Extra pumpkin puree - what to do with it?

[jsmeeker]

I made a pumpkin pie for thanksgiving. But when I was at the store, I was only able to find the larger 30 ounce can. Enough to make two pies. But I only wanted one. So, now I am stuck with some leftover puree. I don't want to make another pie.

If I had a way to roll out pasta dough, I think I would make some ravioli or something. But I don't and don't want to go buy some gadget to do this. Is there a way to use it in a different way with pasta? Really, I am leaning towards savory . But would be OK with something baked/sweet.

[heidih]

It freezes well. If no inspiration hits soon, that is a good option

[heidih]

As to pasta - I made a well received dish using the puree in lieu of marinara in a lasagna type of dish. Well - I think I used penne and layered the puree (flavored with sage and oregano) with ricotta, mozzarella and some hot Italian sausage - bakes til mingled and melted.

[SylviaLovegren]

Pumpkin soup, especially if flavored with sage, thyme and cream, maybe with a floating crouton topped with some parmesan.

And of course muffins and quick breads. Pumpkin waffles, with maple syrup and pecans.

There's a Richard Olney recipe for hand made ravioli thingies rolled out with a rolling pin and cut by hand, filled with sage and pumpkin. Can't find it...and when I made it, it didn't come out very well! So you may not want it, anyway.

[ElainaA]

These is a recipe for pumpkin caramel ganache in Greweling's Chocolates and Confections that is awesome.

Elaina

[pbear]

Pumpkin soup, especially if flavored with sage, thyme and cream, maybe with a floating crouton topped with some parmesan.

And of course muffins and quick breads. Pumpkin waffles, with maple syrup and pecans.

There's a Richard Olney recipe for hand made ravioli thingies rolled out with a rolling pin and cut by hand, filled with sage and pumpkin. Can't find it...and when I made it, it didn't come out very well! So you may not want it, anyway.

The first two suggestions were what came to mind when reading the OP. 15 oz of pumpkin puree would be a pretty small soup, though, so I'd probably go with muffins or quck bread. 15 oz would be about right for a recipe based on 2 c flour, etc.

[haresfur]

Yeah, pumpkin soup. many variations - I like it with a bit of blue cheese. Or you can use it to thicken a stew. Or feed it to your dog - it stops them up if they are loose or loosens them if they are stopped up. And it is easy to see where you need to clean up after them.

[MelissaH]

On the subject of pumpkin soup, I was browsing in our local indie bookstore yesterday, and opened Patricia Wells' latest book to a recipe for Thai pumpkin soup with crab. I didn't find anything else in the book that made me want to buy it, and I couldn't justify spending $35 for one recipe. Lucky for me, the recipe is available on line here, among other places: http://www.npr.org/2013/11/24/246739596/thanksgiving-dinner-deja-vu-try-french-food-this-year

I think we're going to try it at some point. If you get to it before we do, please tell us how it is!

[maydd]

Caribbean pumpkin curry can be quite nice...

[FeChef]

151-190 proof everclear grain alcohol or moonshine if you have access.

pumpkin puree

cinnamon stick

whole nutmeg (not ground)

Soak for atleast a week and strain.

If your brave you can do shots. If not mix with some eggnog or dilute with a simple syrup.

[Plantes Vertes]

You could make gnudi con la zucca (gnocchi made with squash)

You can also just eat the puree as a side with some thyme and lardons.

[Mjx]

I second Plantes Vertes suggestion; gnocchi made with any sort of winter squash are really good, and quick and easy to make.

I came up with this recipe (served with a duck ragu); tinned pumpkin tends to be kind of wet, so you'll probably need to add a bit more flour (the weight measures can be easily adjusted to handle the amount of pumkin you want to use):

300g roasted winter squash (roasted weight, passed through a food mill; will be quite dry)
119g (2 lg) eggs
100g [whole] rice flour (I have problems with wheat flour, but no reason to not use it, otherwise, although rice flour gives a more tender consistency)

100g chestnut flour (I've also used rice flour only, and the results are fine)
Salt, pepper, nutmeg ad lib.

Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to eggs, beat together, blend thoroughly w. squash.

Blend flours together, add to squash, tried to blend with fork, give it up and use hands. Let sit in refrigerator about an hour (20 min probably plenty).
Bring salt water to very gentle boil.
Roll into ropes about 1.5 cm, cut into 2 cm lengths.

Cook gnocchi until they float, then 2 minutes.

[Jaymes]

So many good suggestions. I think the backup plan should be freezing, if none of these other options suit. If you celebrate Christmas, that's just around the corner, and another pumpkin pie might be welcome. Or pumpkin nut bread. Or Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Or, you can make this:

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

Crust:

1 pkg Cinnamon Crisp Crackers

1/3 C melted butter

Crush crackers into crumbs. Combine with melted butter. Press into deep dish pie pan.

Bottom layer:

1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened

1/2 jar candied/crystalized ginger, snipped into small pieces

Stir ginger pieces into ice cream. Pour into crust and freeze.

Top layer:

1 C canned pumpkin

1 C sugar

pinch salt

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

Combine well.

1 C heavy cream, whipped

Fold whipped cream into pumpkin mixture.

Pour over well-frozen ice cream & ginger mixture. Dust with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Freeze until firm.

This does call for a deep dish pie pan, but if you don't have one, you can make two regular-sized pies.

Edited December 2, 2013 by Jaymes (log)

[MelissaH]

If your canned pumpkin is too wet for gnocchi (which is a great idea), spread it out on some paper towels to absorb away some of the moisture. I do this for anything that's potentially affected by water, as it's always easier to add liquid than to take it out.

[HungryC]

Use prefab wonton skins to make ravioli-ish filled pasta. They're a little on the chewy side, but not inedibly so.

[ninagluck]

I just recently did a pumpkin 6 course menue, using lots of puree. e.g. ginger/pumpkin ice cream, risotto with pumpkin. ravioli with pumpkin filling, puree with salt lemons served with chorizo and scallops. pumpkin tuiles............lots of things to do with leftovers ;-)

[Beebs]

This thread reminded me of the little baggies of leftover frozen pumpkin puree in my freezer (which I've been trying to clear out over in the "Don't Shop" thread here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/130362-klatsch-dont-shop-now/page-8). I made it into a pasta sauce for penne. Unfortunately, it wasn't delicious. The sauce kept thickening up, despite additions of pasta water and milk (I didn't even use heavy cream!). Anyway, the pasta ended up as a thick, heavy, nearly-unstirrable clump before I gave up and ate it anyway.

I've never made this sauce before, but I'm guessing that the pumpkin puree just kept evaporating its moisture and/or the pasta absorbed it all.

[ninagluck]

Beens, how did you make your pumpkin puree? mine is as smooth after defrosting as before

[Beebs]

Beens, how did you make your pumpkin puree? mine is as smooth after defrosting as before

It came from a can. It was fine after defrosting, smooth. It could be I used too much puree - I didn't measure, just dumped the baggies of puree in a saucepan. Puree must have dried out in the cooking....

[KitchenQueen]

Cleaning the freezer and I need to make room. I have numerous packages of vacuum sealed pumpkin puree from last fall when those little sugar pumpkins went on sale.  I'm thinking of baked pumpkin donuts. And I'd love a maple glaze.  Does anyone have an really good recipe for either  or both?  Or  a better idea ? Not a fan of pumpkin soup, prefer a baked item.

 

[blue_dolphin]

Pumpkin walnut cookies are one of my favorites.  And that Dorie Greenspan holiday bundt cake (includes an optional maple glaze) is nice, even if Labor Day isn't quite the holiday for it!

I like pumpkin smoothies too but they're not baked !

 

Edited to fix typo

Edited September 6, 2015 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Jaymes]

I love pumpkin bread, muffins, cookies, etc., as much as anyone. 

