Text 31841, 95 rader
Skriven 2015-10-10 15:35:34 av Stephen Haffly (1:396/45.27)
  Kommentar till text 31798 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
Ärende: A tale of pumpkins
==========================
Hi Dale,

On (09 Oct 15) Dale Shipp wrote to All...

 DS> I had never tried to carve a pumpkin for halloween.  I can now say
 DS> that I wonder how one does it withour using a power saw.  This pumpkin
 DS> shell was so hard that my knives would not make a dent in it until
 DS> after we
 DS> had put the pumpkin into the microwave for several minutes.  Even then
 DS> the shell was hard enough to make it quite an effort.  I was reminded
 DS> of using a hammer and a slim jim crowbar when we opened a durian once.
 DS> Even after it was opened, there was the job of getting the seeds and
 DS> "stuff" out of the center and separating the pulp from the shell.
 DS> After that was all done, we got less than one pound of pumpkin flesh
 DS> out of
 DS> the two pound plus of pumpkin.

There are pie pumpkins and there are carving pumpkins. You found one of
the differences, which is in the thickness and toughness of the skin.
Pie pumpkins are less stringy than carving pumpkins and there is less
moisture also. Most sites I checked indicate that the sugar pumpkins
(aka pie pumpkins) are sweeter also.

 DS> The next step in the recipe said to roast the pumpkin flesh and the
 DS> apples in the oven for an hour.   WRONG.  That resulted in well over
 DS> cooked semi-black bits.

There is probably something seriously wrong with that recipe.

 DS> SO, back to the store to get another pumpkin -- this time electing for
 DS> a larger one.  Same drill with trying to get into it.  I had some
 DS> success by pounding on the back of the knife with a hammer to get
 DS> through the
 DS> hard shell.  Started all over with roasting -- this time under Gail's
 DS> watchful eye.  Ran the motor boat through the mixture to pulverize it,
 DS> added the recommended spices, and gave a taste test.  It was
 DS> absolutely the most bland and tasteless thing we have ever tried to
 DS> make.  In the
 DS> end, two pounds of pumpkin/apple mush went down the disposal.

Roasting should have caramalized the sugars in the pumpkin and apples.
That should have made it more flavorfull, not less.

 DS> If we ever get a hankering to try something like this soup again, we
 DS> will definitely go with canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling).  It
 DS> was far too much work for a poor result.


That's probably the easiest way to go. Starting with raw pumpkins does
involve a lot more work. We usually pressure cook the pumpkins we use
and then strain to remove excess moisture so we can get a consistency
more like canned, but with a better flavor.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm)

   Title: Pumpkin Pie
Categories: Desserts, Pies

     1   9" pie shell
     1   "Small Sugar" pumpkin*
     2   Eggs
   1/2   c Brown sugar
     8   oz Cream cheese
   1/2   ts Cinnamon
   1/4   ts Ginger
   1/4   ts Cloves
         oven. Bake 1 hour, or until knife penetrates skin easily.


  *This recipe should work with other pumpkins, however.


  Slice pumpkin in half and place halves face down on a pie sheet in a
  Remove from oven, scoop out seeds and scrape pumpkin pulp from skin -
  yield two cups. In a food processor, blend until smooth with the
  remaining ingredients, using the steel blade.  Pour into pie crust and
  bake at 375 F for 40 minutes.


  Recipe developed by Ellen Ogden.  In "The Cook's Garden" catalog, Vol.
  9, No. 1.  Spring 1992.  Pg. 47.


MMMMM


Regards,

Stephen
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