The Pumpkin Pie: Organic Pumpkin V. Canned Pumpkin

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie: With its smooth texture, perfectly spiced pumpkin filling, and easy (as pie!) homemade crust, you just might want this all. year. long. 

Updated Recipe Coming Fall 2016! Get ready.

Some of you might be thinking, umm, Michelle, Thanksgiving is over. We’ve moved on from the whole pumpkin pie thing and onto things like mint, gingerbread, molasses, etc.

…

Okay, maybe this is the season for peppermint mochas, and gingerbread houses, mint bark, and molasses cookies. Buut. It’s still pumpkin season in my world. And let me tell you, it’s a good world to live in.

Plus, good ‘ole California can’t make up its mind whether it’s summer, fall, winter, or a combination of all, which is wreaking havoc on my outfit choices. I need a scarf and boots in the morning, flip flops mid-day, and mittens and a heavy coat at night. How do I plan for that? Just how?

I know there are songs about the California weather and how great it is and all, and I’m sure some of you living in blizzards would love to be in my predicament, but sometimes, the grass is not all that greener on the CA side (but really though because we’re in a hefty drought and green grass is real rarity).

Back to the whole pumpkin pie thing, I also have scientific news to share! Well, it’s not all that scientific, and that’s probably best because science was not my strongest subject. But, my discoveries are educational in terms of pumpkin pie.

Organic pumpkin puree vs canned (Libby’s) pumpkin puree.

Is there a difference between purees? Yes.

Does it bake differently? Slightly.

Does it taste differently? Oh yes.

Different texture and color? Yes.

Which is better? In my opinion, definitely the Libby’s puree (the pictures above are from the Libby’s puree and what the recipe down below will call for).

Organic Pumpkin Pie

So, I had organic pumpkin puree to try, and assumed it would taste relatively similar to Libby’s.

It didn’t. It didn’t smell the same, look the same, or taste the same. In fact, I’ll just say it, I did not like the organic pumpkin.

I did some research, because, well, how could organic puree be different? What I discovered is that not all pumpkins are the same. Maybe you knew that, but that was news to me. Libby’s uses Dickinson pumpkins, which are specifically designed for pureeing. I don’t know what pumpkins my organic brand used, but let me tell you, I am preeeety sure it was not the Dickinson.

Now, the pictures up above do not look so bad. However, the organic pumpkin pie had a weird texture, almost like gelatin? Aannd it cracked up a storm in the center, which you can kind of see through my pie dough cut outs. It also had a strange after taste. The first bite didn’t seem too bad, though it certainly did not have that classic pumpkin pie flavor. But then, it set in. That wicked aftertaste. It was weird. And I didn’t like it all.

Libby’s Pumpkin Pie

The moral of the story?

Use Libby’s (or fresh–I’ve never made it, but I have used fresh puree in the past and it was great).

This pumpkin pie recipe, with Libby’s, has the perfect, ultra-silky texture. It has the perfect blend of spices and is complemented by the pie dough. Since I give more step-by-step instructions here for my pie dough, I won’t go into as much detail here.

Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. With a pastry cutter, cut in cold butter cubes until the dough resembles coarse crumbs (the butter should be about the size of peas). With a fork, slowly drizzle in iced water just until the dough starts to come together. If the dough feels moist and clumps together, it should be ready. If it’s dry and crumbly, it probably needs more water.

Pour the dough out onto a floured surface, form it into a disk, and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, roll out the dough, about 1/4″ thick, and carefully place in a 9 or 10-inch pie plate. Cut off excess dough and crimp edges however you desire (I didn’t desire so mine is pretty rustic/casual).

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, white sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and all spice. Once combined, crack in eggs and mix. Next, add in heavy cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Once well combined, pour into pie dish and bake at 375 for 55-60 minutes (at the 30 minute mark, I covered the edges of pie with a crust protector (you could totally use foil) to keep the crust from getting too dark.

Updated Recipe Coming Fall 2017! Get ready.