 

But my eyes really light up at the thought of such desserts as pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin flan, and this wonderful treat, that I often prepare for Thanksgiving dinners in lieu of the more typical pumpkin pie:

 

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

 

Crust:  1 Pkg cinnamon crisp graham crackers

            1/3 C melted butter

 

Grind crackers into crumbs.  Mix with butter and press into a deep pie dish.

 

Soften 1 qt best-quality vanilla ice cream.  Snip ½ jar (the size of McCormick spices) candied, crystallized ginger into small pieces.  Combine ginger and vanilla ice cream and pour into crust and freeze.

 

Combine 1 C canned pumpkin, 1 C sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, ¼ t powdered ginger, 1 t ground cinnamon.  Mix well.  Whip 1 C cream to soft peaks.  Gently fold whipped cream into pumpkin mix.  Pour over frozen ice cream.  Dust top with pumpkin pie spice.  Freeze until firm.

​

Edited September 7, 2015 by Jaymes (log)

[Lisa Shock]

I make a side dish that's beurre noisette, some sage sauteed for a minute, pumpkin and salt. Just pumpkin puree as a side for dinner. It can also be piped onto a base as an hors-d'oeuvre.

[jmacnaughtan]

If you're feeling mildly ambitious, you might want to try this pumpkin tart.  Just substitute pumpkin for the butternut.

 

Failing that, the crémeux makes a good filling for a lot of things, and is easy to make

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Cleaning the freezer and I need to make room. I have numerous packages of vacuum sealed pumpkin puree from last fall when those little sugar pumpkins went on sale.  I'm thinking of baked pumpkin donuts. And I'd love a maple glaze.  Does anyone have an really good recipe for either  or both?  Or  a better idea ? Not a fan of pumpkin soup, prefer a baked item.

 

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

 

2 c vanilla wafer crumbs

1/4 c butter, melted

2-8-oz. pkgs Nuefchatel or cream cheese, softened

3/4 c sugar

1 t vanilla

3 eggs

1 c pumpkin puree

pinch salt

3/4 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground nutmeg

 

Combine crumbs and butter, press into bottom and sides of 9" springform or pie pan. Blind bake at 400 F about 10-15 min until golden and fragrant.

 

Reduce oven to 350 F.

 

Beat cream cheese until smooth. This is your last chance to get rid of lumps. Add 1/2 c sugar, vanilla and mix with electric mixer on med speed until well blended. Add eggs one at a time until well blended and smooth. 

 

Reserve 1 c cheese mixture in another bowl, and add pumpkin, salt, remaining sugar and spices. Mix well.

 

Layer 1/2 of pumpkin mixture and 1/2 of cheese mixture over crust. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Cut and swirl through batter with table knife several times to create marble effect.

 

Bake 35-50 minutes at 350 F or until set but still a little jiggly. Cool and refrigerate til serving time (at least 3 hours).

 

Pumpkin Cake:

 

4 eggs

1-1/2 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 c self-rising flour (White Lily works well for cakes)

2 c pumpkin puree

2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1 t vanilla

 

In a large bowl beat eggs, sugar and oil and pumpkin, spices, and vanilla till smooth. Add flour and beat well, about 3 min with electric mixer.

 

Pour into 2-9 inch greased and floured pans. Bake at 325 F about 25-35 minutes or til done.

 

When cool, prepare icing.

 

Icing:

 

1 8-oz pkg Neufchatel or cream cheese

1/2 c butter

1 c confectioners sugar

pinch salt

1 t milk

1 t vanilla

 

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth with no lumps. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and milk, and beat to desired consistency. Frost cake

 

Both recipes come from the cookbook "Carolina Coastline Cuisine" published in 1991 by The Grand Chapter of North Carolina Order of the Eastern Star. The cheesecake is credited to Edith B. Wade of Fayetteville Chapter No. 334 and the cake comes from Judy Zachary of Glenville Chapter No 222.