When Halloween comes ’round, we welcome pumpkins as symbols of harvest and sources of shivery fun. For holiday decorations, why not have each of the children carve his ownsmall pumpkin? Then stack them into a totem pole. Use the topmost cutout as a lid, the rest for ears, and noses. Stems make good features, too. Choose pumpkins of varied shapes, and encourae the sculptors to vary their expressions.
Abroad, we find almost everywhere that a great diversity of puddings like the filling below, soups, breads, and vegetable dishes, are prepared from these members of the squash family. Here in America we restrict their use mostly to pie.
To cook pumpkin, wash and cut in half crosswise. Remove seeds and strings. Place in a pan, shell side up, and bake it in a 325° oven for 1 hour or more, depending on size, until it is tender and begins to fall apart. Scrape the pulp from the shell and put it through a ricer or strainer or blender.
Line a pie pan with pastry.
Preheat oven to 425°F
Mix until well blended:
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin or squash
1½ cups undiluted evaporated milk or rich cream
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg or allspice
¼ teaspoon of ground/crushed cloves
2 slightly beaten eggs
Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Bake 15 minutes at 425°F, then reduce heat to 350°F and bak about 45 minutes longer or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche.
