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The standard by which all furure Pumpkin Pies will be judged!  Can we say fabulous, boys and girls?!?  Can we say the first pumpkin pie I have ever eaten warm that I truly loved and wanted to go back for more?!?  Oh.  Yum.

I had bought a couple of sugar pumpkins with the thought of making Pumpkin Soup and serving it in whole baked pumpkins.

Victor had other ideas.

I’m glad!

He used the store-bought crust, and while it tasted good, I’m pissed.  They made ’em smaller this year and they no longer fit a standard Pyrex pie plate.  Bummer.  It looks as if I won’t be buying many of them – back to making my own.

But I digress…

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To make this with fresh pumpkin puree, start with a sugar or “pie” pumpkin.  Jack O’Lantern pumpkins are not grown for eating – they’re grown for carving – and will not make a decent pie.

Heat oven to about 400°.  Slice pumpkin in half and remove seeds and strings.  Place in pan with a bit of water and bake until tender – about an hour.

Scoop out pumpkin and puree in a food processor until very smooth.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 1 can pumpkin puree)
  • 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 unbaked 10″ pie shell

Preheat oven to 425°. Beat eggs, sugar, maple syrup, and spices in large bowl. Add pumpkin and mix well. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425° F. for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

I topped it with some Double Devon Cream that was sitting in the ‘fridge just waiting for a chance to shine!

I’ve made this same recipe with canned pumpkin for years – and this was the very best pie, yet!

I can’t wait until tomorrow when it’s cold!