In honor of Thanksgiving, I want to share a wonderful pumpkin pie recipe to enjoy after your Thanksgiving feast.

 

Before you begin baking your pie, there are some very important things you need to observe:

 

 The type of pumpkin used is very important!  Do not use the pumpkin you used for your jack-O-lantern as this field variety does not have much flavor and is very stringy.  A Sugar Pumpkin (or pie pumpkin) is the best type for baking and has wonderful flavor when roasted.  A sugar pumpkin is a small pumpkin, typically no more than 4 lbs, likely found at Whole Foods or more specialty/organic grocerers.

Shop organic!  There are truly no better flavors than those that are grown organically and local: fresh eggs, milk, spices and … of course the pumpkin!

Always sieve the pumpkin pulp after it’s been pureed.  Sieving removes the strings and chunks, making the pie smooth and creamy.  I recommend purchasing a coarse sieve and pestle from a retailer that sells kitchen and cookware (i.e. William & Sonoma)

Always use eggs that are room temperature so that the batter is emulsified.  Leaving your eggs out on the counter for 30 minutes is long enough to get them to room temperature.

Now that we have that out of the way, you are ready to bake a truly perfect Pumpkin Pie

 

 

1 pastry crust

2 large brown eggs at room temperature

3/4 cup whole milk

1 1/4 cups fresh pumpkin puree (instructions below)

2 Tablespoons melted butter, unsalted

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon dark molasses

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy cream, cold

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 

2. Heat the milk in saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to bubble around the edges (scalds). Remove from heat.

 

3. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl until frothy. Add the scalded milk, stirring constantly.

 

4. Stir in pumpkin (instructions below), butter, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Whisk until thoroughly blended.

 

5. Pour filling into prepared crust, bake until center is firm, about 45 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

 

6. When ready to serve, beat chilled cream with mixer until soft peaks form. Serve as a topping on a slice of cut pie.

 

1. Split a medium sugar pumpkin crosswise; remove and discard the seeds and fibers.

 

2. Place the pumpkin, cut side down, on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 325F until tender, about 1 hour.

 

3. Scrape away the pulp from the skin, saving the pulp and discarding the skin.

 

4. Place the pulp in a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, process in batches, until smooth.

 

5. Push puree through a coarse sieve. Measure 1 1/4 cups puree for recipe.  Any left-over puree can be stored tightly covered up to 6 months in the freezer.