Classic Fall Recipe Pumpkin Pie

Introduction

This recipe yields one 9″ pie. If you want to make two pies, double the recipe and bake both pies at once.

Section:

To make your own pumpkin pie, start by gathering all of the ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and one can or 2 cups of pumpkin puree. Add these to a mixing bowl and mix well. Pour this mixture into a 9-inch pie shell lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper, then bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees F., then bake for another 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

INGREDIENTS

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and evaporated milk.
Add eggs and beat until well combined.
Stir in sugar, salt and spice blend until fully incorporated into the mixture (make sure you don’t overmix).
Pour filling into pie crust; set aside for 30 minutes to allow it to set up before baking (this is important because if your filling isn’t firm enough when you bake it, you’ll end up with a runny pie).

2 cups canned or fresh pumpkin

Canned pumpkin is a good substitute for fresh, but it’s not quite as tasty. If you can get your hands on some fresh pumpkin, go for it! Fresh pumpkins are more difficult to find in the store so if you can grow your own, this is an easy way to get the ingredients needed for making delicious pies and other treats. Just remember that the fleshy part of the gourd needs to be removed before cooking with it; otherwise you’ll end up with an odd texture in whatever dish you make with pumpkin!

How much should I use?

It really depends on how much pie dough or batter you have prepared to use up all that yummy goodness inside of that orange shell. If using canned pumpkin (not recommended), just place about 1 cup into each pre-baked pie shell before adding custard/custard filling mixture over top–this will provide enough moisture without being too much liquid content per slice when cut later down through layers during serving time!

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

Step 1: Combine all ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the evaporated milk, heavy cream and whole milk. Then add in the half-and-half.

2 eggs

Mix the sugar, eggs and milk together in a bowl. Add the pumpkin puree, spices (if using), salt, vanilla extract and melted butter to the egg mixture. Mix well until smooth. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until set in center.

3/4 cup sugar

You’ll need to add 3/4 cup of sugar to the pumpkin filling. You might be wondering why there’s so much of it. Well, that’s because pies taste better when they have more sugar in them. Too much sugar is bad for you, but if you don’t eat too many pies, it can’t hurt too much to eat one with a little bit more than usual this time around!

You probably already know that sugar is used in lots of recipes other than just pie filling. If you’ve ever used honey as a sweetener instead of sugar, then you’ve made an excellent choice—honey is even better for your health than plain old white granulated table sugar!

1 teaspoon salt

Salt is a key ingredient in this recipe, and it’s used to enhance the flavor of the pie. You can use table salt or kosher salt- either one will work just fine.

If you’re using table salt, your pumpkin pie might have a bit more bite than if you were to use kosher salt because of its larger grain size. But don’t fret! The extra bite will help bring out all of the other flavors in this recipe: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etcetera—they’ll all stand out more too!

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or other spice blends you like (see below)

Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice. You can buy it at the store or make your own. Here’s how:

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground gingerroot (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice or nutmeg (or 1/4 teaspoon of each) *optional*

Mix together and store in an airtight container for up to six months. Add to pumpkin mixture at the beginning of the recipe.

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (omit if using pumpkin pie spice) OR ginger paste (see below) OR 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot (see below). If using fresh, use the palm of your hand to crush the fresh gingerroot. Add it to the mix and let sit for a few minutes before baking. The longer it sits, the stronger the ginger flavor will be!

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, ground ginger can be substituted. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger to the mix and let sit for a few minutes before baking. The longer it sits, the stronger the ginger flavor will be!

Ginger paste is also available at your local grocery store in the baking section (it looks like tubes of toothpaste). This can be used as a substitute for fresh gingerroot (which can be found at your local farmer’s market or health food store). You can substitute 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot for each tube of prepared paste if desired.

1 unbaked pie shell*

1 unbaked pie shell

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 eggs, beaten lightly

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk or hand mixer until frothy.
Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice or other spice blends, and ginger (if desired) and mix well.

Pour into pie crust and bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F; then reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 35 minutes longer or until center is set but still slightly jiggly when moved slightly from side to side in pan (a little movement will tell you it’s done). Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack before serving; refrigerate leftovers covered loosely with foil for up to three days.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve got the recipe, go make some pumpkin pie! You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to make your own pie, and the flavor will taste so much better than store-bought. The best part? You know exactly what’s going into your food from start to finish.