Misnamed Pie

Here's a little secret that most good cooks already know: pumpkin pie is misnamed. The best pumpkin pies aren't made with pumpkin at all; they are generally made with a well-flavored squash like butternut, buttercup, or acorn, or they are made with sweet potatoes. But the iconic pumpkin, the great big orange orb that everyone uses for jack-o'lanterns, is the worst to use for pumpkin pie. It's watery and decidedly lacking in flavor. (Small versions of the big orange pumpkins are actually a different variety, and are very flavorful, so they are good to use.)

However, it's only the cooks who know this. People who are just consumers of pumpkin pie think that they're made of Hallowe'en pumpkins. What's more, these are people who often claim not to like squash. And that's where today's story begins.

Back in the late 80's and early 90's, there was a couple who went to our church named Don and Naomi, while Don was working on his doctorate in theology at McGill University. Don's a very nice guy, and he has strong opinions, which he doesn't hesitate to voice. One day, someone told me that Don had told Naomi in no uncertain terms that he loved pumpkin pie, and that no one would ever be able to pass squash pie off to HIM as pumpkin pie.

Well, for anyone who knows me, them's fightin' words. The challenge was on.

At our next church potluck, I made a squash pie, but of course I advertised it as pumpkin pie. I cleverly maneuvered things to make sure Don got a piece of my pie. I watched him eat every morsel. And then I went for the kill.

"Did you taste my pumpkin pie?" I asked Don innocently. "Yes, I did!" said Don, "It was delicious!"

"So Don," I said, "I believe you owe your wife an apology."

Don looked at me quizzically, and I could see in his expression an indication that it was beginning to dawn on him that he'd been had in some way or another. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because I heard that you told Naomi that if anyone ever tried to feed you squash pie, you'd KNOW!" I told him.

"No!" said Don, and then he laughed, as he realized just how wrong he'd been.

I don't know if Don ever apologized to Naomi, but I've chuckled about it many times in the years since.

By the way, I thought I'd let you know that Don has recently published a book, called Glimpses of Grace: Reflections of a Prison Chaplain.

So here's my Mom's recipe for "Pumpkin" pie. You can used canned pumpkin if you want, but I recommend just preparing your own. It isn't difficult. I usually put a small squash in the oven whole on a baking sheet, and bake it at 350° for 45 minutes to an hour (longer for a larger squash), until the whole squash feels limp and the skin can be easily pierced with a fork. Cut it open, let it cool a bit, scoop out the seeds, remove the skin (it comes off really easily), and mash the pulp. If you have more than you need, simply put the rest in a freezer bag for the next pie you want to make.

Another note about pumpkin pie - what gives it the iconic taste is really mostly the spices. In the U.S. you can buy a jar of "pumpkin pie spice", although I've never seen that in Canada. I always just use my own blend of spices - roughly equal amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice, with a tiny pinch of cloves.



Pumpkin Pie

1 cup squash puree (see above) or mashed sweet potatoes
4 T. flour
1 T. melted butter
1 egg (for watery pumpkin, 2 eggs)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spices (1/2 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice, with a tiny pinch of cloves)

Prepare a single shell for a 9-inch pie (half of this recipe).

Combine all ingredients, stir until smooth, pour into pie shell, and bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake an additional 30-40 minutes, until the custard has set.

Cool and serve as is, or with whipped cream or ice cream.