We (yes, both of us) bake yummy goodies from time to time, and I REALLY get on a baking kick during the holidays.
However, I am really not one that cares about eating organic or all-natural or any of those good things.
So when I do something that is "all natural" it makes me feel really good about myself! :)
So here's my pumpkin puree tutorial.
You need a pumpkin. I use pie pumpkins (and they are best for this), but you can really use any kind of pumpkin. Break off the stem and cut that bad boy in half.
Scoop out all the "guts". It's nice to have a helper. Grossed-out facial expression totally necessary.
This is how they should look when you are done scooping. Don't let her fool you, I did most of the work.
Then you place the pumpkins, open-side down in a pan, with about a cup of water.
Bake at 350 for about 90 minutes, until the flesh is really tender.
Let them cool for a little while. Here's what they'll look like on the inside.
Then you scoop out the flesh. I pretty much scooped out everything, all the way down to the skin.
Then throw it in your food processor. I didn't put it all in at once, but just added a little bit more at a time.
I would say I pureed for probably a good five minutes at least. Make sure it's nice and smooth.
Take whatever you're not going to use right away (or within the next couple days), and freeze. I got probably about 4 1/2 to 5 cups of puree from the two pumpkins I used.
And there you have it... one of my most domestic feats yet. :)
