Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Dress up this Holiday staple with a pretty edge. Use small pastry or cookie cutters to make autumn leaves. Arrange and attach using dampened fingers.

If pumpkin is not available, this pie can be made using the same measure of fully cooked, mashed sweet potato.

• 1 9-10” pie crust, rolled out and pricked
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 2 cups of pumpkin (canned or frozen*)
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground, or grated, cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 2/3 cups evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.

Place the pastry lined pie plate on a cookie sheet and pour pumpkin mixture into the pastry lined pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes at the 425 degree temperature. This will bake the crust. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees after 15 minutes and bake another 45 minutes at the lower temperature. Pie is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

* Sugar pumpkins have lighter skins and fewer seeds than pumpkins used for jack-o-lanterns. To prepare fresh sugar pumpkin, cut open and scoop out seeds. Add a touch of butter or coconut oil to an open hunk of gourd and bake in 350 degree oven until the flesh is fingertip soft.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Scoop flesh into food processor and puree. Store 2 cups in freezer bags marked with the preparation date. Freeze until ready to use.