Pumpkin and Squash Pie ORIGINAL RECIPE For common family pumpkin pies, three eggs do very well to a quart of milk. Stew your pumpkin, and strain it through a sieve, or colander. Take out the seeds, and pare the pumpkin, or squash, before you stew it; but do not scrape the inside; the part nearest the seed is the sweetest part of the squash. Stir in the stewed pumpkin, till it is as thick as you can stir it round rapidly and easily. If you want to make your pie richer, make it thinner, and add another egg. One egg to a quart of milk makes very decent pies. Sweeten it to your taste, with molasses or sugar; some pumpkins require more sweetening than others. Two tea-spoonfuls of salt; two great spoonfuls of sifted cinnamon; one great spoonful of ginger. Ginger will answer very well alone for spice, if you use enough of it. The outside of a lemon grated in is nice. The more eggs, the better the pie; some put an egg to a gill of milk. They should bake from forty to fifty minutes, and even ten minutes longer, if very deep. From The American Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Child. 1832 SOURCE The American Frugal Housewife MODERN ADAPTATION Pie crust enough for a single crusted pie 1 winter squash ¾ cup of sugar 1 cup milk 2 eggs 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 2 tsp salt 1 lemon, zested Preheat your oven to 425°F. Put pared and cubed pumpkin in a saucepan and scarcely cover with water. Simmer until pumpkin is quite soft. Strain pumpkin by pressing it through a sieve; alternatively, mash with a potato masher until as smooth as possible. Let cool. To about 2 cups of the cooled pumpkin puree add milk, eggs, sugar, lemon zest and spice and mix well. Lay your piecrust into your pie plate and trim to fit, crimping edges. Pour pumpkin mixture carefully into prepared pie shell. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes, then reduce heat and continue to bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown. Let cool to set. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS - Pie crust enough for a single crusted pie 1 winter squash ¾ cup of sugar 1 cup milk 2 eggs 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 2 tsp salt 1 lemon, zested INSTRUCTIONS 1. Preheat your oven to 425°F. 2. Put pared and cubed pumpkin in a saucepan and scarcely cover with water. Simmer until pumpkin is quite soft. 3. Strain pumpkin by pressing it through a sieve; alternatively, mash with a potato masher until as smooth as possible. Let cool. 4. To about 2 cups of the cooled pumpkin puree add milk, eggs, sugar, lemon zest and spice and mix well. 5. Lay your piecrust into your pie plate and trim to fit, crimping edges. 6. Pour pumpkin mixture carefully into prepared pie shell. 7. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes, then reduce heat and continue to bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown. Let cool to set. 8. Enjoy! Non-personal archive pmurad March 1, 1996 at 9:10 PM