Pumpion Pie
Ah, September. The time of year when summer slips into fall, there’s leaves to rake, pumpkins to carve, and of course, pies to bake! I love everything about this season and all the flavors that come with it. The smell of fresh apples or something with cinnamon and nutmeg baking..what’s not to love!?
We were due for a history recipe, so I returned to Tasting History by Max Miller for some inspiration. This book is fascinating and filled with recipes from the ancient world and beyond, making for some pretty weird dishes by today’s standards. This is where I got our recipe for lasagne too, which actually turned out to be pretty good. For this one, I decided to turn to a autumn classic to kick off the season: Pumpion Pie…which is really one of the OG versions of Pumpkin Pie!
Pumpkin Pie is one dish that has long been associated with the American holiday of Thanksgiving, however, it wasn’t until the late 18th century that pumpkin pie became a staple of the New England Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, Thanksgiving itself wasn’t even a national holiday until 1863. This recipe is from 1670 England and shows just how new pumpkins where to Europe, as they hadn’t added the k to the word yet. Early pumpkin pies were more akin to pumpkin cheesecake than to what we know today. Some were also crustless and baked in the pumpkin itself. This recipe is certainly not a cheesecake, but has more savory flavors than the modern pie. Rosemary, thyme, and parsley pack the flavor punch and give it an interesting flare.
Like I said, I love this book. It’s really cool to see all the recipes from the past and where some of our modern favorites came from. However. I hated making this recipe. It was my own fault for choosing to do this after a long week, but I found the instructions to be less than helpful sometimes. I’ve personally never cooked pumpkin, so I really wasn’t confident in the amount of time it cooked for, how to peel the skin (because who peels pumpkins?!), or even the method of cooking it. If I ever made this again, I would definitely roast it instead as Google told me to do after the fact. Yes, I could have done that anyway, but with historical recipes, I really want to try and do it as it says/it was originally done.
But, one thing I did really love was the apple slices at the bottom of the pie. It adds a bit more moisture but also just the right amount of tartness to make it a delicious addition. I would absolutely consider doing that when making regular Pumpkin Pie.
Whether you’re making the traditional Pumpkin Pie for your next family gathering, or maybe trying your hand at this one, I hope you appreciate the history of this dish and how far it’s come from it’s origins. Happy Autumn cooking!
Enjoy!
-S
Ingredients:
1 sugar or pie pumpkin
2 granny smith apples
3 eggs
2 handfuls freshly minced herbs – rosemary, thyme, and parsley
6 tablespoons salted butter, divided
1/3 cup raisins *I couldn’t find currants, so I just used 2/3 cup of raisins.
1/3 cup currants
½ cup sugar
¼ cup sherry or reisling
1 pie crust
Method:
Preheat oven to 425° and line pie dish with crust of your choice.
Prepare the pumpkin by slicing off the stem, cutting as little into the flesh as possible. Peel the skin off using a knife or peeler, and carefully cut the pumpkin down the middle into two pieces. Carve out the seeds.
Cut each half in half again, then thinly slice the pumpkin.
Peel, core, and thinly slice apples.
Melt 2 tbs of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. While that heats, beat the eggs and mix in the herbs. Dip the slices into the egg mixture (some of the herbs, not too much egg) and fry them in the skillet until they’re cooked all the way through and soft, about 10 minutes. Depending on the size of your pumpkin, do this in batches.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, 2 tbs of butter, raisins, currants, sugar, and wine, and stir together.
Line the bottom of the pie crust with the apple slices, then pour the pumpkin filling over them. Smooth the top and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375° and bake for another 40-50 minutes. Once it’s nice and bubbly on top, remove from oven.
Dot the top with the last two tbs of butter and let it cool. Slice and serve.