A few days ago I got a hankering for pumpkin soufflé. I haven’t had a soufflé in years and even then it was a savory mushroom soufflé, not a dessert. Yet for some reason I just had to make one.
The recipe called for canned pumpkin puree of course but I try to limit what we eat out of a can and would’ve had to make a special trip to the store. The store where I can buy organic pumpkin puree is even farther. So I decided to make my own puree using two pie pumpkins that had been sitting on my kitchen table for awhile. But how to make the puree?? Well, I am not for making things hard so I decided that I could delay my soufflé craving until the next day and simply slow cook the pumpkins for the easiest homemade pumpkin puree evah. It was so crazy easy to do that buying canned pumpkin puree is just the height of silliness, at least when pumpkins are in season!
I made about 5-6 cups of puree with two regular size pie pumpkins. I just cut the tops off each one and put them in the slow cooker, with the tops loosely replaced, and cooked for 8 hours on low.
After cooking I scooped out the seeds and set them aside for roasting. Then I scooped out the pumpkin “meat” and stuck it in a my Vita-Mix. If you don’t have one any good bullet blender will do. I mixed it up until it resembled creamy baby food. As a side note, this would make excellent baby food.
At this point it is all done and ready for storage in the fridge. We made pumpkin soufflé in individual ramekins (I love these Rachael Ray Stoneware Ramekins) two nights in a row. Tonight I am making a Harvest Chicken Soup with pumpkin puree.
Easy peasy. Enjoy!
We also roasted ours before pureeing but this sounds even easier. I actually really don’t care for the taste of canned pumpkin. SO much rather make my own!
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This sounds very good…are you going to share the souffle recipe? I’ve never made one!!
Jackie, I used this one. I added a bit more maple syrup than the recipes call for though:
http://balancedbites.com/2012/10/easy-recipe-pumpkin-souffle.html
All these years I’ve gone without pumpkin pie because it never occurred to me to make my own puree! And I’ve got a slow cooker now, too!
sounds very good. I just might have to try this. I think I’ll need a bigger crock pot thought. Ours is very small.
Pumpkin everything is one of the reasons I absolutely love fall.
Me too! Headed to a big pumpkin festival tomorrow. Gotta make the most of it during the season!
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I love everything about the process, and the fact that you cooked it straight up like that. What can we use as an alternative to slow cookers, as we don’t have one in our kitchen?
You could always cook it in the oven.
Have you tried freezing it, and/or making pie with it? I love the idea of homemade puree, but in my experience it’s always too watery to set into a custard, especially if it’s been frozen. I’m cautiously optimistic…
I have never frozen it or made pies with it.