How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Purée

How to Make Your Own Pumpkin PuréeIt is full-on pumpkin season and there are so many wonderful pumpkin recipes to enjoy—just do a search for pumpkin on our website! Many of them call for pumpkin purée. And, while we are in full support of grabbing a bunch of cans of the good stuff to keep on hand when the season is over and it is gone from the stores, there is something to be said for making your own. It is really not that hard.

Aside from the freshness, one of the main attractions to making your own is being able to experiment with the variety of pumpkins and squash in the store this time of year. Yes, sugar pie pumpkins are delicious. But, what happens when you use kabocha in a soup or hubbard in a pie? There are a wonderful subtleties of flavor and texture. And, we all know that commercial pumpkin puree is oftentimes made from butternut and other squash.

Our favorite way to make your own puree is by roasting—this brings out the sweetness and caramelizes the sugars.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree
1. Choose a good, edible pumpkin or squash. Stay away from the fibrous and flavorless Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins. If you have a question, don’t hesitate to ask in our Produce Department.

2. Split your squash in half from top to bottom. This often means running a heavy-duty knife of cleaver around the pumpkin if it is a larger size.

3. Scoop out all the seeds with a large spoon. You can clean them and reserve them for roasting.

4. Sprinkle the flesh with sea salt and lay the halves, flesh side down, on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan with sides. Roast the pumpkin until a paring knife can be easily inserted and removed from the pumpkin (about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size). Your pumpkin will look somewhat deflated. Test in several places to ensure doneness.

5. Remove the sheet pan to a cooling rack and allow the pumpkin to cool for 1 hour. Don’t try to work with it while it is hot!

6. Using a large spoon, remove the flesh of the pumpkin and place in the bowl of a food processor. Discard the skin. Process the flesh until it is smooth (about 3 to 4 minutes).

7. You can store your pumpkin puree in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze it for up to 3 months.

 

 

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