Pumpkin Pie in a Pumpkin

Two years ago, in my very first ES post ever, I wrote about a certain pair of two-year-olds and a stuffing-stuffed pumpkin.  Last year around this time, I changed things up and made a rice-stuffed pumpkin.  Now Halloween is gone, twins are almost five, Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, and I once again heard the call of the stuffed pumpkin.  But what to stuff it with this time?  I considered potatoes or quinoa, but those just seemed too…tame.  Then, inspiration struck.  Why not stuff a pumpkin with pumpkin pie?  Crazy.  I knew that this had major FFU potential, so I bought two pumpkins just in case.  Spoiler alert:  I still have the second pumpkin, uncut, on the kitchen shelf.  That’s right, folks.  I baked a pumpkin pie in a pumpkin. And you can too.  Here’s how:

Step one:  Bake the pumpkin.

When choosing a pumpkin, go with a small-to medium-sized one. Fewer bumps are ideal, or you will have to contend with holes when you peel it.

Cut the top off the pumpkin, then scrape out all the seeds and gross stringy bits. If you want, you can save the seeds and oven-roast them. Then put the whole hollowed-out pumpkin on a cookie sheet, place in a 350-degree oven, and bake until a fork goes through the skin easily. Let cool, then peel off the skin. To make the shell more or less pie-shaped, cut around the opening about a third of the way down the pumpkin until you have what looks like a bowl.  Reserve the cooked part that you removed for later.

Step two: Make a pie crust. 

With a pastry blender or two knives, cut 6 T. cubed butter into 1 1/2 c. flour + 3 T. sugar.  Add 4 T. cold water or milk.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then roll out.  Or just buy a pre-made pie crust.  I won’t judge you.  Press pie crust into the pumpkin shell.

Step three:  Make the filling.

Whisk together:

• 3 eggs
• Reserved pumpkin from step one, pureed
  
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or evaporated milk
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/3 brown sugar
• 1 t. each ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves

Pour mixture into pie crust-filled pumpkin.  You may have extra filling, so be careful not to overflow your pumpkin

Step four:  Glaze the pumpkin.

Melt 2 T. butter.  Stir in 1 T. sugar and 1 T. cinnamon.  Brush outside of pumpkin with mixture.

Step five:  Bake 45 minutes at 425 degrees.

Remove from oven and let sit for an hour until filling solidifies.

Step six:  Bask in the glory of a job well done, take pictures of your creation, eat and enjoy.