Saturday, October 18, 2008

Pride and Joy











I pondered if cutting into the small, rock hard pumpkin, removing the slimy seeds, and placing it in the oven for a hour was going to be better than the stuff Libby puts into her cans. The process seemed more daunting then it actually was. The most trying part proved to be getting this thick skinned gourd to crack open. Mom daringly placed her hands on the knife, while I hammered away with our large meat tenderizer.
Scooping out the hundreds of white seeds brought back memories of carving pumpkins from a young age, and in previous years with a handsome bearded fellow. Finally, I placed the halves, wrapped in foil in the oven. After an hour and a half at 350 they were a soft as mashed potatoes. All that is left to do, is to scope the soft flesh and mash, mash, mash.
I used Ruby Bowman's tried and true pumpkin pie recipe. A small white haired lady, who went to my grandmother's Lutheran Church, and worked at Chick-fil-a until she passed away at the age of 90 something.
Usually, my pumpkin pies come out like pumpkin pudding; mushy with little texture and no form. The consistency is sometimes hard to swallow. I cut the first slice and it came out as neat as if I was slicing a piece of cake. There was no oozz of pumpkin filling. A smile spread across my face. Could this be the perfect pumpkin pie I had been searching for? Will this be the recipe I turn to year after year? The one where I proudly carry my pie to the Coble Thanksgiving get-together? As I took the first bite I nodded. Yes, this pumpkin pie was all that I had hoped it would be.

Ruby Bowman's Pumpkin Pie (with some minor adjustments)

2 cups fresh pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbl. flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
a dash of allspice
freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
3/4 stick of butter melted
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour into a prepared pie crust and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

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