Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Recipe
To make pumpkin purée from scratch, cut your pumpkin in half (depending on the type you may need to cut it more to fit on the baking sheet). Scrape out the insides (reserving the pumpkins seeds to roast) and discard. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Place the pumpkin cut side down on the lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F until a fork can easily pierce them, about an hour to an hour and a half. Remove from oven, let cool, scoop out the pulp.
Alternatively, you can cut the pumpkin into sections and steam in a saucepan with a couple of inches of water at the bottom, until soft (strain before using). If you want the purée to be extra smooth, press the pulp through a food mill.
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 cups pumpkin pulp purée
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream or one 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
- 1 pie crust, chilled or frozen
Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Make the filling: Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the brown sugar, white sugar, salt, spices—cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, cardamom, and lemon zest. Mix in the pumpkin purée. Stir in the cream. Beat together until everything is well mixed.
Pour the filling into an uncooked chilled or frozen pie shell. Bake at a high temperature of 425°F for 15 minutes.
Then after 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350°F. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes more. The pie is done when a knife tip inserted in the center comes out wet but relatively clean. The center should be just barely jiggly. (About half-way through the baking, you may want to put foil around the edges or use a pie protector to keep the crust from getting too browned.)
Cool the pumpkin pie on a wire rack for 2 hours. Note that the pumpkin pie will come out of the oven all puffed up (from the leavening of the eggs), and will deflate as it cools. Serve with whipped cream. (Original Recipe)
Roasted Fennel with Parmesan
Ingredients: This recipe can be easily modified based on how many fennel bulbs you have.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 fennel bulb, cut horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices, fronds reserved
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly oil the bottom of a glass baking dish. Arrange the fennel in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the oil. Bake until the fennel is fork-tender and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Chop enough fennel fronds to equal 1 teaspoon, then sprinkle over the roasted fennel and serve. (Original Recipe)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Scallions
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunches scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
- Juice of ½ lemon
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 20 minutes.
Add the scallions and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Toss on the baking sheet to mix the scallions with the Brussels sprouts.
Roast until the sprouts and scallions are browned and tender, about 20 minutes more, rotating and shaking the pan once or twice more to make sure all is browning evenly.
Transfer to a platter, squeeze the lemon over the vegetables and serve. (Original Recipe)