt yourself doing this). Scoop out the seeds and pulp (you can toast the seeds if you like, but be careful, they burn easily), rub the pumpkin wedges with butter, sprinkle generously with salt, and then bake on a baking sheet (middle rack) until tender throughout - about an hour. Scoop flesh out of the skins and puree with a food processor or mash well by hand. Use for all sorts of culinary experiments!

--ginger