Pumpkin Pie

I make a wicked pumpkin pie, and the basic recipe works well with sweet potato or any similar filling.

Pumpkin pie is basically a vegetable and spice flavoured custard in a pie crust. You bake it in a moderate oven (375 F, 205 C) until it sets. Then you eat it (at least if you can get there before your family’s pie monster finishes it).

I’m going to give my recipe in the order that is easiest to do, which means start with the crust, make the custard, roll out the crust, put the custard in the pie and bake it.

1. Pie crust step 1
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 stick margarine (1/4 pound or so)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (for a sweet pie, omit for meat pies)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Work the margarine into the flour, sugar and salt. I use a mixer, but forks and pastry knives are almost as easy. It should be coarse – sort of like corn meal- possibly with a few small chunks of the margarine left.

Put it in a bowl in the freezer to chill and rest.

2. The filling

This is basically the same as most cans of pumpkin have on the back, but with a minor twist.

• 1 can pumpkin (1 lb per pie, don’t bother with the “pie filling”) The equivalent is about 1 1/2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin or sweet potato.
• 3 eggs
• 1 can condensed milk (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon corn starch – this helps the custard to set. You won’t find this on the standard recipe.
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix the eggs, sugar, salt, corn starch and spices. It should be a creamy yellowish mixture. Add the condensed milk and mix thoroughly. Finally add the pumpkin and mix. Set aside.

Author: rharrisonauthor

International man of mystery. Well not really, although I can mangle several languages and even read the occasional hieroglyphic. A computer scientist, an author and one of the very few people who has both an NIH grant and had a book contract. An ex- booktrope author and a photographer. View all posts by rharrisonauthor