A 17th c. pumpkin pie recipe

[gurdymonkey]

 This sounded sufficiently amazing that I want to try it, so I just sat down and transcribed the recipe instructions. Assuming I can still get what I need tomorrow, I'm gonna make it. This is from Max Miller's "Tasting History," https://youtu.be/FF0HnhuzGak

Hannah Wolley's Pumpion Pye, from "The Gentlewoman's Companion" (1670).

http://womenwriters.digitalscholarship.emory.edu/content.php?level=div&id=woolley_099&document=woolley quotes the original text and contains an additional caudle of egg and white wine, but Miller didn't mention it in his redaction.

Ingredients: 

1 sugar pumpkin, peeled, gutted and sliced thin. 

2 sharp apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin. (I used Granny Smiths.)

3 eggs

2 handfuls unspecified herbs - fresh sweet marjoram, parsley, rosemary and/or thyme suggested. (I used marjoram and parsley.)

6 tablespoons butter - these will be used in three 2 tbsp. stages, please read ahead for where and when.

1/3 cup raisins (I used golden raisins because I had them.)

1/3 cup currants

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup sack or sherry (EDIT: cooking sherry has salt added, buy a cheap bottle of drinking sherry instead, particularly if you're watching your sodium intake. I found a brand called Fairbanks, which is produced by Gallo. ) 

1 pie crust. (I used a brand name refrigerated crust.) 

Instructions based on Mr. Miller's redaction and my observations during the process: 

PREP - THE PART NO ONE EVER PUTS IN THE DAMN RECIPE: You're not a cooking show host with a crew of lackeys to do your prep. Just dealing with the  pumpkin took me around 40 minutes, so I've rearranged the order of action here just so you don't have the oven preheating for over an  hour or apples turning brown for no good reason.

1.  Make pie crust and lay it in your pie dish. I used a ready made refrigerated crust, following the instructions on the package, but if you have a favorite scratch crust recipe, go for it. Pre-baking is not necessary per Mr. Miller's video, but that's up to you.

2.  Prep your fresh herbs. Cooking novices, if you hold the stems and pull against the grain, the leaves come right off, nice and neat. Chop with a knife or choppy kitchen gadget of your choice and set them aside.

3.  Measure sugar, currants and raisins into a small bowl, so they're ready to go when the time comes. Open that bottle of sherry and measure that out into cup. You're not going to want to be playing around with a corkscrew at the last minute.

4. Peel, gut and slice pumpkin thinly.  A potato peeler works fine for peeling. Raw pumpkin is hard to cut, even with a sharp knife or cleaver. TAKE YOUR TIME AND KEEP YOUR FINGERS. Also, if you still have fiber clinging to one side of your slices, you can trim it with your peeler. You can save the seeds to toast if you want. 

5. Peel, core and slice apples thinly and line the bottom of the pie dish with them. 

NOW preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  

Beat eggs in a bowl and add chopped herbs. 

Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a large skillet. 

Dip pumpkin slices in egg mixture - don't coat too thickly - and add to skillet. Cook them 8-10 minutes, stirring as needed. You will probably need to do this in several batches depending on how much room you have in said skillet. I kept it on medium heat, stirring and moving cooked pumpkin with tongs to a mixing bowl and adding new pieces to the skillet as I made room. If you use tongs it takes a bit longer, but you can shake off the inevitable cooked egg clumps which you don't need in your pie filling. Unused egg herb mixture can go in the fridge and flavor an omelette later. Should be good for at least 24 hours. 

Transfer cooked pumpkin to bowl, add 2 tbsp. butter (which should be nice and soft by now) as well as the raisins, currants, sugar, and sherry. Mix thoroughly, then pour into the pie dish over the apple layer. 

Bake at 425 degrees F for first 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F and bake for another 40-50 minutes. (My oven heats accurately and evenly and 40 minutes was enough. YMMV.) 

Remove from oven, slice last 2 tbsp. butter over the top and let cool. 

It smells lovely, though the usual "pie spice" component is missing. Can I hold out until Thanksgiving though?

UPDATED: Thanksgiving, 11/26/2020. 

The moment you pie fiends have been waiting for: 

Hannah Woolley's Pumpion Pie does not taste like any pumpkin pie you've ever had. If you're expecting pumpkin spice, it's not here. 

The pumpkin tastes like, well, pumpkin. Sweet, squashy, and you're getting it in soft chunks, not in a custard. It is balanced beautifully by the apple, raisins and currants, and I'm getting an interesting undertone from the sherry. The result is delicious, not overly sweet, and certainly not gooey. Although the recipe didn't say so, I wonder what soaking the raisins and currants in the sherry might do.

The store bought pie crust did fine, but fell apart when I tried to lift the first slice out. Pre-baking might improve that, but it's all right without. 

I am eating it plain and at room temperature, but if you like a la mode with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, it would work well with that. I'm also thinking this would be excellent for breakfast. Which is good because I'm all alone with a whole pie!

Definitely a winner, but labor intensive as described above. If you're willing to commit an afternoon to making it, it's totally worth it. 
 

 

 

 

Comments

[gurdymonkey]

Just checked the website for my local Nob Hill Foods, they should have everything I need to do this - and a friend assures me this sort of thing should freeze well.

[danabren]

That sounds amazing.

[gurdymonkey]

It does - and I am sufficiently curious about a pumpkin pie that doesn't use the pie spice blend we all expect. No cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg. I bought fresh marjoram and parsley to try in mine.

[danabren]

Please report on this! And take photos :D

[gurdymonkey]

I will.

[gurdymonkey]

I updated the original post with pictures and annotations, because nobody ever warns you that it'll take you an hour just to prep ingredients, etc.

[danabren]

I appreciate your edits and updates.