Pumpkin Pie

The next pumpkin recipe for the month is a Thanksgiving classic; pumpkin pie! No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without it. For that reason I know it is very easy to go to the store and pick up a pumpkin pie around this time of the year. I myself never really made pumpkin pie as much as I made every other pumpkin flavored food. But if this year you would like to try to make one yourself or try a new recipe, here is one for you.

This pumpkin pie is rich but not overly sweet. It has a great pumpkin spice flavor and a buttery crust. But if that’s not good enough for you, you can be extra fancy and strain the pumpkin puree overnight or cook it in a pan for a couple of minutes to get rid of some of the water in it resulting in a smoother textured pie. Or you can be impatient like me and just get right to it. You can even add some sugar if you want it sweeter. Your pumpkin pie, your rules. The recipe for the pie crust is included but if you want to save a little more time, you are also free to use a store-bought frozen or refrigerated pie crust.

Pumpkin Pie

This recipe yields one 8 or 9 inch round pie.

Pie Crust

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice cold water

Pumpkin Filling

• 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Method

For the crust, mix together flour and salt then using a food processor, pastry cutter or fork, pulse or cut the butter and flour together until it looks like a coarse meal. You can also grate the butter into the flour if you don’t have a food processor or pastry cutter. Add two to four tablespoons of water starting with two and mixing or pulsing until the dough starts to form a ball. Try not to overwork the dough. Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes to two hours. You can also speed up this process by freezing the dough for about 15 minutes instead.

Preheat your oven to 400ºF and set a pie dish aside. When the dough it ready, roll it out on a flat surface using a little bit of flour to stop it from sticking. Carefully fold the pie crust over twice as shown in the picture above, then transfer it to the pie dish. Unfold it, fit it into the pan and make any design you like around the edges. To help stop the crust from puffing up, you can poke holes into it with a fork. You can also help keep the crust in place by lining it with parchment paper then putting pie weights, beans or rice in it. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes then take it out of the oven and let it cool. If using weights, take the weights out about half way into baking the crust.

Turn the oven down to 350ºF. For the filling, mix pumpkin puree, all the spices and salt in a large bowl. Beat in eggs then sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated. Pour the pumpkin mixture into your cooled pie crust. Place it in the oven and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the pie isn’t wobbly in the middle anymore. Let it cool completely then you can serve it with whipped cream or as is.