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How to make Pumpkin Puree

October 9, 2016 By Deb Farina 6 Comments

How to Make Pumpkin Puree!  

Pumpkin Puree is one of those things that I can easily get at the grocery store.  The Libby’s canned Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie mix) is one of those quality products that you can always count on to be consistent and give you a great tasting dessert with a beautiful texture.

But, have you considered making your favorite pumpkin dessert with pumpkin puree that you made yourself?  It’s truly simple to do and doesn’t take more than 30 to 40 minutes to bake and once it’s cool, just a few minutes to buzz up into a perfectly smooth puree.  Just think of all the accolades, wonder and awe you’ll get from your friends and family, not to mention the ability to choose just the perfect pumpkin for your dessert.

Please don’t use your Jack O’lantern pumpkin to bake with.  It’s just way too stringy and watery to give you a good end result. Look to my post – 5 Pumpkin Varieties Perfect for Pumpkin Puree and Holiday Baking for some help with choosing the perfect pumpkin.

So, let’s get this simple process started.  The pumpkin I’m working with is a Baby Pam Sugar Pie Pumpkin.  The first thing you want to do is cut off the stem.  I probably would have just snapped the stem off, but you can see that the stem was already cut short on this one.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

What knife should I use?

I’m using a cleaver to cut through the pumpkin, but please use whatever knife you are comfortable with.

How to make Pumpkin Puree

Next, scoop out the seeds and strings.  You can use any type of spoon for this, but I like using an ice cream scoop.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

If you’re interested in making Roasted Pumpkin Seeds…

If you have any interest in roasting the pumpkin seeds, place the seeds in a colander and wash them while working to remove the strings from the seeds.  Then place them on a very lightly oiled cookie sheet and let them dry about 4 hours or overnight before roasting.  And, please don’t try to dry these slippery devils with paper towel.  You’ll end up with all of them sticking to the paper towel and, if you have no patience like I do, that entire mess will end up in the trash.

Super simple to finish the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from here.  Drizzle the seeds with 2 to 4 teaspoons of olive oil and season them however you like – simple salt and pepper is great btw.  But, you can add any seasoning that you love – e.g., garlic, cumin, onion powder, cayenne and on and on.    You can bake them in a low oven – 250 for 30 minutes.  Shake them around a bit and bake another 20 to 30 minutes.  Wallah!  Done.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Place the two halves of the pumpkin on a foil or parchment-lined cookie sheet.  I put mine skin side down.  Not sure it truly matters.  Place the pumpkin in a pre-heated 400F oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the pumpkin is soft when a paring knife is easily inserted into the pumpkin.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Remove from the oven and cool so that you can comfortably work with it without burning yourself.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Once it’s cool enough to handle, scoop the pulp into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Pulse it up until the mixture comes together.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

This isn’t quite there yet.  Once I got it to here, I processed for an additional 2 minutes.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

You can go ahead and use it right away or place it in a freezer bag.  It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 6 months.

And, that’s it.

Buon Appetito!

Here are some great desserts that you might want to try with your beautiful, fresh pumpkin puree.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Mousse Profiteroles

Pumpkin Pots de Creme with Maple Bourbon Cream

Deb Farina

Yields About 2 cups

How to make Pumpkin Puree

10 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

40 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • One 3 to 4 pound pumpkin meant for baking
  • See this post to help you select the perfect pumpkin.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Wash the outside of the pumpkin
  3. Twist stem off or cut off with a knife that you're comfortable with
  4. Cut the pumpkin in half.
  5. Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, scoop out seeds and strings. Place the seeds aside if you choose to make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.
  6. Place the pumpkin halves flesh side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
  7. Roast pumpkin in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
  8. Test for doneness by inserting a paring knife into the flesh. If it gives easily, the pumpkin is done.
  9. Let the pumpkin cool until it's safe to handle.
  10. Scoop out the flesh into a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse until the flesh has come together. Then process until the mixture is completely smooth. This may take 3 to 4 minutes.
  11. Use right away or store in a plastic bag with a zipper closure. The puree can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months.
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Photographs by:  Karie Sofie Photography https://www.facebook.com/kkbowles13/

