Happy Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian viewers! To you others: happy harvest-time!

A week or two ago I was given a fresh pumpkin for making pie. When I got home on Friday at lunch time, there was a turkey roasting in our oven (my husband was decidedly ambitious) so I simply had to make pumpkin pie!

I found a recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that had everyone coming back for seconds. Maybe it was how I prepared the fresh pumpkin, or maybe it was the extra sugar I added to the whipping cream I slathered on the top of the pie, or maybe it was that the pie was still slightly warm out of the oven, but it was really good. Children were having seconds! I was surprised.

To prepare the pumpkin for filling, I made up my own method:

1. cut the top off the pumpkin
2. scoop out the seeds and the strings
3. using a very sharp large knife, slice off the rind all around the pumpkin and from around the stem
4. cut out the stem and the bottom "core"
5.  slice the peeled pumpkin into wedges
6. chop into inch cubes
7. boil in an inch or two of water until pieces are easily pierced with a fork (think potatoes ready for mashing)
8. drain off excess water
9. mash or puree with a blender. (My small pumpkin yielded 6 cups of pumpkin pulp.)

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

1 pastry crust for a single crust pie

1 15-ounce can pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pulp as outlined above

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 cup milk

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F (when pumpkin is ready). Prepare and roll out Pastry for a single pie crust. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry circle and trim. Crimp edges as desired.

2. For filling, in a bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add eggs; beat lightly with a fork until combined. Gradually add milk. Stir just until combined.

3. Place the pastry-lined pie plate on the oven rack. Carefully pour the filling into pastry shell. To prevent over-browning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake about 25 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill within 2 hours.

To this, I added:

1 cup whipping cream

4. When pie has cooled as much as time allows, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Continue whipping while slowly adding 2 Tbsp sugar. Cover the pie in whipped cream or, for a fancier touch, pipe in a piping bag.

Cut, serve and enjoy!