Pumpkin Pie - Americans, please help!

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So I've offered to make a pumpkin pie for some friends' Thanksgiving Dinner, but am an English person who's never seen a pumpkin pie so all I have to go on is a Martha Stewart recipe and some photos online.

In particular, the recipe begins: "roast pumpkin, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet until soft, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely."

Huh? It doesn't say anything about cutting the pumpkin so how do I put it 'cut sides down'? What am I meant to cut? I was thinking of chopping off the top (the same as I would to carve it, which is all I know how to do with pumpkins) and then putting it on the baking sheet upside down.

Any further thoughts?

Tips on pumpkin pie making in general welcomed, as well as specifically where to cut it before roasting.

Ermmm....I'm not American but I would buy the pumpkin in a tin! I made a very nice pie from this.

I am not american but I did use the pumpkin flesh at halloween.

I scooped out the flesh, used the pumpkins for lanterns and made this with the innards

pumpkin - steamed and drained

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
75g demerara sugar
nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and ginger
carton of double cream

whisked the eggs, threw the other stuff in a pan and boiled it, chucked in the eggs, added the pumpkin, whizzed it again, poured it on top of the pastry and bunged it in the oven for 40 minutes.

Roasted the seeds and put them on top.

It was lovely.

What she means is cut the pumpkin in half (you can cut the top bit off I you like too) and then you have two halves. Place each half with the cut side down i.e so the skin is facing up and the hollowed out inside is facing down.

Having said all that I really wouldn't bother. A pumpkin pie is much much better made with tinned pumpkin! Making the purée yourself it is hard to get the mixture just right - it's usually way too wet. So I buy a can of that instead. Be careful and make sure to read the tin because what you are looking for is just pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling. If you google there are plenty of pie recipes that using tinned purée.

I'm not American but I can recommend this recipe from the BBC website. Takes a bit of effort but well worth it.

Make sure you get a proper culinary pumpkin, not a carving one. Apparently butternut squash works well too.

Thanks for the help.

I have already bought the pumpkins and was eyeing them suspiciously, so it's a bit late for tinned, although I'll bear it in mind for the future. Unless I make a lot more pumpkin soup than I was planning...

I just bought pumpkins from Sainsbury's, thinking it would be ok. They're smaller than an average carving one but don't otherwise look any different. I guess they're probably culinary ones because why else would Sainsbury's sell them with all the veg? but it's not labelled 'cooking pumpkin' or anything. Do you think they're alright?

Yes. They'll be tastier than carving pumpkins.

Pumpkin muffins are nice too if you have a bit leftover.

Looks beautiful, tastes horrible IME, but I don't get the whole savoury, sweet, salt thing.

Roast pumpkin soup is far nicer.

I am American and I would also recommend canned pumpkin, but I see you already have bought pumpkins. I love pumpkin pie, but, for future reference, you might want to try sweet potato pie. It is similar, but even better.

allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-pie-i/

Cut open top, scoop out insides.

Cut in half, place cut side down on tray.

Throw whole mess out, buy a tin of Libby's Pumpkin Pie Filling.

Buy a premade pie shell.

Follow directions on side of Libby's can.

Pumpkin pie like my American mother used to make.

Pumpkin pie is disgusting. Don't bother!

I bought the Libby's tinned purée and used the recipe on the side. As you've already got the pumpkins, just roast as you would butternut squash (with skin on, in slices/chunks) and peel the skin off after. Much easier. Then purée. I made it for the first time this year and it was interesting. Very unusual flavour. Not sure I would again though!!
skin off

Your home made pie will be lovely. And I second sweet potato pie, you must have this! And in future, Libby's tin is really is used a lot too. Pecan pie is another seasonal must, but god it's sweet! Mmm, pies. Damn it. Looks like I'm heading to waitrose!

The BBC link is good, but this is also a good site.

Re: the wetness issue. At very last, I put the pumpkin in a strainer lined with a piece of kitchen towel, and that got rid of a lot of pumpkin juice which I sold at a profit to Hogwarts.

at Tee's mom's recipe; that used to be mine too but now I use this one:

Go to Publix (Florida grocery store); get pumpkin pie at bakery dept;
bring pie home.

I do whip my own cream though, none of that squirty stuff.

My friend is bringing sweet potato pie as well.

Can't wait. My favorite holiday. [turkey smiley]

I have officially given up on getting a [turkey].

And I have asked.

Sweet potato pie tastes really similar and really yum. You can roast or boil the potatoes for the puree. Roasting is better. Then scoop out the flesh.

not american but have used this recipe and its gorgeous

She says just cut the pumpkin up and boil it, then peel it after. I have also recently made this pumpkin bundt cake which was also lovely

I've cut the pumpkin into smaller chunks and arranged skin side up in a roasting pan. Roast. Then cool, remove skin, and purée. Let it sit in a sieve lined with cloth or paper towels to get excess water out, then use in the recipe. I follow the Joy of Cooking recipe. Boiling doesn't sound right to me because there's already so much water in the pumpkin flesh. As you can see, tinned is so much easier!

And what is savoury or salty about pumpkin pie? It's sweet.

The boiling does work, I have used that method for the last two pumpkins and the pie i made wasnt to wet at all, and have also made the pumpkin bundt cake twice now.

Sweet potato pie tastes really similar and really yum. You can roast or boil the potatoes for the puree. Roasting is better. Then scoop out the flesh.