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: All Posts, Dessert, Fruits, Vegetables Tagged With: Baking Tips, holiday desserts, How to Make Pumpkin Puree, Karie Sofie Photography, Pumpkin Desserts, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake

September 29, 2016 By Deb Farina 2 Comments

Ever make a cake that contains chocolate chips and it’s all going ‘wonderfully’ right up until you cut into the cake after it’s baked?  There, right at the bottom of the cake sit all those beautiful chocolate chips forming a ‘puddled crust’ of chocolate.  I’m not saying that’s a bad eating experience – just that what you were going after was a nice, uniform, even distribution of chips throughout the cake.  Well – here are 6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake.

I just made a beautiful Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pound Cake* – not to mention with Brown Sugar Buttercream – yum!!! – Gosh I get distracted easily.  Well, I was making a two tier cake and on the first two layers, I completely forgot to employ these tips.  And, I ended up with exactly what I described above.  So, do as I say, not as I do…

*Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

So, here goes.  What I’ve done to test these theories is to make my Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pound Cake  employing each of these different tips so that you can see how these work.

Tip Number One

Remember that you’re fighting gravity here.  The viscosity (thickness) of your batter and the density of your chocolate chips play a key role to success.  These babies (chocolate chips) are heavy for their size and they don’t want to suspend in the batter – gravity wants them to fall to the bottom.  So the first thing you need to do is make sure your batter can support the weight of your chips.    Easy solution here is to add 2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup of additional flour to the mix to thicken it up.  

Tip Number Two

Change from 4,000 count chocolate chips to 10,000 count mini chocolate chips.  4,000 count is the normal size chocolate chip that you’re buying in the grocery store – just means that there are 4,000 chips in 1 pound of chocolate chips – go ahead and count them – I’ll wait.  This is probably an obvious solution.  The mini chocolate chip is lighter than the 4,000 count which helps it suspend in the batter.

6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake

Tip Number Three

Moisten the chocolate chips with a bit of liquid from the recipe and then toss in 2 Tablespoons of flour before adding to your batter.  I got this one from my idol, Rose Levy Beranbaum.  Clever.

6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake

Please excuse my cutting of the cake in Tip #3.  Of course, I tried to cut it while it was still slightly warm and I created a mess.

Tips 1, 2 and 3

6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake

Tip Number Four

For small items like cupcakes, sprinkle the chips on top of the batter and let them fall through the batter during the baking process.  And, please take note, the mini chocolate chips were too light and didn’t sink very far into the batter.

6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake

Tip Number Five

For larger items like cakes, place half of the batter into your cake pan, cover with half of the chocolate chips, cover with the remaining cake batter and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.

Tip Number Six

If making chocolate batter, toss the chocolate chips in an additional 2 Tablespoons and up to 1/4 cup of cocoa and add to your batter.  One great tip I heard is to keep your empty can of cocoa in your pantry and use that to toss the chocolate chips in the extra cocoa.  Easy – just put the lid on and shake, shake, shake.

6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake

Tips 4, 5 and 6

6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake

And there you have it!

Buon Appetito!

6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake

 

 

 

Filed Under: All Posts, Baking Tips, Cakes, Muffins Tagged With: 6 Tips to Keep Chocolate Chips from Sinking to the Bottom of a Cake, Baking Tips, Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Meet Gluten Free Farina

Hi there. I'm Deb Farina - an
Executive Pastry Chef, Food Scientist, Wife, Mother, Stepmother, Mother-in-law, Grandmother, Dog Lover, 100% Italian American, Gluten Intolerant. I'm committed to creating and testing Gluten Free recipes for Baked Goods, as well as other delicious foods, that you can easily make at home - downright ‘fabulous,’ not just good for gluten free! You can do this.

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