From the time Eric & I first started having Thanksgiving dinner at our home, we’ve split up the work involved in putting the holiday together. Shopping & cleaning was my job, Eric was totally in charge of the turkey and I was definitely in charge of the rolls & pies. We worked on all the other dishes as a team. The kids helped out as they were able and eventually, Kelly took over sweet potato casserole duty. (For a funny story on that dish, see Thanksgiving Traditions!) Andrew and (now) Gilbert are more general in the help they provide. They’ll do anything that needs doing. And depending on how many family & friends we have coming, that is quite a chore!
Pumpkin pie is my all time favorite Thanksgiving dessert. It is something I have been making since the very first time we hosted the holiday at our home in 1986. Way back then, I (manually) searched through every cookbook I could get my hands on to find a recipe that did not call for milk in any form in the pie filling. I eventually found such a recipe, modified it to suit our tastes and it is still the recipe I pull out every Thanksgiving for our pumpkin pie. It’s a classic!
Classic Pumpkin Pie
Classic Pumpkin Pie
I make my own pie crust, but feel free to use a refrigerated crust if you prefer.
Pastry Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 – 4 tablespoons cold water
Filling:
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups (15 or 16 ounce can) pure pumpkin puree
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup white sugar (use 1/3 cup for a less sweet version, 1/2 cup for a more sweet version)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (use 1/3 cup for a less sweet version, 1/2 cup for a more sweet version)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
Directions:
Crust: Mix the flour and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cut the butter into chunks and add it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle the water over the crust, a tablespoon at a time, just until the dough starts to come together. Do not over mix the dough! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour, if time allows. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Fit the dough into a standard pie plate with the edges coming up over the top of the dish. Roll or crimp the edges. Refrigerate the crust in the plate until the filling is ready.
Filling: Beat the eggs together with the pumpkin, sugar, and spices until they are well combined.
Combine all the filling ingredients together well.
Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake the pie in a 350º preheated oven for 60 minutes or until the center of the pie is set.
Add the filling to the crust.
Cool the pie completely and serve it at room temperature with whipped cream. Refrigerate any leftovers.
The only Thanksgiving dessert for me!
Wishing you much to be thankful for this year! ~Linda
Classic Pumpkin Pie
I make my own pie crust, but feel free to use a refrigerated crust if you prefer.
Pastry Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 – 4 tablespoons cold water
Filling:
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups (15-16 ounce can) pure pumpkin puree
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup white sugar (use 1/3 cup for a less sweet version, 1/2 cup for a more sweet version)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (use 1/3 cup for a less sweet version, 1/2 cup for a more sweet version)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
Directions:
Crust: Mix the flour and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cut the butter into chunks and add it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle the water over the crust, a tablespoon at a time, just until the dough starts to come together. Do not over mix the dough! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour, if time allows. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Fit the dough into a standard pie plate with the edges coming up over the top of the dish. Roll or crimp the edges. Refrigerate the crust in the plate until the filling is ready.
Filling: Beat the eggs together with the pumpkin, sugars, and spices until they are well combined. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake the pie in a 350º preheated oven for 60 minutes or until the center of the pie is set. Cool the pie completely and serve it at room temperature with whipped cream. Refrigerate any leftovers.