mmm pie. pumpkin pie to be exact.

my friend jorge had a birthday recently.  i asked what he'd like me to bake him, and he said he'd always wanted a pumpkin pie. luckily, had had 2 cans of pumpkin puree in my arsenal from last year- the supermarkets aren't carrying it yet!

if you're lazy like me, get a frozen pie crust.

if you're not lazy, make your own crust, and then freeze it for at least an hour.

cover with foil

add pie weights (or ceramic bread warmers if that's all you have :)

put it in the oven for 10 min, remove foil, and put it back in the oven for 10 more minutes.
this will dry it out and the crust will start to color. photo taken in between oven sessions.

now we can start on the filling.  cream some cream cheese.
until it's creamy.
cream.

add pumpkin puree

mix well

now add some sugar

and some salt

mix well.

now get one whole egg plus two egg yolks

slightly beat with your cute mini whisk

add it to the filling mixture.

along with some half-and-half

and some melted butter

mix well!

now add some vanilla...

and spices.

mix well.

pour into prepared pie crust. bake for 50 min

it'll souflee up a bit in the oven

but it'll come down once it starts cooling.


cool to room temperature, then chill for about an hour. place a dollop of whipped cream on top and dive in!

pumpkin pie.

ingredients

1 9-in. pie crust, frozen

1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg plus 2 yolks, slightly beaten

1 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated if you can!)
1/4 tsp ground allspice

method
preheat oven to 350
cover pie crust in foil and pie weights, place in oven for 10 min.
remove foil and continue baking 10 more minutes.
in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese.
add pumpkin puree, beat until combined.
add sugar and salt, beat until combined.
add eggs & half-and-half, beat until combined.
add vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger. beat until combined.
pour into warm pie crust*, and bake for 50 minutes.
cool to room temperature and/or chill before serving.

i used a regular (not deep dish) 9-in pie crust, and i actually had enough filling for TWO pies.

victory is mine!

go forth!