Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Pumpkin Spices

Some pumpkin pie recipes call for "pumpkin spice mix" that you can find at the store. I don’t like to use these mixes. If you already have ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground clove in your spice rack, you have all you need to spice up your pumpkin pie recipe. You can, if you like, add freshly ground nutmeg to the mix. It will add a nice seasonal taste to your pie.

Pumpkin Puree

There are several different ways to prepare the pumpkin puree for your pie. You can steam or boil the pumpkin or you can roast it. I prefer to roast the pumpkin because steaming or boiling gives you a wetter pulp and then you have to drain the water from the pulp. I also feel that steaming and boiling dilutes the flavor of the pumpkin, but this has never been proven.

To roast a pumpkin for puree, you will need to buy a "sugar" or "pie" pumpkin. These are usually smaller pumpkins than the kind you will get for carving. For this recipe, we will need a 4 pound pumpkin.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash your pumpkin to get all the dirt off of it.
3. Slice the pumpkin in half.
4. Scrape out the seeds and the stringy stuff. If you want to roast the seeds later, save them now.
5. Coat the insides of the pumpkin with vegetable oil.
6. Place the pumpkin sliced-side down in a roasting pan.
7. Add enough water to come up about a half inch on the pumpkin.
8. Bake the pumpkin for 1 1/2 hours until it's tender. You can test it by poking it with a knife.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack. When cool, scoop out the pumpkin flesh.
10. You can mash the pumpkin flesh by hand or drop it into a food processor.
11. Place the puree into a strainer lined with cheese cloth and let it drain for 1-1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
12. The puree should be thick with most of the water drained out.
13. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree.
14. You will need 13 ounces (which is a little less than two cups) of puree for this pie.
15. If you cannot find fresh pumpkin, use the canned puree. One 13-ounce can will do.

Piecrust

Any pie crust that you like to use will work fine. I like the recipe that I used here for the banana custard pie, but you can use pre-made if you like. Whatever piecrust you make, you will have to blind bake it.

Blind baking is used when you are cooking a custard or a fruit pie that has a very wet filing. It is done so the crust does not get soggy from the filling. Pumpkin pie is a wet pie filling so we will blind bake the crust. If you happen to have some plastic wrap and some uncooked dried beans handy you have all you need to blind bake your crust. Place the plastic wrap over the piecrust and then fill the crust with beans. Wrap the plastic over the beans so that the beans are secured in the plastic. Bake the piecrust for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Using a pair of tongs, remove the beans from the piecrust and continue to bake the piecrust for another 10 minutes. The crust should be golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and let it completely cool before adding the pie mixture.

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

The Ingredients

• 13 ounces pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 ounces brown sugar
• 4 1/2 ounces white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• A pinch of ground clove
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 3 large egg yolks
• 5 1/2 ounces milk
• 4 ounces cream
• 1/2 ounce water
• 1 pre-baked pie crust

The Instructions

1. In your stand mixer, add the pumpkin puree, sugars, and spices.
2. Add the egg yolks, followed by the milk, cream, and water.
3. When the mixture is smooth, pour it into the pre-baked piecrust.
4. Bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for one hour, checking it at 45 minutes.
5. When finished, the pie will be soft. Remove it from the oven and let cool.
6. When the pie is fully set, top with dollops of Chantilly cream and enjoy.