Pumpkin Puree

Last Thanksgiving, I got put in charge of the pumpkin pie. Growing up, I remember baking pumpkins with my mom so I decided to give it a try again. Making your own pumpkin is very easy and you can make it a day or freeze. Canned pumpkin is fine, but there is nothing like fresh, baked pumpkin.

I started with this beautiful pie pumpkin from our local farmers market

Cut off the top. You will need a good, sturdy chefs nice for this. Cut in a half and clean out the seeds.

Quarter the pumpkin and arrange on a cookie sheet or baking pan and bake until pumpkin is tender. Process cooked and cooled pumpkin until a smooth consistency. And silly me, I didn't get a final picture of the puree! But here is the finished product: pumpkin pie!

Pumpkin Puree
from Tasteful Cuisine

1 pie pumpkin (or as many as you want to bake)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse pumpkin thoroughly and pat dry. Cut top off of pumpkin and cut in half. Clean out the seeds and quarter pumpkin. Arrange on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Rotate the pumpkin halfway through so that cooks evenly. Cool completely. Peel the skin off the pumpkin and cut into small pieces. Transfer pumpkin to a food processor and process until a fine pulp. This mixture can be refrigerated up to 7 days or frozen for later use. Yields three cups.