The Dutch Oven Pumpkin Pie Adventure, Part II

Well, I made the pumpkin pie on Sunday, but life’s been so freaking out crazy since then that only now can I actually sit down and blog about it. It’s Tuesday afternoon. What’s up with that?

Dutch Oven Pumpkin Pie (From Pumpkins)

12” Dutch Oven

18 coals above
10 coals below

• 3 Cups pumpkin
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground mace
• 1 can evaporated milk,
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 tsp butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

The first thing I did was to make the crust and put that into the 12” dutch oven. That went a lot smoother than the last time I did it (the apple pie). Bit by bit I’m getting pretty good at it! The recipe is over here.

Some people like to build the pie in a normal pie plate, and then put that in the bottom of the dutch oven. I actually like just building the crust right in the dutch oven itself. I spray it with Pam or something first, and then just lay it in.

With the crust in place, I set about mixing the filling. I started with the pumpkin I made the other day. I found that I had made way too much pumpkin puree for one pie, so I just measured out 3 generous cups and later, froze the remainder.

Next, I separated the eggs. The yolks went in with the pumpkin, and the whites I set aside. Everything else went into the mix. It looked a little runny to me at first, but in the final baking, it wasn’t too bad. So, I think it all worked out. Still, next time, I think I’ll try a little less evo milk. Maybe a half can or something like that.

Then, I whipped up the egg whites. I did it by hand, so that shows you how dumb I am. It took a while, but eventually it got to the point where it was fluffy. They tell me you want to do it until it forms peaks that don’t melt right away. Then that got folded into the whole mix.

I poured it all into the crust in the dutch oven, and set it on the coals.

In the meatime, I prepped the chicken and potatoes that I did a while ago, on this page. I modded it a bit, but not much. I didn’t have any peppers, so that didn’t go in, and I added some balsamic vinagre for a really cool unique flavor. Lots of salt, lots of coarse ground black pepper, etc…

So, that went on some more coals for dinner.

The pie took quite a while to cook. Probably about an hour and 20-30 minutes. I kept the coals pretty hot, using the 350 degrees as kind of a guide, plus a few more.

Finally, I could stick a fork in it and pull it out clean. It was odd, because most Pumpkin Pies I’ve seen kinda sag in the middle, and this one was humped up. But as it cooled, it settled to flat.

After dinner, we dished it up with the aerosol cans of whipped cream. It was delicious. It was the lightest, fluffiest Pumpkin Pie I’d ever eaten. I think that might have been because of the whipped egg whites. In retrospect, I probably would have whipped and smushed the original pumpkin a bit more, as there were still some slightly stringy bits. The spices made the flavor amazing.

I’ll call this one a success! I guess that's because at the end of the day, there wasn't any left over!

The Dutch Oven Pumpkin Pie Adventure, Part I

About two or three weeks ago, we went to a Halloween party for parents of handicapped kids. One of the things we did there was decorate some cool small pumpkins. One of the parents and I got to talking, and I mentioned that it would be fun to make a Pumpkin Pie in my dutch oven. Of course, having my tendencies to make things more difficult for myself than normal, I wanted to make it from scratch. I mean, from a pumpkin, not from a can.

Since then, I’ve been talking about it to pretty much anyone that will listen. Anywhere. Anytime. I’ve been doing a lot of research online, finding the best recipes. I finally found what I think is a good composite recipe.

Today, I did the first step, baking the pumpkins and making the puree itself.

Now, to show you how dumb I am, I have to confess that I have NEVER made pumpkin pie before. Not in a dutch oven, not in a regular oven. Not from a can, not from a real pumpkin. Nothing. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. All I know, I’ve learned from the ‘net in the last two weeks.

And, we all know, that if you read it on the ‘net, it must be true, right?

I bought a couple of small pie pumpkins. My research showed me that you don’t want to make pie from the big Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins. The small ones are supposed to be sweeter and a little less stringy. I got the pumpkins, sliced them in quarters and arranged them in the bottom of my two 12” shallow dutch ovens, one full pumpkin in each oven. I poured about a half-cup of water in each. Then I sprinkled about a half cup of brown sugar “in the boat” of each pumpkin slice.

