This recipe is for 2 cups of pumpkin puree, so you'll have to change it based on the size of the pumpkin you prepared. It takes about 2 cups of pumpkin puree to fill one 8 inch pie. I made two pies with my medium sized pumpkin.
What you need:
2 cups of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or one 12 oz can of evaporated milk (I used both)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg at room temperature
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 pie crust
What you need to do:1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix the sugars, salt, spices, and zest in a large bowl. (Note: I used premixed pumpkin pie spice. It was a little old, so my pie wasn't that spicy. Just keep in mind that your baked pie will probably be less spicy than your unbaked pie, so it's ok to overdo it a little and only add what makes you happy.)
3. Beat the eggs and add to the dry ingredients.
4. Stir in the pumpkin puree, cream, and/or evaporated milk.
5. Pour mixture into the pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. You can put little pie crust decorations on the top at this point if you like.
6. Turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes. The pie is done when a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. You'll have to check fairly often in the last 10 or 15 minutes. I like mine a tad bit underdone, so I took it out at about 40 minutes.
7. Cool on a rack for one to two hours before slicing. Add whipped cream and enjoy!
And here's a neat whipped cream recipe:
Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in one or two tablespoons of bourbon (such as Maker's Mark). This make the pumpkin pie fun! (Note: If you freeze cream, it separates into the milk liquids and solids and doesn't make good whipped cream. Yes, I did this and we ended up with Bourbon Butter.)
I did plagiarize and paraphrase quite a bit. Here are my references (NOT in MLA format):
Pumpkin Pie Puree: http://expatriateskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/pumpkin-shortage-make-your-own-pumpkin.html
Pie Crust: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-pie-crust-recipe/index.html and http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/piecrust
Pumpkin Pie and Whipped Cream: http://www.bunkycooks.com/2010/11/pumpkin-pie-with-bourbon-whipped-cream/
My reaction to the pumpkin pie? It was really good, but not spicy enough (that was my fault and not the recipe's fault). I think the crust was perfect. I'm eager to try Bourbon whipped cream instead of Bourbon Butter. This took 2 days. Is it worth it? Not really. Although making your own puree is kind of fun and is excellent for millions of other uses, if you just want a quick pie, there are many quality canned purees out there. Do make your own crust and whipped cream though...nothing compares. Happy Holidays!!
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