Pumpkin Pie
Nov 28, 2005 | From the kitchen of Rose
Dustin Question:
A friend of mine brought a homemade pumpkin pie to our Thanksgiving dinner this evening, and it had a unappealing gray/green tinge to it. It smelled alright. I did not take a bite, but the other guests said it tasted fine. I just couldn't bring myself to try it. Of course, I whipped out my cookbooks, food chemistry books, and looked Online to see what I could find, but was unsuccessful. Do you have any idea what could have caused this?
Thank you!
Respectfully
Rose Reply:
this is a stretch but since this happened to me over 40 years ago i'll share this story/explanation: i was making an angel pie from the old joy of cooking and when i got to the part where it said: ïf you need to know more about egg cookery see page..."
i ignored this and used my aluminum saucepan to cook the egg yolk mixture which turned a sort of chartreuse which sounds a bit like the pumpkin pie in question. most people don't have aluminum pans anymore so books don't even warn you about this, but maybe the pumpkin pie filling was mixed in an aluminum pan. find out and get back to us.
maybe someone else will have another suggestion as to possible cause! but had i turned to the page suggested i would have read that egg yolk reacts to aluminum causing it to turn an unsightly color. it is for this reason that i put warnings in the cake bible right on the page where the recipe is written so that it can't be ignored!
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from aeligia
11/26/2010 04:35 PM
aeligia, since i've never had this happen to my pumpkin pie, try my recipe and we'll go from there. it's in the pie and pastry bible.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Jose Lugo
11/26/2010 01:14 PM
jose, you pie plate must be smaller than the standard 4 cup capacity. you could try measuring it with water. and no, custard don't usually freeze well.
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Jose Lugo
11/26/2010 01:02 PM
Rose, I love your pumpkin pie recipe. I've made it a couple of times. But somehow I always end up with a not-so-small amount of filling left over. I think next time I'm going to have another smaller pie plate ready so that the filling doesn't go wasted. Or perhaps, should I use a deep-dish pie plate instead?
Also, you didn't write in your book anything about freezing it. Does that mean that this pie cannot be frozen?
Thanks,
Jose
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aeligia
11/25/2010 05:41 PM
I had the same problem with my pumpkin pie; it turned greenish-grayish; it tasted fine but was not pretty...
I didn't mix my pumpkin mixture in an aluminum pan and I baked it in a ceramic pie dish. Any other theories as to why this happens??? Thanks!
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Anonymous
11/24/2010 04:43 PM
that is so funny--my first pumpkin pie was a disaster because i used canned pumpkin not realizing that it had to be pumkin pie filling which has sugar and spices. the plain canned pumpkin tasted like a barnyard after baking! glad we saved you from the same mistake by your being wise enough to question it!
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Anonymous in reply to comment from Mary
11/24/2010 03:49 PM
i am making a pumpkin trifle and recipe calls for pumpkin pie filling. I bought a can of pure pumpkin is there a difference. do they actually sell pumpkin pie filling?
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Gene Russell
11/13/2009 12:36 PM
I exaggerate for effect. My crusade against canned is Quixotic at best. :)
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ButterYum
11/13/2009 07:21 AM
I've never experienced bitter canned puree, but then again, I prefer to make apple and pecan pies.
:)
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Gene
11/13/2009 05:52 AM
Oops sorry for the anonymous post. I find that a cusinart does a great job of pureeing the pumpkin. I add the milk to help moisten the mixture.
One of the things I like about making my own puree is that I get to decide how smooth I want it to be. Frankly I like a few chewy bits and that is how I leave it when I bake for myself. If the pie is for guests I make it smoother because I know that is the conventional expectation.
I had a discussion with friends in a very popular restaurant once. We all had pumpkin pie for desert. The meal had been truly marvelous up til then. We all tasted the pie and made faces but my friends couldn't articulate what was wrong with the pie until I explained. The flavor balance was completely wrong. The first flavor from this bad pie was cloves, followed by nutmeg, cinnamon, salty crust and oh by the way a bare hint of squash/pumpkin flavor. Worse yet the texture was almost gooey from the overuse of condensed milk. The first flavor in a good pumpkin pie is pumpkin. Then cinnamon followed by subtle notes of nutmeg/ginger/clove. Most cooks who use canned pumpkin add too much spice in order to cover up the nasty bitter/burned flavor of canned puree.
