On 25/11/2011 7:18 PM, Jean B. wrote:

>>> I am very "picky" when it comes to pumpkin pie and am always
>>> disappointed in commercial, or the homemade ones I've tasted...except
>>> for mine, but everybody probably feels that way about their own.<)
>>>
>>
>>
>> To tell you the truth, as picky as I am about pies, pumpkin pie is
>> probably the one pie where IMO it makes very little difference. Form
>> the very best pumpkin pie to the cheapest commercial product, it is
>> the one variety of pie where the end result varies the least. There is
>> a world of difference between a fresh sour cherry pie and a
>> commercially made pie. There is also a huge difference in peach or
>> rhubarb pies, even apple pies. But pumpkin? ... very small difference.
>>
>>
> I don't think so. A watery product produces a less pumpkiny pie. IMO,
> anyway. AND I think my filling is a bit less solid than usual. There was
> actually a tad of weeping, and I have never seen that before on the day
> the pie was made.
>

But... but ,.. but... we must misunderstand each other. I know there
are differences between various products, and various recipes. You pie
may well have been less pumpkiny, but it was probably still a pumpkin
(pumpkin custard) pie. What I was suggesting is that there is far less
of a difference between the best pumpkin pie and the worst than there is
in other types of pies.

I used the example of the sour cherry pie because I am blessed with
seasonal access to fresh sour cherries. I can pick them myself or buy
them, take them home and pt them and put them in a pie. If I time things
right, I can get them freshly picked, pitted, in a pail and ready to go.
I can get them frozen. I can get canned cherries and, heaven forbid I
am ever so desperate that I should have to resort to using a canned
cherry filling. The difference between the fresh, self pitted and using
pre-pitted cherries is minimal. Using frozen cherries is going to make
a huge difference, though still a decent end result. Using canned
cherries is going to make a huge difference. Canned cherry pie filling?
Hell... they are the reason a lot of people don't like cherry pie.

Peaches are a similar story, except you can't really make a peach pie
with canned peaches. You can make some variation of a pie that uses
canned peaches. A fresh peach pie will be better than one with frozen
peaches, but you can still make a decent pie from frozen.

But pumpkin??? In my experience, it doesn't make a huge difference. I
have no qualms about saving the hassle of peeling and cooking a fresh
pumpkin because the end result is practically the same. It just isn't
worth the effort. If your pie is a little runny, maybe you need to cook
it a little longer or to use more egg or sugar, less milk to cut back
the proportion of liquid, or perhaps cook it a little longer, maybe a
little lower temperature for longer.


FWIW... the pumpkin I get is from E.D. Smith. It is always a nice think
consistency and I have never had a runny or weak flavoured pumpkin pie.