Friday Food for Thought—Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Do you make your own pumpkin puree or buy it canned?

I have to confess that as much I love the look of pumpkins, I do not like working with them. They can be difficult to cut into, and one good-sized pumpkin makes a lot of puree. Yes, I know it can be frozen but we’re just not a freeze-for-later kind of family. So I buy canned puree. Not pumpkin pie filling, but the puree that says “Ingredients: pumpkin.”

I do make my own pastry because it's so easy, but if you’re not a pastry-maker, by all means use a store-bought shell.

This no-bake pumpkin pie is a great stand-in for the classic version, especially if your Thanksgiving turkey is already in the oven and there's no room to bake a pie. It might seem a tad early to be thinking about Thanksgiving, but my Canadian readers celebrate that holiday on Monday. So, Happy Thanksgiving, Canada. This one's for you.

1 8-inch baked pie shell
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup milk
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar

Combine brown sugar, gelatin and spices in a small saucepan. Mix together the pumpkin puree, egg yolks and milk, and blend into the brown sugar mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat as soon as it boils and set the pan in a bowl of ice water to cool.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy, and then slowly beat in the sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites are stiff (this is important). Blend the cooled pumpkin mixture into the meringue. Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and chill for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream, and enjoy!

Until next time,
Lee