Chef Mik's Pumpkin Pie

Of all classic American pies I would have to say pumpkin pie is far and away my favorite, that might be do to the fact it reminds me so much of Swedish ginger bread cookies, Sweden’s national cookie in fact, I use to kid, claiming it most have been Swedish settlers longing for a bit of home who first created pumpkin pie, however it shows up as early as the 1600’s in a classic French cook book of the time, and even before that the first setters were introduced to the pumpkin and other squash by the native Americans, though these early settlers were slow to worm to the fruit, fate would intervene as hard time’s would dictate the narrative  which led to experimentation and that to the rudimentary fore runners of the pies we enjoy today

There are seemingly limitless verities of squash, a vast assortment of pumpkin among them, from the more exotic heirloom and Japanese to the classic Jack o lantern but for practical purposes however in terms of  baking and other cooking practices, pie pumpkins also referred to as sugar pumpkins are a great alternative, if sugar pumpkins are unavailable there are of course several substitutes available in the market place including the Jack a Lantern though it should be noted while edible they are cultivated for other purposes but in a pinch will get the job done, other options that work well include butternut squash, and if fresh pumpkin or squash are also unavailable, simply use canned preserved pumpkin, one more option similar to pumpkin pie though not an exact match is sweet potato pie also loved here in the states, although there are people on both sides of the fence who swear by one while cursing the other

A couple of notes and clarifications, many recipes for pumpkin pie call for evaporated milk, something you find in a number American pies and desserts here in the States, simply put evaporated milk is milk that has a had a portion of its water removed, is packaged such that it has a longer shelf life, can be stored at room temperature all of which lends itself to travel and the absence of refrigeration, that said I am a purest at heart and am using cream, also typically I would start beating my eggs together with my sugar and spice mix, incorporate my purée, then add the dairy portion, for practical purposes I have foregone those extra steps

Shopping List

One prepared pie crust, see “Chef Mik’s Standard Pie Crust)

Pumpkin

Cream

Eggs

Ginger

Baker’s sugar or caster sugar

Dark brown sugar

Cinnamon

Cloves

Allspice

Nutmeg

Salt

My Mad Method

Begin by choose your pumpkin here I have a classic pie pumpkin also referred to as a sugar pumpkin

Slice your pumpkins (reserve seeds for roasting), arrange on a sheet pan that has been covered with foil (for easy clean up), and brush or spray them with a little oil

Bake the pumpkin in a preheated oven for about 1 hour or until the skin has darkened, begun to blister and feel soft to the touch

Remove the skin from the pumpkin, puree the flesh and store until needed

Combine spice mix together with sugar:

100g bakers sugar, 100 g dark brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp allspice, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp salt  

NOTE: Mix well as this will help to guaranty an evenly seasoned pie

In the bowl of an upright mixer combine 7.5 dl pumpkin puree, 4 eggs + the yoke of one more, the sugar – spice mix, 1.5 – 2 tsp fresh ginger and 5dl heavy cream

Mix to combine, you will notice the custard will seem a bit lose and the color will appear rather light, it will darken and firm up well while baking

Pore the custard into ready pie crust, bake in a 175c preheated oven for about 1 hour or until the custard has solidified and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean

NOTE: for pie crust see recipe, use your own recipe or a store bought crust

Ready to serve!!

Ready to eat!!