Fresh Pumpkin Pie

Justin has been away from his home (and wifey and son) all week. He'll be flying home late tonight and then leaving again on Sunday afternoon to fly back to Minneapolis, MN to work another full week away from home. I want his weekend home to be relaxing and rejuvenating so I asked him one night last week, "What is something special I can have waiting for you when you get home?" He said, "I think I'd like you to make me a pumpkin pie."

I said, "Done."

I've made plenty of pumpkin pies in my 6 years of marriage cause hubby loves 'em. I always buy canned pumpkin but today Food Lion was completely sold out. However, they did have a display set up of Pie Pumpkins. I picked one up and thought, "How hard can it be?" Turns out, not hard at all. I'll show you.

Ingredients: 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 2 large eggs, 1 can evaporated milk, 2 cups Pie Pumpkin, 1 unbaked deep dish pie shell.
The fresh pumpkin just has a few more steps than the canned pumpkin. Start by cutting the pumpkin in half.
Then scoop out all the seeds and stringy membranes.
(I picked out and saved the seeds so I can bake them later for another yummy treat.)
Place the pumpkin halves in a shallow baking dish. Fill the dish about 1/4 with water to keep the pumpkin moist. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.
You want the pumpkin to be fork tender, like this.
Scoop out the pumpkin, leaving the skin. It's really soft so you can mash it up with a spoon or spatula. I didn't get a picture of this step because Garrett wanted to "help" so I had to hold him. I let the pumpkin cool for a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients. I didn't want the eggs to scramble from adding them to hot pumpkin. Once it's cooled to room temperature, go ahead and add everything except the evaporated milk. I like to use a whisk instead of a mixer. The pumpkin is pureed and it just seems ridiculous to drag out the mixer for this. Add the evaporated milk gradually into the pumpkin mixture. I whisk with one hand and pour with the other.
Now you need to prep the pie shell. If you buy a frozen pie shell, there isn't much preparation. Just pull it out of the freezer so it can thaw. I have a pie dish so I buy the roll out pie crust. (Corey, it was Grandma Harrison's) With that crust, just roll it out and use your fingers to crimp the edges so it's all pretty.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie shell. I usually have a small amount left over. In the past, I tried using every last drop but it would always overflow and make a mess. Sometimes it's a little foamy/bubbly on top. I use my spatula to pop the big bubbles, give it a little shake, and let it sit for a minute so it can settle. Go ahead and stick that bad boy in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes.

You'll know it's done when you give it a little shake, there isn't a whole lot of jiggle in the middle. You could also insert a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean, it's done. I use the shake method because sometimes that itty bitty hole from the toothpick will form into a huge crack right down the middle of the pie once it cools.

Justin's got about a day and a half to eat this pie. I have no doubt the majority of it will be gone by tomorrow evening. I hope it tastes as good as it smells. I'll let you know tomorrow!