Topic: pumpkin pie

[queenbee]

I lived in Canada in the fifties and early sixties and the school cafeteria made the most wonderful pumpkin pie, I have never tasted anything quite like it. I have just been given an old American cookery book with a recipe that I would like to try but the recipe states that you need 2 teaspoons of pumpking pie spice mix. Is there anyone out that could elaborate?

[tricia]

Yes - In the States and Canada you can buy this spice mix in the supermarkets. I have some from my last trip. It consists of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

One of my old American tried and tested recipes calls for 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/8 tsp ground cloves (which I exclude as I don't like cloves!).

Another calls for 1 tsp ginger, 1 to 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cloves or allspice.

Tricia

[pumkinlover]

I buy a sweet mixed spice and I guess it's similar :)

[antipodes]

Funny that you are talking about pumpkin pie. With my daughter I am reading the Little House books and in October the mother wants to use up the unripe pumpkins so she makes a green pumpkin pie! She slices them thinly and combines the slices with a cup of brown sugar, spices (guessing the usual sweet spices, cinnamon, ginger, allspice etc) and then puts them in the pie crust and pour a few spoonfuls of vinegar over them (I read that this would have been apple vinegar probably but which was sweeter than our modern vinegar)!  She then seals the crust with a top and bakes it. The filling comes out sweet and tangy and the father thinks it is apple pie!!!!
As I still have a couple of baby pumpkins on the vine, that will otherwise just rot away as they are far from ripe, I am tempted to make this!

Otherwise I read a nice pumpkin pie recipe where you fill the pie crust with 
     2 cups pumpkin puree
    1 cup sugar
    1 Tbsp. molasses (the lady said if you use brown sugar you can skip the molasses - but i am guessing that with golden syrup it is good too)
    2 Tbsp. honey
    1 1/4 tsp. ginger
    1 tsp. cinnamon
    1/8 tsp. cloves
    1 1/4 cups heavy cream
    1/3 cups whole milk
    3 eggs

I love pumpkin pie but for the Frenchies it is an acquired taste.