Potimarron Pudding -- WhoooYahhh!

Remember last fall when I was extolling our harvest of these lovely potimarron squash! Aren't they just the prettiest squash you've ever seen?

We've been enjoying them as simple baked squash. I cut them in two, scrape out the seed cluster, place in a roaster pan, cover with a lid and bake at 350 a little over an hour. Then I remove the baked squash, mash it, add some butter, salt and pepper and a bit of maple syrup. Yum.

But this week I went one step further. If you are a fan of pumpkin pie you will love these babies baked into a squash pudding.

First, bake the squash as described above. The lid tends to hold in the moisture and the squash will sometimes hold a bit of "juice". I use a small ladle and remove that water for it will not be needed. You want the squash to be baked to a tender stage, but you do not want it sogged by the extra liquid. I suppose taking the lid off during the last 20 minutes might prevent this buildup of juice so I may try that next time. Let Cool before handling!

• Scrape the baked squash from the skins. Be careful as the skin itself is quite tender from the baking.

• Beat two eggs in a mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of mashed cooked squash and mix together.

• Mix the following together and add to the pumpkin mixture, stirring it until well blended:

1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (use white or brown, I used white)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp powdered cloves

• Add 1-1/2 cup evaporated milk and stir till all is smooth.

Pour the mixture into a crock bowl or a Pyrex glass casserole and bake 30 to 45 minutes at 350.
Test for doneness by dipping a knife into the center. If it comes out clean, the pudding is done.

You can see that I had three bowls of pudding. That's because one very large squash made enough for two recipes. I experimented with two types of bowls. The Pyrex bowls I placed in a roasting pan and put hot water around them. The crock bowl just went straight to the oven shelf. Both were done about the same time. Both turned out delicious. (Remember that you can click on photos for a close-up.)

Add a bit of whipped cream on top and WhooYahhh!

The next time I think I will make a Squash Pie, using a whole wheat crust. Oh, My, I can hardly wait.

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