Emeril's Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the stem off the pumpkin and discard it. Cut the pumpkin in half; scoop out and discard the seeds.

Cut the halves into quarters, and cut the quarters in half. Transfer the pumpkin pieces to the prepared

baking sheet, and drizzle them with vegetable oil. Toss to coat well. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake

until the pumpkin is tender (the tip of a knife should go in easily), 1 to 1½ hours.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it aside until the pumpkin is cool enough to handle.

Then peel the skin off (if it's not pulling off easily, use a paring knife), and chop the pulp into pieces. In

batches, use a wooden spoon to push the pumpkin pieces through a sieve into a mixing bowl. Discard

any fibrous parts that remain in the sieve.

Clean the sieve and line it with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Transfer the pumpkin puree to the lined

sieve and place the sieve over a bowl, making sure that the bottom of the sieve does not touch the bowl. Transfer this to the refrigerator and let it sit overnight to drain any excess liquid.

Discard the liquid and use the puree right away, or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 2 months.

About 2 1/2 cups

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, from Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh, Harper Collins Publisher, New York, 2010, copyright MSLO, Inc., all rights reserved

This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.