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ButterYum
11/10/2009 07:02 AM
I have roasted my own sugar pie pumpkins with great success, but I've also used excellent canned puree.
I've heard more TV chef praise canned pumpkin than fresh - they say you can't get the same smooth texture at home, and you can't always rely on the flavor of a fresh pumpkin, whereas the canned stuff is always smooth, sweet, and delicious. Just thought I'd pass that along
Btw, I've read so much about canned pumpkin shortages all over the internet, but all the selves are stocked in my grocery stores.
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Anonymous
11/10/2009 02:32 AM
Hi Amy,
If I had to guess I would say yes. But... companies that can food can pretty much call the contents whatever they want so you have to read the label for ingredients. My advice every year to pie makers is to use a fresh pumpkin instead of canned. It really has a much better flavor and isn't so much extra work. Cut a small sugar pie pumpkin into quarters. Scoop out the insides. Bake on a baking pan for 1.5 hours at 325. Let cool and the skin will peel off easily. Puree the pieces in a food processor.
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amy
11/10/2009 12:18 AM
I too have the same question about the puree is the same things as pure pumpkin? can you use the pure pumpkin in place of the puree?
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Tiina Parlas
11/20/2007 10:49 AM
Thanks a bunch Rose! I will do that.
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Patrincia
11/20/2007 08:22 AM
Cydney - sounds like they are one in the same, but compare the ingredients list to be sure.
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Rose
11/19/2007 09:11 PM
oh yes--everyone adores pecan pie and chocolate pecan pie--absolutely. i think turbinado will be a good idea rather than the common light brown sugar but make sure to stir well so it dissolves.
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Tiina Parlas
11/19/2007 06:56 PM
Hey! Happy Thanksgiving! i'm going to a friend's house for Thanksgiving and i've been told i can bring the dessert.(Yeah!) i know i'm going to make your pumkin pie from the pie and pastry bible, but i feel like i should make on other dessert for thoes people who might not like pumkin. i don't know what though. i'm thinking of a chocolate pecan tart,open-faced apple designer pie, or a apple and cranberry galette. what would you suggest? Also about the pumkin pie, you say it is best to use a raw sugar like muscovado, but the closest thing i have been able to find is called I believe turbinado. From reading the ingredients section of the pie and pastry bible I know this isn't the same thing, but will it still be better than using the common light brown sugar? Thank you for your help.
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cydney McDowell
11/19/2007 12:28 PM
Is pumkin pie mix the same thing as pumpkin pie filling?
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Patrincia
04/26/2007 05:54 PM
Yes it is. You want to avoid "pumpkin pie mix".
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helen
04/26/2007 12:24 PM
I found a recipe for pumpkin bread. It calls for a can of pumpkin puree. I could only find a can of "pure pumpkin" at the grocery store. Is this the same thing?
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Rose
11/29/2006 08:12 PM
it shrink in or splits in the middle when overbaked.
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Rita Browning
11/29/2006 07:19 PM
eI made two pumpkin pies over the holidays. Both looked fine straight out of the oven. but then the filling separated from the edges of the pie crust. Any ideas on why this happened?
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Rose
11/22/2006 05:13 PM
mary, that's another mistake i made 40 years ago--i dumped the solid pack pumkin into the pie shell, baked it, and wondered how my new england husband could possible like it. well he didn't because it's just pure pumpking with no sugar, no spice, no egg--no nothing. pumpkin pie filling has all these things added. and there's a great recipe in the pie and pastry bible--in fact my favorite!
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Mary
11/22/2006 04:24 PM
Can anyone tell me WHAT the difference is between soild pack pumpkin and pumkin pie filling. How would I convert solid pumpkin puree to filling for a recipe?
Thanks.
Mary
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Joy
11/29/2005 09:25 PM
Re: the gray/green hue to the pumpkin pie. I would think that is because the cook has used fresh pumpkin or squash. I have had the same thing happen when I use fresh pumpkin at times. I just add some molasses to darken it up a bit.
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