Pumpkin Pie

I absolutely love this weather! I am so glad a chill has settled in the evenings to usher in the week of Thanksgiving. Traditionally, this week, for me, is filled with baking and preparing treats and prepping food for the big day.
Also, two years ago this week our little baby was born the day after Thanksgiving, five weeks early. I love these heavy clouds, promising rain and cooler weather, which means I get to heat up the house with the oven!

I was thinking through the recipes I have posted here and one Thanksgiving Day treat is nowhere to be found, and that is pumpkin pie. I know a lot of people just use the recipe off the back of the can of pumpkin, but in case you long for something different, I wanted to include this recipe. I have had people comment that it is the best pumpkin pie they have had, and I believe it is one of the best. I can say this because it came from one of my favorite cookbooks, with a few minor alterations. The custard filling is perfect, and if you are up to making pie crust, try my recipe here. I always make the crust a day or two early, and then just mix up the filling on Tuesday or Wednesday. I never bake pies the day of, because I don't want the extra work. I am always of the mind to do what I can early, if possible.
I wouldn't use the flesh of carving pumpkins that I have cooked down, since they are not the same breed of pumpkin you would use to make a custard filling for a pie. If you can find the breed of cooking pumpkins, go right ahead, but I have yet to find anyone that even knows what I am talking about. Sugar pumpkins, custard pumpkins, and other small breeds are much better than the large, stringy pumpkins that are bred for carving and fall decor.

I will post a picture after I make mine this week.

Pumpkin Pie

1 disc pie crust (1/2 a recipe) homemade or store bought

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out pie crust and place in the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Prick the bottom and bake blind (with weights if necessary) for 17 minutes. Remove from oven and raise heat to 425. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven.

For the filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 egg, plus 1 Tablespoon water, beaten together

Stir together the sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin, cream, vanilla, and the sugar and spice mixture. Stir well.
Fill the shell with the prepare mixture and decorate the edge with leaves and/or pumpkins cut from the remaining pie crust. Bake a small sheet along side with anything you would like to put on the center, to add after the pie is fully cooked. (Otherwise it will sink...trust me).
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350 and bake until the pie is set in the center 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.