Pumpkin Pie...grrrrrrr!

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joesfolk

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I tried a recipe that promised the best pumpkin pie I ever ate. It said if you were using a pie pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin to add 1/4 cup more sugar so I did. Well we are going to have a pretty poor pie for dessert tonight. It is cloyingly sweet. On top of that it is way over spiced. Now we love a spicy pumpkin pie but this is just ridiculous. I'm thinking of scooping out the filling and adding something to it that will çut the sweetness and temper the spice. Maybe I could add cream cheese and make it a cheesecakes fake out. What do you think? Would I need to add more eggs and bake it again? Any other ideas?
 
Not sure What you can do to save the pie. Maybe make some whipped cream without sugar and fold it into the pie filling to make it a pumpkin mousse type dish.

Next time, buy a can of One Pie canned pumpkin and follow the recipe on the can. I like it better than the Libby recipe as Libby's has clove in it.
 
Using the spices my family likes, I've never found a pumpkin pie recipe better than the one on the can of just plain canned pumpkin. I try to pay attention to spices and herbs in recipes. There is no law that we must use the amounts and flavors listed in a recipe. I'm the boss in my kitchen and I use what my family likes.
 
I tried a recipe that promised the best pumpkin pie I ever ate. It said if you were using a pie pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin to add 1/4 cup more sugar so I did. Well we are going to have a pretty poor pie for dessert tonight. It is cloyingly sweet. On top of that it is way over spiced. Now we love a spicy pumpkin pie but this is just ridiculous. I'm thinking of scooping out the filling and adding something to it that will çut the sweetness and temper the spice. Maybe I could add cream cheese and make it a cheesecakes fake out. What do you think? Would I need to add more eggs and bake it again? Any other ideas?
Oddly enough, the first time I made pumpkin pie it was the same. The second time I halved the spice and sugar and it was still as bad (and I have a very sweet tooth). I gave up after that. It was supposed to be THE definitive recipe for American pumpkin pie in a British women's magazine. I gather it wasn't.
 
I use the small pumpkins and process them for the pulp. They are much sweeter than the larger ones. They are specifically grown for cooking, not carving. Knowing this, I do cut back on the sugar and use McCormack's Pumpkin Pie spice mix. One and a half teaspoon of that is all I ever add. I use that for the pumpkin bread, pie, muffins, etc. Too much spices and I get some very serious heartburn! If you decide to process fresh pumpkins again, Get the small ones, but in medium size. It will have less natural sugar. You would think the larger they are, the more natural sugar it would contain. Just the opposite. :angel:
 
When I want the "best pumpkin pie I ever had" I drive over to Marie Callenders. In fact, I have been known to buy a pumpkin pie in October when their semi-annual half price sale is going on, wrap it in aluminium foil, put it inside a freezer bag, and save it for Thanksgiving in the deep freeze.
 
I'm not sure why you would add more sugar with fresh pumpkin, the canned stuff isn't sweetened at all, it's just plain cooked pumpkin.

Of all that I've made, I've never had an overly sweet pumpkin pie. When I'm going to try a new recipe for something, I'll often compare it to other recipes for that item to see if anything looks off.
 
Well I served the pie to my husband and brother, warning them about the sugar and spice. My brother said it was still too good to waste and my husband said it was delicious...just like his mother's. His mother was not much of a cook. Maybe there is something wrong with my taste buds.
 
I've used the Libby' Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe from the back of the 100% Pure Pumpkin can for decades. Like Oldvine, I tweak that recipe to something more to our taste. I use just under 1/2 cup sugar, add a bit more cinnamon, sometimes throw in a bit of nutmeg, and just a twist of my Mom's secret ingredient. What is it? Shhh, it's a secret. It's one grind of fresh pepper...
 
Depending on whether I feel like doing the extra work and using the fresh pumpkins or the canned pumpkin, I use McCormack's Pumpkin Pie spices. I use 1.5 tsp. per pie or recipe. For the sugar for the fresh pumpkin, sometimes they are a little bitter. So I often find that you need something to kill the bitterness. When you use fresh pumpkin you have to play with the recipe. I have been doing the fresh pumpkin for eons. Every since the kids were small. I always wanted the kids to know where their food came from other than a can or the freezer. So many city kids have no idea. :angel:
 
In answer to your query as to how to save your pie, I've done this before with things and you know what, they very rarely work out. You just add more good ingredients to bad and the 'bad' wins out, you are probably better to ditch it and open a tub of ice-cream instead and enjoy that! However, if you really want to try then I would add the jest of a couple of oranges ( blood ones are great if you can get them) and then fold in the skinned segments but don't be tempted to juice them or you will have a real sloppy mess. Orange and pumpkin is a well tried match. They just go together. i would like to know how you get on so good Luck!
 
