Crustless Pumpkin Pie

[barleychown]

Mike had requested I attempt to find a pumpkin pie recipe, but one without a crust, as that is his least favorite part. I'll be trying this recipe this weekend.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
from Coming Home with Gooseberry Patch

4 eggs, beaten
15-oz. can pumpkin
12-oz. can evaporated milk
1-1/2 c. sugar
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. salt
18-1/2 oz. pkg. yellow cake mix
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. butter, melted
Garnish: whipped topping, chopped walnuts,
cinnamon or nutmeg

Combine eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, spice and salt. Mix well and pour into an ungreased 13"x9" baking pan. Sprinkle cake mix and nuts over top. Drizzle with butter; do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour, testing for doneness with a toothpick. Serve with whipped topping sprinkled with nuts and cinnamon or nutmeg. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

[Tina]

I have a recipe somewhere for a pumpkin custard very like yours. I will look for it. It had gone over big at previous potlucks with friends. But it is basically  pumpkin pie "innards" cooked like a baked custard. Easy to do. And with or without pecans on top.

[Triss]

Do you have a picture to go with that Sarah?  I cannot imagine it but we all love pumpkin pie here and that might be a fun one to make.

[barleychown]

It's in the oven now, and I'll be sure to get a pic when it comes out.

[barleychown]

Well, it's good, but not very pretty, and not what I was looking for.



There is too much topping, and not enough pumpkin, for it to really be considered "crustless pumpkin pie" in my book.

Still, it's quite tasty, and SUPER easy. I'll use this recipe again.

[Tina]

Try it without the topping (or just add nuts to the top) if you want that pie 'feel'. Double the recipe if it isn't 'tall' enough or use a slightly smaller pan. 
A pumpkin pie is most the time a 'custard' pie. That word has been left off in modern times. So what you may be looking for is just the usual stuff in a pan without the crust. It works and is what i have served for several years. Still need to look up that recipe.

[barleychown]

I'll try that next. The custard thing occured to me while mixing it up today...

I'm also thinking it may not have enough for spices.

[Tina]

While I was looking for the recipe, I found one for pumpkin butter too.
Pumpkin Custard
I either doubled this recipe for my potlucks or I have another somewhere. This is from More-With-Less Cookbook, a compilation from Mennonites worldwide. So They use a little less sugar and less costly ingredients where ever they can; for instance the scalded milk as opposed to the more expensive evap.

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together well:
1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 each ground cloves and nutmeg (I know I used pumpkin pie spice instead)
Pour into buttered baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes.
This recipe doubled and baked in a 9"x13" Pyrex type dish would cut easily into squares and was heavenly with a dollop of whipped cream. The squares were only an inch or so high. And I'm not all that sure that I actually doubled the eggs. I probably hung at around 5.
pssst, leave out about 1/2 cup of the milk and add about half cup of rum (<-- not from the Mennonite cookbook)

[barleychown]

Now that sounds better!

Thank you! 

[Tina]

Pumpkin Rum Custards
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk (not evap)
1 1/2 cups water
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup light rum
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1/8 to 1/4 t. ground ginger
Preheat oven to 350
I heavy skillet, over medium heat cook sugar stirring constantly until melted and carmel colored. Using 8-10 ounce custard cups, pour about 1 tablespoon caremelized sugar in the bottom of each.
In a large mixing bowl beat eggs and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Pour equal portions of mixture into each of the prepared cups. Set cups in a shallow pan filled with one inch of hot water. Bake 50-60 minutes until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. Chill thoroughly. Invert custards onto serving plates. Refrigerate leftovers.

[Tina]

But the main thing is, you can follow any pumpkin pie recipe and cook the custard alone, crustless.
Do you cook your own pumpkins, Sarah? Or use canned?

[barleychown]

I have done both. Today I used canned, and was way less than impressed. Next time I will be doing my own again.

[Tina]

I actually have trouble using my own. I have boiled and baked the pumpkins but they have come out too watery either way. I'm not impressed unless I am making soup with them.
In New Zealand they had a firmer pumpkin (greenish) that they used a lot as a roasted vegetable along with potatoes and carrots to serve with roasts. I would love to get my hands on one of those. Or kumaras, a type of yam. But I have never seen any here.

[barleychown]

Maybe it's time to try growing your own!