Cooking With BEE and Her HIVE

November 17, 2014 | 4,920 views |

Anna Baumgartner (Also known as “Bee”), her daughter Cathy and her granddaughter Megan show us how to make a perfect spicy pumpkin pie from scratch. The women in this family sure know how to whip it up in the kitchen! The cooks in the family are firm believers that everything tastes best when made from scratch. Family recipes, tips and tricks in the kitchen are passed down from generation to generation, keeping the traditions alive.

Here we take you into the Family Kitchen where the ladies have fun and learn the tricks of the trade between three generations of cooks.

 

Bee’s Spicy Pumpkin Pie from scratch:

Picking Out Your Pumpkin:

Bee’s tip: When picking out your pumpkin, you want to make sure it is a pie pumpkin. Her favorite kind to use it Long Island Cheese pumpkins, but they can be hard to find. Her grandson, Nicholas Kohler, usually picks out the pumpkins for her. 

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“I look for pumpkins that are a more creamy tan color rather than your typical orange color,” said Nicholas. “The guts in the middle are a brighter orange than your average pumpkin. I like to buy mine fresh at produce stands to get the best quality for my pie.”

Nicholas also added that since you only need 2 cups of actual pumpkin, you only need a pumpkin that is about 8-10 inches in diameter.

 

How to Cook Pumpkin

To bake a fresh 6-7 pound pumpkin, cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and strings. Places both halves, hollow side down, in a large baking pan and add a little water.  Bake, uncovered in preheated 375- degree oven for 1 ½- 2 hours or until tender. Remove. When cool, scrape pulp from shells and puree, a little at a time, in food processor or blender. Mix with a little salt. Set in strainer to remove moisture. 

Pie Crust

1 Cup Flour

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons butter, chilled and cubed

3 tablespoons margarine, chilled and cubed

3 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and margarine. Mixture should resemble coarse meal. Sprinkle water over dough, pulse until dough begins to cling together. Shape dough into 5-unch disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll pastry dough into 12-inch circle.

Cathy’s Tip: Sandwich the dough between two large freezer bags to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. This trick helps a lot when handling the dough, especially when putting it in the pie pan. The easiest way to get the dough in the pan is to get to pans the exact size, turn on pan over and lay the dough over the bottom of the pan. Place the other pan over the dough, flip over and VOILA!

 

Filling

2 Cups mashed cooked pumpkin

¾ tablespoon salt

1 2/3 Cups evaporated milk

2 eggs

¾ Cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 to 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ tsp. each ginger and nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Beat all ingredients together with blender.

Bee’s Tip: Mix the sugar and spices together first to prevent clumping.

Pour into pastry-lined pie pan.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; bake 40-50 minutes or until knife is inserted near center and comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

 

Whip Cream

1 Cup chilled whipping cream

¼ Cup sifted powdered sugar 

Slowly mix cream and sugar together in mixer.

Megan’s Tip: Make sure the bowl is chilled. The mixture does not ‘whip’ as well if poured into a room temperature bowl. The mixture must stay cold.

Top your piece of fresh pumpkin pie with a dollop of your homemade whip cream and ENJOY!

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For more recipes to spice up for Thanksgiving feast, visit http://www.riverbender.com/recipes/

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