If you've never made a pumpkin pie from scratch, now's a great time to try. Making fresh pumpkin puree from a sugar pie pumpkin is extremely easy and will really make your pie stand out! This recipe is from Christa's mom, Emilie Alexander, and it's incredible! One pumpkin will yield about 3 cups of puree, enough for two pies - one for dessert and one for breakfast the next day.
Ingredients:
1 pie pumpkin, cooked and pureed following directions below
For 1 pie (double for 2 pies):
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 single crust (see sidebar for a great crust recipe)
3/4 cup maple syrup (or sugar or honey)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Method:
To make the pumpkin puree: Wash the pumpkin, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy inner flesh. Roast the two pumpkin halves in a baking dish lined with foil (cut side down) at 400 degrees for 50 minutes, or until flesh is tender when poked with a fork. When cool, scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor. You can do this step ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze puree for later use.
To make the pie: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put the pumpkin puree in a mixing bowl and stir in maple syrup, spices, and salt. Beat eggs slightly in a separate bowl and add the evaporated milk. Combine with pumpkin mixture until well blended. Stir in the melted butter. Pour into the pie crust and bake for 10 minutes, then turn heat down to 350 degrees and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool fully before serving. Pumpkin pie can be made well ahead of time and refrigerated until it's time for dinner.