Cooking fail advice please
November 28, 2019 9:28 AM Subscribe
I screwed up and used a CAN of coconut milk instead of a CUP, in a pumpkin pie filling. Can I recover from this??
I was / am making this recipe. Upon pondering why the filing is so runny, I double checked and realized my mistake. I used a 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk instead of a cup.
Is there any way to salvage this? Simmer the filling on the stovetop to evaporate out some water? (What would that do to the eggs?)
Should I even try or should I save the crust for something with any potential to succeed. Thing is, I don't have any more pumpkin (butternut squash) or coconut milk so I can't just start again even if I wanted to.
Thank you so much for any help!!
I was / am making this recipe. Upon pondering why the filing is so runny, I double checked and realized my mistake. I used a 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk instead of a cup.
Is there any way to salvage this? Simmer the filling on the stovetop to evaporate out some water? (What would that do to the eggs?)
Should I even try or should I save the crust for something with any potential to succeed. Thing is, I don't have any more pumpkin (butternut squash) or coconut milk so I can't just start again even if I wanted to.
Thank you so much for any help!!
Response by poster: Yes, I have some (raw) sweet potato.
posted by slidell at 9:36 AM on November 28, 2019
posted by slidell at 9:36 AM on November 28, 2019
Best answer: I would use sweet potato to double the filling as a sweet potato/pumpkin pie (adding additional eggs, spices, etc.) and then even if you don't have pie crust, cook the filling as a custard alongside the pie. You might want to wait for other answers but that's how I'd go at it.
posted by warriorqueen at 9:37 AM on November 28, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 9:37 AM on November 28, 2019 [8 favorites]
Best answer: The egg is the main thing binding it, so add 2-3 more eggs and proportionately more spice. I'd also go ahead and slice and cook that sweet potato, then mash/puree it and add that too. A little more sugar, too, if you want -- you can taste it and then spit it out if you don't want to eat the raw egg.
This will give you almost twice as much filling as you'll need, but you should at least be able to achieve a pie.
With the leftover filling, if you were feeling adventurous, you could experiment with adding grated carrot - that will help bind things, too, and it could taste really good. Carrot is a bit sweet, so allow for that if you add sugar.
posted by amtho at 9:40 AM on November 28, 2019 [4 favorites]
This will give you almost twice as much filling as you'll need, but you should at least be able to achieve a pie.
With the leftover filling, if you were feeling adventurous, you could experiment with adding grated carrot - that will help bind things, too, and it could taste really good. Carrot is a bit sweet, so allow for that if you add sugar.
posted by amtho at 9:40 AM on November 28, 2019 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Simmering will cook it, so, no. You can double the eggs and add some sugar and you will end up with a coconut pumpkin custard pie, or double the recipe and use more pumpkin (or cooked sweet potato - easy to microwave), eggs, sugar. Def. increase the spice proportionately.
If you don't want to make a 2nd crust, pumpkin/ custard can be baked and tastes nice.
This is something I would do, don't feel bad.
posted by theora55 at 9:45 AM on November 28, 2019 [3 favorites]
If you don't want to make a 2nd crust, pumpkin/ custard can be baked and tastes nice.
This is something I would do, don't feel bad.
posted by theora55 at 9:45 AM on November 28, 2019 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Not to be pedantic but would it be 1.6x or something?
posted by slidell at 9:49 AM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by slidell at 9:49 AM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: More eggs should do it. I'm pretty lackadaisical with making pumpkin pies... sometimes I use canned pumpkin, sometimes I prepare a fresh pumpkin, I just use approximate ingredients and throw them together. The always turn out. Give it some extra time in the oven to set.
posted by fimbulvetr at 9:55 AM on November 28, 2019
posted by fimbulvetr at 9:55 AM on November 28, 2019
Response by poster: Okay, 1-and-2/3rds-ing of the recipe completed. Thanks!!
posted by slidell at 10:19 AM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by slidell at 10:19 AM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
Had to comment because I made this EXACT SAME mistake this morning, before I saw your question! I cringed, added an extra egg, and hoped for the best. The pie was super wobbly when it came out of the oven, but after cooling/warming up a few hours later it had thickened up nicely. Not as firm a texture as one would expect from pumpkin pie. It was very soft, rich and creamy. Also now I have a bunch of extra filling for breakfast experiments tomorrow.
posted by prewar lemonade at 5:04 PM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by prewar lemonade at 5:04 PM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: How did it turn out?
Very good! In fact, I made both that one and this one with lots of dairy (subbing half-and-half for the milk + cream content), splitting the difference on the cooking instructions and using a store-bought crust for both, and aside from the differences in spices, I could not tell the difference. I recommend the recipe!
posted by slidell at 9:31 AM on November 29, 2019 [1 favorite]
Very good! In fact, I made both that one and this one with lots of dairy (subbing half-and-half for the milk + cream content), splitting the difference on the cooking instructions and using a store-bought crust for both, and aside from the differences in spices, I could not tell the difference. I recommend the recipe!
posted by slidell at 9:31 AM on November 29, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: This is something I would do, don't feel bad.
I made this EXACT SAME mistake this morning
I mean honestly, shouldn't the recipe just find a way to call for a full can? When do you see a recipe calling for 1-1/4 c of pumpkin? They find a way use all 15 oz. But I suppose if you were making three pies with two cans, you'd appreciate it.
posted by slidell at 9:46 AM on November 29, 2019 [2 favorites]
I made this EXACT SAME mistake this morning
I mean honestly, shouldn't the recipe just find a way to call for a full can? When do you see a recipe calling for 1-1/4 c of pumpkin? They find a way use all 15 oz. But I suppose if you were making three pies with two cans, you'd appreciate it.
posted by slidell at 9:46 AM on November 29, 2019 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by warriorqueen at 9:33 AM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]