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Fresh Pumpkin Purée

4.4

(6)

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 10 1/2 hr

Look for sugar pumpkins and cheese pumpkins — we find they make the tastiest purée for pies, tarts, and cakes.

Cooks' note:

• Purée keeps, covered and chilled, 2 days or, frozen in an airtight container, 2 months.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes about 3 1/4 cups

Ingredients

2 lb fresh pumpkin, cut into roughly 4- by 5-inch wedges
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Special Equipment

cheesecloth

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 400°F.

    Step 2

    Brush flesh sides of pumpkin wedges with butter. Arrange, flesh side down, in a large roasting pan and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake, turning pieces after 1 hour, until flesh is very tender when pierced with a fork, about 2 hours. Remove foil and cool pumpkin in pan until it can be handled.

    Step 3

    Discard any liquid that may have accumulated and scoop out pumpkin flesh, then purée pulp in batches in a food processor. Transfer to a large sieve or colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth set over a large bowl. Drain purée, chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap, 8 hours or overnight.

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