omnomnom | Practically Perfect Pumpkin Pie (Reply)

I love pie. No really, me and pie? We’re like this (makes crossed finger gesture indicating I am either lying or that Pie and I have a serious thing going on). When folks ask me what kind of cake I want for my birthday I answer “Pie”.

I’m very proud of my Pumpkin Pie…

Firstly you need to make your own crust. Seriously just do it, it’s not that hard. You’ll thank me later.

Flaky Butter Pie Crust

PREP TIME 15 Min Ready in 4 hours

If your gonna eat pie, go all the way, make your crust with butter.

Make more than one at a time and freeze it.

As is this recipe makes one 9 inch crust

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

1/4 cup ice water (If I’m making a sweet autumn pie I use leftover APPLE CIDER!!!)

Directions:

1. Cut your butter into ¼ inch cubes an keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them

2. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.

3. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Ideally use a pastry cutter, but two knives work almost as well and provide more of a work out.

4. Stir in liquid (water, cider whatever you’re using), a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

5. Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. (I almost always have to roll my dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap) Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

6. Put your finished crust back in the fridge while you go work on the pie filling!

Pumpkin Pie filling

Fills one 9 inch pie

Prep: 15 min Cooking: 55 min Cooling time: 2 hrs cooling Yields: 8 servings

Canned pumpkins vs. Fresh pumpkins. They taste the same. Exactly the same. Use canned unless you for some reason hove 500 pumpkins you need to get rid of and are a masochist.

Do not use premade pumpkin pie filling. No! Bad. Put it down.

Go ahead and use your favorite Pumpkin Pie filling recipe. I’ll post mine in a tic. It’s slightly altered from the back of the libby’s can (because its cheap and I make like 10 of these every year) though, no one believes me. But there’s two tricks I picked up that make it amazing.

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I use brown sugar; you can do what you want!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I’m leaving in the spice measurements for those who want them, I just add them till it feels right)

(can we get some nutmeg up in here?)

(Also Honey, I have a serious thing for honey, again I use the buckwheat for fall baking)

(and I like a touch of Vanilla)

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin

1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk

Directions

Now here’s where it gets crazy

Evaporated Milk, eggs, and vanilla together in medium bowl. Combine pumpkin, sugar, spices, (honey?) and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes. This can get MESSY.

Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer. Rewhisk mixture and transfer to pie shell.

Now sometimes a recipe wants you to prebake the pie shell sometimes it doesn’t. I never do, I’m lazy and I don’t have pie weights (or a decent substitute) My pies are always fine

Libby’s says to BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

I have a gas oven, baking times are funny. When in doubt, Keep an eye on your Pie.

The key really is cooking the filling and straining it. Your Pumpkin pie will be tops.