When I want the "best pumpkin pie I ever had" I drive over to Marie Callenders. In fact, I have been known to buy a pumpkin pie in October when their semi-annual half price sale is going on, wrap it in aluminium foil, put it inside a freezer bag, and save it for Thanksgiving in the deep freeze.

I have baked more than a few pies with Marie.
 
I like the idea of adding cream cheese or folding in unsweetened whipped cream to save the pie.

When I make pumpkin pie/custard, I taste it before I add the eggs. Generally I halve the sugar and go from there. Next best is to make two pies using the sugar and spices from the recipe for one pie. I like to taste the pumpkin.
 
I do not like pumpkin pie. I do not like most pies (except Flora B's peach cream pie). I made a pumpkin pie for Cdn Thanksgiving. I followed the recipe on the can but I reduced the amount of sugar. It took longer to bake than the recipe said--but that might have been because I used fresh eggs and homemade evaporated milk. It turned out nice--but I still do not like pumpkin pie. I made my own pie crust, added some cinnamon to the flour. Baked the pie at 425 for 15 minutes and finished it at 350 for about 40 minutes.
 
I've used the Libby' Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe from the back of the 100% Pure Pumpkin can for decades. Like Oldvine, I tweak that recipe to something more to our taste. I use just under 1/2 cup sugar, add a bit more cinnamon, sometimes throw in a bit of nutmeg, and just a twist of my Mom's secret ingredient. What is it? Shhh, it's a secret. It's one grind of fresh pepper...

Me too! I usually cut back on the sugar too and spice it up a bit more ( we like it spicy). Always have good luck, it's DH 's favorite pie, not mine though...... I prefer cherry or apple ;)
 
I use the small pumpkins and process them for the pulp. They are much sweeter than the larger ones. They are specifically grown for cooking, not carving. Knowing this, I do cut back on the sugar and use McCormack's Pumpkin Pie spice mix. One and a half teaspoon of that is all I ever add. I use that for the pumpkin bread, pie, muffins, etc. Too much spices and I get some very serious heartburn! If you decide to process fresh pumpkins again, Get the small ones, but in medium size. It will have less natural sugar. You would think the larger they are, the more natural sugar it would contain. Just the opposite. :angel:
I'm afraid that if you want a pumpkin for eating rather than carving in the UK you have to grow your own. The only ones we see in the shops are ones grown for carving and they aren't very tasty.

I like pumpkin in savoury dishes and when Aldi had a special on Libby's canned pumpkin a while back I laid in a stock to put in my emergency food store. Well, there might be an emergency that requires large quantities of pumpkin, you never know. A bus full of American tourists might breakdown outside my house on Thanksgiving Day and someone will have to feed them.
 
Butternut squash is actually better than a lot of pumpkins, it is much closer to what is used for canned pumpkin. Butternut squash had the right flavor and color and is much easier to process, less seeds and more flesh.
 
I'm afraid that if you want a pumpkin for eating rather than carving in the UK you have to grow your own. The only ones we see in the shops are ones grown for carving and they aren't very tasty.

I like pumpkin in savoury dishes and when Aldi had a special on Libby's canned pumpkin a while back I laid in a stock to put in my emergency food store. Well, there might be an emergency that requires large quantities of pumpkin, you never know. A bus full of American tourists might breakdown outside my house on Thanksgiving Day and someone will have to feed them.

Aldi's store brand pumpkin at 99 cents a can is excellent, I've used cases of it over the years, I've used it along side Libby's and they looked exactly the same. I read somewhere that there are only a couple pumpkin canners in the US, so it's likely that store brands are made by Libby's or One Pie.
 
In these parts, canned pumpkin disappears from the shelves right after January 1st. until fall. There are only a very few farms that grow just the little ones for canning. And their whole crop is dedicated or Libby or One Pie. A couple of years ago, there was a shortage around here. I had to go to the church to get a couple of cans so I could make the pumpkin bread for the fair. And that was around the beginning of November. There wasn't one can to be found in any store. They came in just a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

When you go pumpkin picking, you have to locate the area where the small ones have been planted. And as a rule, if you are going to be baking, then you know where they are. There are no children in that patch. :angel:
 
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