Kürbisfest 2023: Crustless Lakota Pies

The latest post in the Kürbisfest 2023 series.

It is now time to sacrifice enjoy one of the Lakota pumpkins, purchased specifically for pies and cakes. While the variety is named for the Lakota people, and it is often marketed as being of their heritage…it is a hybrid developed at the (sigh) University of Nebraska in the late 20th century, from some seeds donated by a woman who received them from a woman whose brother was a civilian employee at Fort Richardson.

Please try not to let this sad bit of knowledge stop you from enjoying this variety and its “excellent baking qualities.”

So here is Lakota Number One, in all his mottled glory, weighing in at 2024 grams:

Because I am lazy efficient, I just roasted the two halves. To avoid burned spots, I roasted them up-side down.

The two halves yielded 1092 grams of puree. I measured 15 ounces for the crustless pie project, measured 15 ounces for the freezer, and the remaining puree was mixed into some muffins, using the same recipe I used for Sweet Mama. (Did you notice the change of units? 21st-century American recipes are all written to accommodate “one 15-oz can”.)

Pumpkin Custard

I just want to preface this section by re-iterating that I love pie, and pie crust, which I will only make with lard and/butter (a mixture of both is best). I will make pie any time I am given the slightest encouragement, and I always cut the extra pie crust into shapes to eat like cookies.

We had some friends over for dinner, and I wanted to make an American pumpkin pie, but they eat more healthily than we do, and there was already enough processed white flour in the entrée. The answer was obvious–individual crustless pies.

My search for a reasonable recipe was made most unpleasant by snide food bloggers sniping about how much they hate pie crust and/or gluten. Eventually I said “f’em”, and made the ol’ reliable pumpkin can label recipe, already conveniently printed out in my grimoire. The filling was baked in ramekins in a water bath.

For my dinner, I served them with unsweetened whipped cream and chopped walnuts (the custard was sweet enough without the extra sugar), and forgot to take a picture. Here is how I enjoyed the leftover serving the next day, with a Lebkuchengewürzplätzchen (gingerbread cookie).

I will use the puree in the freezer to make these again for the annual Christmas duck dinner with Mr Radish’s parents. I’d like to caramelize the walnuts, if time permits.