To make pumpkin purée, you'll need a sugar pumpkin, sometimes called a pie pumpkin. You could use a jack o lantern pumpkin, but I wouldn't recommend it...they are super pulpy/stringy so you pay more money for less usable pumpkin.
Anyway, start out with a pie pumpkin like these:
Then, cut them in half, like this:
Next, you'll want to scoop out the seeds (save these for roasting, yum!) and scrape the stringy pulp out. Now your pumpkin should look like this:
Place them cut side down on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil, like so:
Bake them in a 350 degree (200 celscius) oven until a fork easily penetrates the skin. For me, this was about 30 minutes. If you have a toddler, they must be sitting like this for the baking experience to work!:
Let the pumpkin sit for at least 10 minutes before touching. Speaking form experience, they're WAY too hot to handle before that.
Peel off the skin, I used my fingers. The skin should easily and cleanly pull away. You'll be left with this:
Put them in a food processor or blender and blend until puréed. Voila! Pumpkin purée!
Be on the lookout for a great recipe using your pumpkin puree tomorrow!
Blessings!
Miranda
