Pumpkin Pie Recipe – 1803 Vintage
Posted by Warren
Makes one 9-inch pie, single crust, custard filling
The Frugal Housewife, by Susannah Carter, 1803
A fresh pumpkin pie with old-fashioned richness.
Pumpkin Pie Recipe
The Frugal Housewife, by Susannah Carter, 1803
For common family pumpkin pies, three eggs do very well to a quart of milk. Stew your pumpkin, and strain it through a sieve, or colander. Take out the seeds, and pare the pumpkin or squash, before you stew it; but do not scrape the inside; the part nearest the seed is the sweetest part of the squash.
Stir in the stewed pumpkin, till it is as thick as you can stir it round rapidly and easily. If you want to make your pie richer, make it thinner, and add another egg.
One egg to a quart of milk makes very decent pies.
Sweeten it to your taste, with molasses, or sugar; some pumpkins require more sweetening than others.
Two tea-spoonfuls of salt; two great spoonfuls of sifted cinnamon; one great spoonful of ginger.
Ginger will answer very well alone for spice, if you use enough of it. The outside of a lemon grated in is nice.
The more eggs the better the pie; some put an egg to a gill of milk.
A Cookbook with vintage pie recipes
The Frugal Housewife of 1803, offers an excellent overview of the English contributions to what has become American cooking. This cookbook contained many traditional English recipes.
The Frugal Housewife was popular on both sides of the Atlantic from its first printing in London ca 1765.
Interested in Pumpkin Pies?
Libby´s Famous Pumpkin Pie Recipe – It´s good but in Danger!
Bake a Pumpkin Pie for less than three dollars, but Beware!
Can I freeze my homemade Pumpkin Pie? Yes. But how?
Pumpkin Pie Recipe – Old Fashioned of 1803
—Ingredients—
Filling
1 3/4 cups (one 15 ounce can) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup white sugar or molasses
1/4 cup light molasses
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Prepare the pastry: Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan or dish. Trim the edges of the pie. Fold the overhang under itself and pinch it together to create a high edge on the pan’s rim. Flute the edge decoratively.
2. Refrigerate or freeze the pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
3. Partially bake the pie shell: Remove the pastry shell from the refrigerator or freezer and line with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper. Large enough to overhang the sides patting it to the bottom and up and over the sides of the pie shell. Cover the bottom of the shell with a generous layer of pie weights or raw short grain rice. The weights keep the crust from bubbling and help prevent shrinkage.
4. Bake shell for 20 minutes at 375°F. Lift edge of foil to check the dough. If it looks wet continued baking, checking it every five minutes until the dough is pale gold.
5. Prepare filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, molasses and eggs until well blended. Add the cinnamon, salt, and ginger and mix well. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, heavy cream and whisk until smooth. Pour into the partially baked pie shell.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
7. Bake the pie until the filling is slightly raised and firm in the middle, 50-60 minutes. The center will jiggle like Jell-O when done. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Store the pie covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Store Pumpkin Pie for Months
Save the pumpkin pie for up to a month by freezing it. It must be done the right way. Otherwise, when it comes time to thaw the pie you will be disappointed.
My Freeze Pumpkin Pie has all of the instructions you need.
Pumpkin Pie Success
Serving tip: Serve each wedge with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
Try substituting the sugar for maple syrup.