These I put on coals, with about 8-9 coals below, and 16 or so on top. I baked them for about an hour each, until I could stick them with a fork and have it push through very very easily. Here’s a hint that I’ll definitely do next time: Before I’d put on the sugar, I’d take a fork and poke lots of holes in the pumpkin flesh (on the inside, not the skin side). That way, when the brown sugar melts, it melts into the pumpkin, and not so much runs off. Also, I think I wouldn’t have so much water.

Now, while they were baking, I washed, separated, and dried the seeds. More with them later.

Once the pumpkins were squishy, I pulled them off the coals. I scooped them out of the skins and plopped them into a bow where I mushed and squashed and stirred them all up. I did pour in a little more of the sugar syrup from the bottom of one of the dutch ovens. Then I covered the bowl with plastic and put it in the fridge. I think that it will be way too much pumpkin. I might end up making a couple of pies. We’ll just have to see. Like I say, I have no idea what I’m doing.

More with that tomorrow.

The seeds, meantime, were dry. I put those in a bowl, with a few tablespoons of olive oil and some liberal shakes of seasoning salt, regular salt, and black pepper. I stirred that up, and then into the bottom of the (now clean and dry) 12” dutch oven. That went back out on top of about 16 or so still burning coals. Maybe more.

At first I just stirred it, but after a while, I could see that it needed to trap the heat better, so I put the lid back on and only stirred it about every 5 or 10 minutes. Once they got a darker brown, I pulled them off, and let them cool Tonight, I think my boys and I will watch a movie and munch and crunch!

And tomorrow after church? Pumpkin Pie!

Dutch Oven Calico Chicken

I was working over the weekend in Las Vegas. It was good, but I missed cooking Sunday dinner. So, when I got sick and stayed home yesterday and today, I thought I’d make dinner. I’d seen this one over at Byron’s site, and I tried it. Of course, I can’t leave it alone, so I modded it a bit for the ingredients I had on hand, and what I thought would taste great.

Dutch Oven Calico Chicken

12” Dutch Oven

8-9 coals below
16-18 coals above

• 2 lbs boneless chicken
• 1-2 cups corn flakes, crushed
• Liberal shakes of seasoning salt
• Liberal shakes of black pepper
• Liberal shakes of chili powder
• 1-2 eggs
• Cheddar cheese, some thinly sliced, some grated
• A can of corn
• A small can of diced green chilis
• A can of beans
• A can of sliced black olives
• More salt, pepper

I started with the chicken, some frozen chicken tenderloins. If you start with full chicken breasts, you’ll want to cut them into slices about as long and wide as chicken fingers you buy at McDonalds. I thawed them in some warm water in the sink, and gathered the ingredients. Then I lit up about 25 or so coals.

I cracked an egg into a bowl. I poured the crushed corn flakes and the seasonings onto a plate and mixed them up. All was ready!

Then, I took each piece of chicken and put it in between two pieces of waxed paper. I gently tapped it flat, to about an eighth to a quarter inch thick. I laid a few thin slices of cheddar over it and rolled it up along the length, then secured it with a toothpick. I took that chicken roll and covered it in egg in the bowl. Then I coated it in the corn flake mixture. You have to be very thorough to make sure that the seasonings don’t settle down to the bottom of the plate. You gotta keep mixing it up.

This went into a greased Dutch Oven, along with all of the other pieces (probably about 10-15 or so). I put that on about 9 coals, with about 16 or so on top. The chicken browned and cooked in about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, I opened each can of the veggies and drained them, then poured them into a bowl. I mixed them all up, and added some salt and pepper to taste.

When the chicken was close to done, I lifted them out of the dutch oven and onto a plate with some wooden spoons. I poured in the veggie mixture, then replaced the chickens on top. I put the lid back on with some refreshed coals and let it bake for about another 30 minutes. After about 15-20 minutes, I opened it up and layered the top with the grated cheddar.

The family were really impressed! I loved it, too. I’m not certain that the chicken has to be cooked first. You might be able to just put in the veggies, then put the uncooked chicken on top of that. But then, the chicken wouldn’t be as crisp, I think. I did like the crispness of it. You try it the other way and let me know what you think!