Third little pumpkin turned into pie:




Forgot to mention the pumpkins are actually homegrown. Maria's grandma looked after them all summer long :)

I know the pie looks tiny in the pic but I assure you that's my trusty 10-inch cast iron chicken fryer :)

Third little pumpkin turned into pie:

Yum!

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Tonight's festivities at the Lowe house:

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Third little pumpkin turned into pie:

Yum!

+1

I got My new phone in today, transferred everything to it from the old phone,
and ported My phone number from the Samsung Galaxy Ring(Virgin Mobile - Locked,
not unlockable, that's S3 and up only I was told) to the Coolpad 3300A(Assurance
Wireless), the new phone works purrfectly. Best of all, the use of the Coolpad
is FREE, saves Me $30.99 a month too.

Happy Halloween


@ Gordon Lowe: Cool pics guy!

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I'm trying to decide what the kids (and their parents) will think if I put a bowl of candy on the porch while I trim my hedges before it gets dark.

Chain saw sound effects might be nice ...

I was thinking actual electric hedge trimmer, but I didn't feel like unwrapping the cord. I did use the hand loppers for a while, then sat on the front porch and ate my dinner. Then I surfed Facebook for a while, handing out candy to a total of four kids. When my butt didn't feel like sitting on the cold concrete any longer, I went inside and settled into my recliner with the lights off.

I'll probably cut the grass and trim the hedges Thursday or Friday.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Gordon, cute pumpkins!

Alex, I've never baked a pumpkin pie in a cast iron skillet before, but it seems like a very good idea to me. Do you need to pre-bake the crust before you fill it, or is does the cast iron get so hot that the bottom crust crisps through without being soggy?

We had 21 trick-or-treaters last night - the most we've ever had! It was awesome!!!

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I've got lots of pumpkin seeds to roast.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I know about fish fingers.
But sausage fingers!
Scary.

Gordon, love the deco! Especially the exterior :)

Janne those fingers are so disgustingly scary and shockingly simple that I think I'll have to make a plate next time. Probably dip the "chopped" side in ketchup for maximum effect :)

Ang let's be honest... with amount of butter we're putting into these pie crusts there's zero chance of them getting soggy ;)

(I just made another one and it's resting. I'll try and get a better pic of the crust this time.)

Meanwhile back in the Batcave, Grace(My black cat) and I, are letting the car rest in peace, I'll resurrect it later. ;)

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Ang let's be honest... with amount of butter we're putting into these pie crusts there's zero chance of them getting soggy ;)

I find custard pies, even those involving a high butter crust, to be tricky to get right. Custard is easily over-cooked and disgusting when that happens. I generally try to pre-bake the shell some. so that the bottom crust doesn't get too soggy, but then I run the risk of over-baking the shell's outer scalloped edge, no matter how much I try to protect it with aluminum foil or with a pie shield.

If anybody has mastered the perfect pumpkin pie - crisp but not over-baked pie shell, non-burnt edges, softly baked pumpkin custard filling - please let me know. I tried the Cook's Illustrated recipe one Thanksgiving, but my guests were not impressed. C.I. uses brown sugar in the filling and the pie came out more brown than orange. The color was off-putting.

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Ang let's be honest... with amount of butter we're putting into these pie crusts there's zero chance of them getting soggy ;)

I find custard pies, even those involving a high butter crust, to be tricky to get right. Custard is easily over-cooked and disgusting when that happens. I generally try to pre-bake the shell some. so that the bottom crust doesn't get too soggy, but then I run the risk of over-baking the shell's outer scalloped edge, no matter how much I try to protect it with aluminum foil or with a pie shield.

If anybody has mastered the perfect pumpkin pie - crisp but not over-baked pie shell, non-burnt edges, softly baked pumpkin custard filling - please let me know. I tried the Cook's Illustrated recipe one Thanksgiving, but my guests were not impressed. C.I. uses brown sugar in the filling and the pie came out more brown than orange. The color was off-putting.

Angela, My Mom used a thin layer of Crisco shortening, flour, home made pie crust, and canned filling, then the pie went into the oven until done, this was determined with a toothpick, if inserted and removed clean(just to tell if the pie was done, the toothpick was only in the pie for a second or so), the pie was done, if not, the pie went back in until done(minus the toothpick of course), in that exact order, I think the temp was set at 350F, that is what My Mom did, it came out perfect everytime, but then She majored in home economics She said. Yep that is from My memory, from about 45-50 years ago. Grandma Spafford(Tot) paid for My Mom, Aunt, and Uncle to go to Catholic high school in Texas, it helped, My grandma was a seamstress, I even have Her old model 1912 electric Singer sewing machine, though without a new electrical cord, the sewing machine is unsafe to use, though otherwise it does work perfectly.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Thanks Vic. That is very nice.

I'm not sure what you mean by "a thin layer of Crisco", so I'm not sure how your mom made the crust come out right with that. I'm glad you have such nice memories of your family members.

As for the toothpick tip, that is a good one for cakes but not the best way to determine whether a custard pie, such as pumpkin, is done. With custard pies, you actually want to jiggle them a little. The center should still be a little wet, because residual heat will cook the pie through once you remove it from the oven. It is sort of the same idea as removing a roast or poultry from the oven and then letting it rest. In the resting time, the temperature continues to rise due to residual heat in the item being cooked.

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Thanks Vic. That is very nice.

I'm not sure what you mean by "a thin layer of Crisco", so I'm not sure how your mom made the crust come out right with that. I'm glad you have such nice memories of your family members.

As for the toothpick tip, that is a good one for cakes but not the best way to determine whether a custard pie, such as pumpkin, is done. With custard pies, you actually want to jiggle them a little. The center should still be a little wet, because residual heat will cook the pie through once you remove it from the oven. It is sort of the same idea as removing a roast or poultry from the oven and then letting it rest. In the resting time, the temperature continues to rise due to residual heat in the item being cooked.

One spreads the crisco with a spatula, really thin, like so you can almost see thru to the pyrex pie plate, it's shortening, today you could call it margarine almost. See the pic of the can. Then sprinkle a thin layer of flour on that, then lay the prepared pie crust onto the plate, then the filling. I memorized how She did that, just like I did with riding a horse, by watching. And thanks Angela.

The crisco and the flour keep the pie from sticking to the pie plate.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I find custard pies, even those involving a high butter crust, to be tricky to get right.

I find anything involving flour tricky to get right ;)

But to answer your question a bit more seriously, I love my cast iron for high-fat dough. Ever since I first made cornbread I fell in love and never used anything else. I even use it for my deep-dish pizza considering there's a ton of oil in the dough.

So short answer: Yes. I think cast iron is perfect for pumpkin pie.

I'll go into a bit more detail on why over in the cooking thread when I have some time :)

Thanks Vic. That is very nice.

I'm not sure what you mean by "a thin layer of Crisco", so I'm not sure how your mom made the crust come out right with that. I'm glad you have such nice memories of your family members.

One spreads the crisco with a spatula, really thin, like so you can almost see thru to the pyrex pie plate, it's shortening, today you could call it margarine almost. See the pic of the can. Then sprinkle a thin layer of flour on that, then lay the prepared pie crust onto the plate, then the filling. I memorized how She did that, just like I did with riding a horse, by watching. And thanks Angela.

The crisco and the flour keep the pie from sticking to the pie plate.

That's a standard baking technique. Grease the pan with anything (shortening, butter, spray...) and then add flour. The fat makes the flour stay put while you add the dough and the flour keeps the dough from sticking to the pan as it bakes.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place