Have you considered grilling a pumpkin pie? Well, we tried it out. The results..were not unanimous. So, Patti’s thoughts are in purple, Karen’s are in green and Kevin’s are in orange.
Here goes:
So, everyone, what did you think about the flavor of the pie?
It was….different. Very different. Like nothing I’ve ever had. Or really ever want to have again. I wasn’t expecting the smoke flavor to hit me like it did. To me, it seems like there are times and places for the flavor of smoke, and I guess my theory is that pumpkin pie is NOT a place where I expect it. Or want it. Ever again. I couldn’t even finish it, to tell you the truth.
I don’t have the refined taste buds that Kevin and Patti do. When they ask me things like, “What is it about this recipe that you like?” I’ve been known to say, “It tastes good in my mouth.” This pie, however, tasted bad in my mouth. It wasn’t until Patti tried it that HER taste buds told me why it was bad….the smoke. Yuck. The pie got left at my house after that night and I threw the rest away because I couldn’t bear to put it back into my mouth again.
Whaaaaaaat? You threw away the pie? WHY would you DO that? Why wouldn’t you give it to me? It was awesome! You know what I love? Pumpkin Pie. You know what else I love? Grilled stuff. So yea, grilled pumpkin pie is a stroke of delicious genius. I thought the flavor was unique and delicious. VERY different, but a welcome change to a pie that is always prepared the exact same way.
How about the consistency?
The consistency was actually similar to regular pumpkin, pie, I thought -crazy creamy and tender.
Seemed like regular pumpkin pit to me.
A little chunky. That was slightly disappointing. And it wasn’t because of the grilling – that part was NAILED. I think the failure came in the kitchen with whoever blended it (SPOILER ALERT: It was Karen & Patti).
Was the work worth the final product?
Um, no. Not at all. It was really a lot of work. The calluses that were developed from cutting the pumpkin up were the first issue. Secondly, grilling pumpkin takes a ridiculously long time. And after the cutting and the grilling, I was already tired. But now it was time to actually make the pumpkin pie??? No thanks. Not worth it.
Absolutely not. My husband and I were the ones to actually get the skin off the pumpkin and chop it up. (He’s our hand model in the process picture of getting the skin off the pumpkin) It was not easy. I started off doing it and had to call him in for backup.
Easy question to answer: Yes, since I wasn’t the one to do any of that pre-work, I would definitely ask someone else to do that again. I would certainly never do it myself, however. And did it take a long time to grill? Yea it did. It took me….3 beers to grill that pumpkin. So…I’m sorry, where’s the issue again?
Would you do it again?
Personally, no. Way too much work for a flavor I didn’t like. In fact, I would tell YOU, our loyal blog reader, please don’t make this. There are so many more yummy things you can grill, don’t do this one.
No, I wouldn’t. Too much work and the taste wasn’t great.
Definitely. Who wants an ordinary pumpkin pie when you can have an extraordinary one? Only someone that doesn’t like flavor, anything different, or is too lazy to do a little extra work to impress family and friends (SPOILER ALERT: I’m referring to Patti & Karen). Is there a chance you’ll try this and not like it? Sure, but isn’t that true with anything? Just once, JUST ONCE, don’t buy those damn cans. Peel, slice, trim, grill (drink) and enjoy a Grilled Pumpkin Pie. Look at these beautiful pictures my lazy no taste sister took. Pictures don’t lie. It’s glorious.
Grilled Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 1 store bought pie crust
- 1/2 pumpkin - cut into the thinnest strips you can possible do
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsn ground ginger
- 1/4 tsn ground cloves
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
Instructions
- Pre-bake your pie crust according to the recipe or package directions.
- Preheat your grill to a medium high heat.
- Cut the pumpkin into long thin strips. Remove all the seeds and strings. Work in batches, placing as many pumpkin strips onto the grill as will fit. Grill until the pumpkin is soft and tender with dark grill marks. This. Takes. A while. Like...30 minutes for each batch. Ugh.
- Preheat your oven to 425.
- Put your grilled pumpkin the food processor or blender and puree the pumpkin for several minutes or until it's smooth. You will need 2 cups of pureed grilled pumpkin.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves then add the mixture to the pumpkin. Mix in the beaten eggs. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake the pie at 425 for 15. Reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for 40-50 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool the pie on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.