Fall Favorites: Pumpkin Baking with Pumpkin with the Weston Baking Mat and Vacuum Dome
Directions
Cinderella Pumpkins are on the far left
You just can’t have an autumn themed week of cooking without pumpkins. So I journeyed back to my favorite local vegetable stand for some standard pie pumpkins. I’m making Pumpkin Pie and a Ginger Pumpkin Roulade. When I asked for a few pie pumpkins, the friendly man behind the stand informed me that the Cinderella Pumpkin is actually best for pies. Why not? So I purchased one Cinderella Pumpkin (they’re a decent size) and a couple of pie pumpkins for a good old standby. They weren’t necessary – the Cinderella Pumpkin was just right for my baking recipes. It’s short and wide, with a deep red-orange color.
For both of these recipes, I like to use Crystallized Ginger as a garnish. This needs to be made ahead of time. I peel ginger root and then chop it into little pieces. I drop it in boiling water with granulated sugar and leave it to simmer about ten minutes. Then I strain it, dab it with a towel to get the excess water off, and put it in a Weston Dehydrator for about 4 hours. It should be dry, but still a little chewy. Then I toss it in cinnamon sugar and seal it with a Weston Vacuum Sealer to keep it fresh for my next cooking adventure. For my Crystallized Ginger Recipe, visit the Cooking With Weston Recipe Book.
MAKING PUMPKIN PIE &
GINGER PUMPKIN ROULADE
My Pumpkin Pie filling and Ginger Pumpkin Roulade filling start out the same way. I cut my pumpkin into cubes (for tips on cutting pumpkins, click here) and cook them in a sauce pan with butter until they’re soft. Then, I put half of the pumpkin in the Roma by Weston La Petite Sauce Maker and Food Strainer with a stick of softened unsalted butter, some mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, and nutmeg. I let the pumpkin mixture chill in the refrigerator while I make the crust for the pie and the cake for the roulade. I run the other half of the pumpkin through the Roma By Weston La Petite without anything else, creating a pumpkin puree, and set it aside. For the roulade cake, I sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. I beat together eggs and granulated sugar. Then I stir in a cup of the pumpkin mixture from the refrigerator. I pour it onto a baking sheet with a Weston Baking Mat on top. While that’s baking for ten minutes, I prepare my pie crust. You could buy a pie crust at the store, but it just takes about five minutes to make a delicious, flaky pie crust for your pumpkin pie. I use the hot water technique, pouring hot water and whole milk over shortening. I beat that together, and then I sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger over the mixture. Then I beat the whole mixture until I get dough. I roll the dough out and lay it over a pie tin, forming a crust.
The crust goes into the oven to pre cook while I make my pie filling. I take my pumpkin mixture out of the refrigerator, pour half of it into a bowl with the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and brown sugar, and mix it together. Once the pie crust is hot to the touch, I pour in my filling and bake it for a half hour. When it’s done baking, I let it cool, then sprinkle it with some cinnamon, brown sugar, and crystallized ginger. And that’s Pumpkin Pie done my way.
When my cake for the roulade is done, I roll the cake up in the Weston Baking Mat and set it on a cooling rack until it is completely cooled. While it’s cooling, I blend the rest of the pumpkin mixture with more mascarpone cheese. Once cooled, I carefully unroll the cake and spread the filling over the cake. I carefully roll it back up, spread the remaining filling over the top, and sprinkle it with crystallized ginger.
Fall Favorites: Pumpkin Baking with Pumpkin with the Weston Baking Mat and Vacuum Dome
Cinderella Pumpkins are on the far left
You just can’t have an autumn themed week of cooking without pumpkins. So I journeyed back to my favorite local vegetable stand for some standard pie pumpkins. I’m making Pumpkin Pie and a Ginger Pumpkin Roulade. When I asked for a few pie pumpkins, the friendly man behind the stand informed me that the Cinderella Pumpkin is actually best for pies. Why not? So I purchased one Cinderella Pumpkin (they’re a decent size) and a couple of pie pumpkins for a good old standby. They weren’t necessary – the Cinderella Pumpkin was just right for my baking recipes. It’s short and wide, with a deep red-orange color.
For both of these recipes, I like to use Crystallized Ginger as a garnish. This needs to be made ahead of time. I peel ginger root and then chop it into little pieces. I drop it in boiling water with granulated sugar and leave it to simmer about ten minutes. Then I strain it, dab it with a towel to get the excess water off, and put it in a Weston Dehydrator for about 4 hours. It should be dry, but still a little chewy. Then I toss it in cinnamon sugar and seal it with a Weston Vacuum Sealer to keep it fresh for my next cooking adventure. For my Crystallized Ginger Recipe, visit the Cooking With Weston Recipe Book.
MAKING PUMPKIN PIE &
GINGER PUMPKIN ROULADE
My Pumpkin Pie filling and Ginger Pumpkin Roulade filling start out the same way. I cut my pumpkin into cubes (for tips on cutting pumpkins, click here) and cook them in a sauce pan with butter until they’re soft. Then, I put half of the pumpkin in the Roma by Weston La Petite Sauce Maker and Food Strainer with a stick of softened unsalted butter, some mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, and nutmeg. I let the pumpkin mixture chill in the refrigerator while I make the crust for the pie and the cake for the roulade. I run the other half of the pumpkin through the Roma By Weston La Petite without anything else, creating a pumpkin puree, and set it aside. For the roulade cake, I sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. I beat together eggs and granulated sugar. Then I stir in a cup of the pumpkin mixture from the refrigerator. I pour it onto a baking sheet with a Weston Baking Mat on top. While that’s baking for ten minutes, I prepare my pie crust. You could buy a pie crust at the store, but it just takes about five minutes to make a delicious, flaky pie crust for your pumpkin pie. I use the hot water technique, pouring hot water and whole milk over shortening. I beat that together, and then I sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger over the mixture. Then I beat the whole mixture until I get dough. I roll the dough out and lay it over a pie tin, forming a crust.
The crust goes into the oven to pre cook while I make my pie filling. I take my pumpkin mixture out of the refrigerator, pour half of it into a bowl with the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and brown sugar, and mix it together. Once the pie crust is hot to the touch, I pour in my filling and bake it for a half hour. When it’s done baking, I let it cool, then sprinkle it with some cinnamon, brown sugar, and crystallized ginger. And that’s Pumpkin Pie done my way.
When my cake for the roulade is done, I roll the cake up in the Weston Baking Mat and set it on a cooling rack until it is completely cooled. While it’s cooling, I blend the rest of the pumpkin mixture with more mascarpone cheese. Once cooled, I carefully unroll the cake and spread the filling over the cake. I carefully roll it back up, spread the remaining filling over the top, and sprinkle it with crystallized ginger.