This past weekend was Thanksgiving here in Canada, a traditional part of which involves the usual turkey dinner with all the trimmings…including my all-time, ultimate favourite: Pumpkin Pie (capitalized for a reason, trust me ;)).
One of my moved-out daughters came over to help with pie baking this year, and this was the result:
Two pumpkin and one apple, all as delicious as they look in the photo. I’m finishing the last piece of pumpkin as I write this. 🙂
I posted the picture to my Twitter feed, and a couple of my followers have requested the recipe…can you believe some people have actually never had pumpkin pie?? I know…scandalous, right? Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share the recipe here, in case others were interested, too. This is the recipe my mother used, so I’ll list it as she wrote it down many years ago for me and include my own notes as I go. If you have questions or you’re unclear on something, just ask. 🙂
Pumpkin Pie
1 3/4 c. pumpkin (Mom always used canned, but I prefer fresh. Cut a small pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds & stringy stuff, and bake, cut sides down, on a cookie sheet at 350F until very tender…about 45 minutes to an hour. Measure out 1 3/4 packed cups…you can freeze the rest for muffins another day.)
1 3/4 c. canned milk (with a dairy allergy in the house, I now use coconut milk instead…delicious!)
3 eggs (small to medium size…if you use large eggs, cut your milk back to 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
Beat all together until smooth. Pour into an unbaked, 9-inch pie shell. Bake at 400F for 45-55 minutes. The filling should appear set around the edges and only very slightly jiggly in the center. To test, insert a knife in the center…it should come out clean. Cool on a rack (the filling will fall slightly as it cools…this is normal). Best served (in my opinion) at room temperature with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
We made this with a gluten-free crust this year, using the recipe at Gluten Free on a Shoestring — it turned out fabulously well, with the pickiest pie-eater among us not even noticing the switch. To accommodate that same dairy allergy again, I also made one with a paleo crust, using a great coconut-flour based recipe I found at Nutty Kitchen. If you use either of these alternative crusts, reduce your oven temperature to 350F to prevent over-browning. And last, but not least, for an all-natural dairy-free whipped topping, chill a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight in the fridge. Open and scoop off the thick white coconut cream at the top (keep the liquid to use in a smoothie!). Whip until light and fluffy, adding a touch of vanilla and sweeten (with agave or honey) to taste.
That’s it! If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out — and bon appetit! 🙂
Leave a Reply