Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Pie, punkin'

I know, have, and usually use the typical punkin pie spices. Going through said spices to verify sufficient quantities, I had a thunk.

Anyone ever put a little dab of vanilla in a punkin pie?

Never tried, but can't think it would be a bad thing so long as you don't get carried away.

It also gives you an excuse to make two pies, one experimental vanilla one and an old standby one.

Sounds like a win win

Gots to make apple too.

Good point though. Can't have too many pies.

I always use vanilla. My favorite pumpkin pie is a mutant cheesecake. I use same 4 eggs, a blob of sour cream, one cup of sugar, 1 tbs vanilla, and 2 8 oz cream cheese, but then add a 15oz can of pumpkin and spices (to replace the standard 4 8oz cream cheese i use for standard cheesecake.) I blend with a hand blender. This enough for 2 standard graham cracker pie shells. You can top it with shaved white chocolate and a bit more pumpkin spice after you pull from a 325 oven for an hour. Very E Z. Note the center may look liquidy, but it will set up.

You can also add vanilla bean, or I save my bean husks and store those in sugar. The sugar takes on the vanilla flavor, and that is a good "recycle" of the bean husks. I add the vanilla sugar to all kinds of goods for some depth. Real vanilla beans are crazy expensive at the market, but I get good quality ones from amazon pretty cheap. They have different grades of beans, so you have to look at the quality as well as the price. The vanilla seeds add a broader flavor as compared to vanilla extract.

I use the standard cheese cake mix a bunch with modification like adding berries, using chocolate crust and sour cherries on bottom (black forest style), or a pecan pie top layer. But the thing I keep the same is the ratio of sugar, sour cream, egg, cheese and vanilla. I even substitute ricotta and sneak in cottage cheese sometimes.

absolutely Mike!!! But only real vanilla. Not of that concentrate crap. As well as a dab of raw sourwood honey….dang I still owe Sam!!

I get mine at the Messican Market!

I like beans in mine. (And - the pumpkin positively must be grass-fed.)

My favorite tweak is buttermilk instead of the often used condensed. Adds a little tang.

Ella

lol...
Had o read that twice, John! I was thinking 'vanilla beans', but I think I know what you mean.

Worse come to worst, I'll use some seafoam and no ethanol!

Thanks everyone!

I got a problem now though.

With the vanilla concentrate vs real vanilla; buttermilk vs condensed milk; cream cheese and graham cracker crust vs reg'lar; Ima gonna have a metric sheis-ton of pies!

Woe is me!

IMHO go easy on the spice. Why do people think pumpkin pie should taste like spices. The spices are to add flavor, not be the flavor. Same goes for the spices in apple pie, and sage in sausage. Sorry, rant over.

And then there are the people who want to mask the flavor of a hamburger with everything up to and including frankincense and myrrh.

Lol.

I like a bit of spice in PP. Just don't go to heavy on the clove or ginger.

(Even if you did, I'd still happily eat it :))

clove
ginger
cinnamon
nutmeg

And now, a splash of vanilla.

I like it with some flavor!

[quote=ironbender]clove
ginger
cinnamon
nutmeg

And now, a splash of vanilla
[/quote

I like pumpkin pie.....But iff'n ya have to add that much stuff to the punkin' to make it taste good, Pumpkins Suck.

I make mine with squash...LOL. and use basically the same ingredients.

I'm guessing you are aware that what is sold as canned pumpkin is a squarsh. Pretty bland on its own, IMO.

I love it once it gets a little help.

Pumpkin without the spices would suck. I was commenting on whether you have a pumpkin pie with spice, or a spice pie with pumpkin. The important part is that you like it. I darn sure will make mine my way, hope yours is so good it makes your liver quiver.

Mine don't suck! I could hurt myself on punkin pie!

You got Messican markets in SC? Cool.

Usually get some pretty good deals at those here.

ole Sam is a patient man. lol.