Homemade Pumpkin Puree

The pumpkin invasion is well underway here in New Jersey, and the madness is in full swing. Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere! I'm seen everything from pumpkin lattes, to pumpkin cream cheese (DELISH), to pumpkin marshmallows! I happen to be obsessed with anything pumpkin related, so in my quest to add pumpkin to everything humanly possible, I decided to start by making a basic homemade pumpkin puree. You can use many different gourds for this recipe. Some of my favorites are small sugar pumpkins, kabocha squash, & butternut squash (most store-bought pumpkin pies are actually made of butternut squash!) So take your pick, and never buy canned pumpkin again!

(Makes 2 1/2 cups)

1 pound pumpkin, deseeded & cut into large chunks
Food processor or high powered blender
Baking sheet
Fine mesh strainer and/or cheese cloth
Quart Size zip top bags

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Scoop out the seeds and stringy guts of the pumpkin.

Cut your pumpkin in half, and place them fon a baking sheet skin side down, no oil, no butter, no nothing.

Bake your pumpkin chunks for 45-60 minutes, or until they're fork tender. Your nose will tell you when they're done. Your kitchen will be filled with the scent of sweet, caramelized pumpkin.

Once the pumpkin is fork tender, remove from the oven, and let them cool for 10-15 minutes. Scoop the tender pumpkin flesh out of the skin, and put it into the food processor. Blend until smooth.

Now depending on the variety of pumpkin you use, you may or may not have to strain the mixture. Take a look, if you see a good amount of water in the puree and you'd like to make it more like the stuff that comes in a can, proceed as follows. If not, skip down to the packaging step.

Line a fine mesh strainer with a double layer of cheese cloth, and pour into your puree. If you don't have cheese cloth, use a clean kitchen towel.