It had never occurred to Claire Georges, the owner of Butterfly Bakery, to use fresh pumpkin in baked goods when canned was so widely used, but a few years ago, a friend of hers received a pumpkin from her CSA. They stared at the gourd-like squash for a while and then decided to give pie a try before the pumpkin went bad (with little hope for success). The results were amazing. Georges has never gone back to using canned pumpkin for anything since.
Ingredients
- 1 pie pumpkin (3 to 4 pounds)
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2⁄3 cup pure Vermont maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
Instructions
This recipe produces more purée than you will need for the pie. You can store the remaining pumpkin purée in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for several months. In a pinch, you can substitute 1½ cups of organic canned purée (just be sure not to use pie filling, which is spiced and sweetened).
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise; scoop out the seeds and strings and discard them. Place the pumpkin, open side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until fork-tender, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh, transfer to a food processor, and process until smooth.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together 1½ cups of the pumpkin purée, the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves until smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pie and bake, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly; serve warm or at room temperature.
About this recipe
Recipe by Claire Georges of Butterfly Bakery for the Capital City Farmers Market, Montpelier
Recipe and photography courtesy of and reprinted from The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook – Homegrown Recipes From The Green Mountain State by Tracey Medeiros | Photography by Oliver Parini | Published By Countryman Press, 2023.
