Homemade Pumpkin Puree

The calendar says Fall. In our sleepy Southern California beach town, Fall brings an Indian Summer - warm day temperatures and curl-into-quilts evening temperatures. The beach breeze gently stirs through our open doors and windows and the blue skies are cloudless. My roses are pushing early Fall blooms, the Confederate Jasmine is scenting the air like sweet honey and the Buganvilia is popping its color. The neighborhood Pumpkin Patch is going up. The Market stocked butternut squash and sugar pumpkins. The Nursery put out their hay and mums over the weekend. Cinderella pumpkins are coming soon (I am told!). Last night, our house smelled like pumpkin pie as I roasted Sugar Pumpkins for homemade pumpkin puree - the key ingredient to several recipes I plan on making this week. Yes, Fall is here - Indian Summer and all.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Makes about 2 cups of puree

Ingredients

• 1 Sugar Pumpkin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Rinse pumpkin
3. Cut off stem
4. Cut pumpkin in half, vertically (cut down from the stem)
5. Using a metal spoon, scoop out seeds
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
7. Place the Sugar Pumpkin flesh down on the parchment paper
8. Roast for 40 - 50 minutes until skin is fork tender (see Cook's Notes)
9. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes
10. Using a clean metal spoon, spoon the flesh away from the skin
11. Put flesh in a food processor and process until smooth (think baby food smooth)
12. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days

Cook's Notes

• Rule of thumb = 1 Sugar Pumpkin equals about 2 cups of puree (about the same as one 15 ounce can of the canned stuff).
• Use the puree just as you would the canned stuff.
• Rinse and roast the pumpkin seeds if you wish.
• The roasting time will depend on the size of your Sugar Pumpkin and if you roast multiple pumpkins at once. Sugar Pumpkins are small, usually around 2 pounds. When I double or triple the recipe, it takes closer to 50 minutes to roast them.
• You can easily double or triple this recipe!
• Other bloggers have suggested that you run your puree through a cheese cloth or thick paper towels to remove excess liquid. I have never had to do this, but the option is there is your is super watery. Remember, it is a puree, not a reduction. The above picture is straight out of processing.
• You can freeze this puree. Once thawed, if it is watery, run it through a cheese cloth or thick paper towels to soak up excess liquid. Again, I've never had to do this with my puree.