dimanche 12 décembre 2010

There is nothing quite like trying to convince a whole bunch of French that pumpkin pie is in fact edible.

Alain hates it with what can only be described as a fiery passion and refuses to even take a bite.

At the end of October I bought a pumpkin from the local Casino grocery store. It was marked as a pumpkin for decoration, so I wasn't sure if it was really the right type for pies.

I scooped out the seeds, baked them (those he'll eat), and baked the pumpkin for about two hours. I didn't however have a mixer, so I froze the baked pumpkin flesh, and order a mixer from Amazon. Two weeks later, mixer in hand, I defrosted the pumpkin, followed the directions as best I could, made the pie crust, and baked two pies.

I tested one, and it was in fact edible (perhaps not as good as the canned pumpkin purée, but definitely better than the one we had two Thanksgivings ago at the Anglo-American Thanksgiving feast)

I bought some whipped cream and brought them in to work. I sent an email to everyone in the office, wishing them Happy Thanksgiving, telling them about the holiday, and that there was a traditional pumpkin pie in the kitchen. I also said that it was an acquired taste, and that French people usually don't like it.

All of my coworkers tried it and they all said it was good. Though I noticed that nobody had more than one piece. Hmmm.

Not sure what to conclude. Though I probably won't be going through all the trouble again next year.

Anyone know of a French who really and truely likes pumpkin pie?

8 commentaires:

Michel a dit…

Your pies look yummy! I am not sure why the French don't like pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin in pie, soup, ravioli, risotto, gratin and sauce. I would have been the first one in line in the kitchen to have a piece of pie.

Anonyme a dit…

My dear husband will eat it because he's been threatened with hanging if he doesn't. But no one in the french family will touch it.
Your pies look great, but isn't making pumpkin purée from scratch a pain in the a$$!
Like your new look.

Megan a dit…

Thanks for the pumpkin encouragement. I changed the template because as an (honorary) Marseillaise, having a Paris theme irked me.

Betty Carlson a dit…

I made pumpkin pie last year for a Thanksgiving dinner with my (college) students and they seemed to like it. Maybe they were just being nice, but at least everybody ate it, and some even had seconds!

On the pumpkin pie theme, we have friends in La Montagne Noire who are in their 80s and used to be bouchers/charcutiers -- both great cooks. Once they served us a dessert that was very much like pumpkin pie, but without the crust and maybe without any spice to speak of. She said it was a traditional dessert from her childhood, one they often ate when they had pumpkins in abundance and not much else.

So there to all the French people who turn up their noses at it!

Sara Louise a dit…

I love that you froze the pumpkin flesh and then patiently awaited for your mixer! It's like a cartoon in my head; you freezing it, and then sitting on the couch twiddling your fingers until the delivery truck arrives. And then straight into the kitchen to bake. All while your husband sits at the table, napkin tucked into shirt, with knife and fork in hand.
(It's a lot funnier in my head)

Mwa a dit…

Why not make something nice instead? ;-)

(This from a Belgian aghast at Christmas cake made by her husband.)

Starman a dit…

Does he really not like it, or will he not even taste it to make the decision? How about sweet potato pie?

MilkJam a dit…

MG loves pumpkin pie!!!! his family is a little wary but will eat it but he really does like it :) stole my leftover piece out of the fridge after thanksgiving :)

he also loves sweet potato pie (which I had to learn how to make not being from the south - very much like pumpkin pie actually, you could probably get away with it, no one knowing...!)

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