
Render fresh pumpkin
We don’t always have the time but rendering your own pumpkin puree will yield you a much stronger flavour and it is really quite simple. All you have to do is wash the outside of your pumpkin, slice it up and scrape out the seeds and lining. Keeping the skins on, rub it down with a little butter (this part is optional but very tasty) and bake it in a 325*F oven until the flesh of the pumpkin has darkened in colour and is visibly dehydrating.
As the water evaporates and the naturally occurring sugars begin to caramelize, the flavour begins to develop. The skins will also impart flavour during baking as well, so for this reason, I’m not much of a fan of rendering pumpkin or really any solid fruit or vegetable by boiling it. Even apple sauce is better baked as a whole apple and mashed versus boiling the pieces in a sauce pot. You’re going to tell that your pumpkin is ready to come out of the oven when the skins begin to loose their smooth shape and wrinkle.
The flesh of the pumpkin will be almost as dark as your memory of a finished pie. There is a distinct colour difference between fresh puree and rendered puree.

Raw pureee versus render
Remove the tray from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to peel back the skins. When the skins are warm they can be quite brittle but will release in one strip when allowed to return to room temperature. Now you can mash up your baked pumpkin and use this puree in any recipe you like.
I love making a stove top pumpkin filling. The reason I am referring to this as just purely a filling is because much like a curd, I can use this cooked filling as a flavour base in just about anything. You can add it to a homemade ice cream base, flavour mousses, pour it into tart and pie shells, add it to either baked or non-baked cheesecake, layer it in a parfait, fold it into white ganache for truffles or cake fillings and fold it into most muffin recipes!
Pumpkin Filling (Stove Top)
1500 gm Pumpkin, 8 Eggs, 1 lt Scalded Whipping Cream, 350 gm Brown Sugar, 75 gm Flour,
2 tsp Salt, 2 tsp Ginger, 2 tsp Mace, 2 tsp Nutmeg, 2 tsp Cinnamon
- Mix everything together except the eggs and cook it over a Bain Marie (double boiler) until it darkens slightly.
- Temper beaten eggs with hot mix and add to main batch. Stir constantly until mix thickens (approximately 5 minutes)
- Spoon into prepared shells or refrigerate for future use.
- Shelf life: 7 days refrigerated. (Freezes well)
Of course I’m not suggesting not to use can pumpkin, the only thing I would suggests, is that you read the labels carefully. Not all brands are made equally. Some load up on preservatives and other chemicals that we are trying to avoid and some will also use a squash and pumpkin combination. Not to say that squash is bad in anyway, it just is not what you’re looking or paying for and will not produce as strong of a “traditional” pumpkin pie flavour.
Now … really step out of the box and stir up the family with a whole new spin on Thanksgiving pumpkin! Give a new dessert idea a whirl with your new found recipe!!