the thin chef

Last week’s CSA box contained a plump, perfect little pumpkin. The only pumpkins I’ve ever done anything with are the ones you carve a toothy grin and funny eyes into. I’d read stories about the type of pumpkin you actually cook, but I’d never attempted it.

Of course there are about a million things one can do with pumpkin puree (or just roasted pumpkin, for that matter) but the first thing that came to my mind was pumpkin bread…or, better yet, cupcakes that taste like pumpkin bread. Though I’m not usually one for sweets, pumpkin-spice bread is definitely a seasonal favorite…and if there’s ever a reason to eat cream-cheese frosting, well, you can sign me up.

Since we all know I’m not a baker, I went to Smitten Kitchen for a cupcake recipe, and looked to Elise for a cream-cheese frosting. I also called on my friend Amy, baking expert and photo stylist extraordinaire, to keep my scattered brain on track and to help make the pictures extra pretty.

Deb’s cupcake recipe called for cloves, but we subbed allspice. And, thanks to my gorgeous little pumpkin, the puree we used was fresh. I really do think it made a difference, though these will still be awesome using canned. And though the frosting tasted fabulous with just 3 cups of powdered sugar, I threw in probably another 3/4 cup in for extra fluffiness.

Below is how I roasted my pumpkin. If you have a food processor and you want to make something using pumpkin puree, I highly recommend making your own. It’s super easy and very fulfilling. Obviously, the yield depends on the size of the pumpkin you use…mine was probably 5-6 pounds, and it made right around 2 cups of puree.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Preheat the oven to 375º. Cut very top off pumpkin, to get rid of the stem, and discard. Use a long, sharp knife (one that’s heavy-duty) to cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise. Use a grapefruit spoon (or a regular one) to scoop out the strings and seeds. Save the seeds for roasting, or just throw it all away.

Place pumpkin cut side down, and cover loosely with foil. Roast until very tender, aynwhere from 50 minutes to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool until you can handle it, about 30 minutes. Scoop flesh from skin into a food processor. Process for 1-2 minutes, until it’s totally smooth.

If the puree seems overly wet (some pumpkins have a lot of moisture), strain through cheesecloth, squeezing out excess moisture. Use as you would canned puree.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 11:02 am and is filed under basic techniques, comfort food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.