Pumpkin Goo

My mother brought home some sugar pumpkins for us to bake and use for upcoming holiday desserts.

I didn't take pictures of us cutting them open.  Let me tell that was quite a chore.  So darned funny too - my mother kept pulling out different knives for us to try.  In the end what worked best? A chef knife and then smacking it on the counter... count your fingers often!

Cut side down on a sheet pan, 350 degrees for a little over an hour and we got soft pumpkins.
I love the caramelization that happens on the edge.

Let them cool for a bit.

Scoop out the pumpkin flesh.

Then we put them into the food processor with the blade and zipped the stuff around until it was mostly smooth.

Next we put the goo into a strainer lined with cheesecloth.  Set the strainer over a bowl and let sit for an hour.

Five pumpkins a bit bigger than a softball and we got three pounds of pumpkin goo.

Was it worth the extra work over just buying a can of pumpkin?  That remains to be determined.... once I use it for baking I will let y'all know.

:)