Pumpkin Pie Recipe of 1877
Posted by Warren
Makes one 9-inch pie, single crust, custard filling. Text version is below page image.
Buckeye Cookery, and Practical Housekeeping, by Estelle W. Wilcox, 1877
Pumpkin pies are eaten all year long but especially around the holiday months.
Make it easy on yourself and freeze the pies for later use. Do not believe what you heard that you can not freeze pumpkin pie. You can if it is done right.
It is fine to use can puree pumpkin if you do not want to go through the trouble of processing fresh pumpkins. Libby’s is quite good.
Pumpkin Pie Recipe and tips from 1877
Buckeye Cookery, and Practical Housekeeping, by Estelle W. Wilcox, 1877 – Text Version
PUMPKIN PIE.
Making the Pumpkin Puree
Stew pumpkin cut into small pieces, in a half pint water; and, when soft, mash with potato-masher very fine, let the water dry away, watching closely to prevent burning or scorching;
Pumpkin Pie Ingredients
For each pie take one egg, half cup sugar, two table-spoons pumpkin, half pint rich milk (a little cream will improve it), a little salt; (add another egg)
Pumpkin Pie Directions
Stir well together, and season with cinnamon or nutmeg; bake with under crust in a hot oven.–Mrs. A. B. Morey.
A Cookbook with vintage pie recipes
This was the great mid-American cookbook of its day. It began life as a charity cookbook in 1876.
They published the Buckeye Cookery cookbook to raise money to build a parsonage.
They named it The Centennial Buckeye Cook Book, in honor of America’s Centennial.
Why was the book so popular? Clearly, it met the needs of thousands of women looking for advice on how to feed their families and manage their households.
This cookbook kept up-to-date by revisions covering newly introduced foods and equipment.
It contains about 300 pages of cookery recipes and another 125 or so of household hints, suggestions for caring for the sick, for doing laundry, for the cellar and the ice-house, for “Hired Help”, for preserving, gardening – and everything else within the housewives’ sphere of responsibility.
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
—Ingredients and instructions are not the actual vintage recipe but is provided for reference purposes.
Pastry dough – single crust
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup ice cold water
1 teaspoon cold canola oil
Filling
1 3/4 cups (one 15 ounce can) pumpkin puree
3/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup light raw sugar
1/8 cup honey
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
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, honey and eggs until well blended. Add the cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, vanilla and mace and mix well with the melted butter. 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.
Serving tip: Serve each wedge with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
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 it you will be disappointment. My Freeze Pumpkin Pie has all of the instructions you need.
Pumpkin Pie Success
Just by changing the sweetener to the pumpkin pie you can have a totally different pie.
Try substituting the sugar for light molasses or maple syrup.
