Family Pumpkin Pie Recipe |Happy Thanksgiving|

Thanksgiving, the time of year where you get together with family share the memories of the year past and the hopes for the year to come. Give thanks to the people you love for being able to celebrate with you and share in a bounty of homemade goodies from stuffing to pies and all the yummy snacks in between. And what says Thanksgiving more than a delicious robust, spiced pumpkin pie made from a locally grown pumpkin? I sure don’t know what does! And that is why I am sharing one of my little Thanksgiving traditions with you. The art of making a pumpkin pie right from a vine grown pumpkin. After one bite you will not be going back to that store pie! This pie will leave your mouth-watering and your family asking for the recipe, for sure! So what are we waiting for, let’s get baking!

So first thing first, is the pie crust, you can use a store-bought one or you can make your own. If you choose to make your own you can use this recipe I have here. It is a basic family recipe and a choose to use butter and shortening because it gives the crust a nice flaky texture. As well you can substitute half the all-purpose for whole wheat if you like the bite on the whole flour, this is how I made mine this year and it turned out amazing. As well you will notice that the recipe has white vinegar in the ingredients, this is a do not miss it will keep the crust flaky, moist, and give it an amazing taste.

 

| Bateson Family Pie Crust |

Makes: 2, 9-inch pies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes.

1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening, chilled

6-8 tablespoons ice water

2 teaspoon white vinegar

| Making The Perfect Crust |

First thing first is combining all the dry ingredients, preheating the oven, and for this recipe chilling your butter and pumpkin too. So turn the heat up on your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and allow it to – before you starting baking. You want to make sure that your butter and shortening are COLD and yes I mean very, very cold, this will give the dough a yummy flaky crumble you look for in a pie crust. After you have all flour, salt, and sugar in your mixing bowl add the 1/4 inch cubes of butter and shortening to the flour mix. Then combine the 2 teaspoons and 8 tablespoons of water in a small dish. Now turn your mixer up to medium speed and starting mixing. Slowly add your vinegar-water mixture to your flour mixture one tablespoon at a time until the dough looks like sand and pebbles, you may not use all of your water.      

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and combine with your hands until it is smooth and you can form a ball without too many cracks. Separate the dough into two balls this will make it easier when you are rolling out the crust. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge to chill while you prepare the pumpkin pie filling.    

| Bateson Family Pumpkin Pie |

2 large eggs

1/4 cup  granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

1 cup (175 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cardamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

| Step One: Pure The Pumpkin |

Because I used a locally grown pumpkin I will tell you how to bake and pure the pumpkin to get the perfect pie. It is very easy, anyone can do it. So – your oven to 425 degrees and let it heat up. While the oven is heating up cut your pumpkin in half remove the seed and insides then slice up each half into about 1-2 inch half circle slices, just like how you slice an orange. Then arrange them on a baking sheet and cover with tin foil and place it in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until it is soft to the touch. Once it is done, you can remove it from the oven and let cool. Then place it in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Now you have fresh pumpkin puree.     

| Step Two: The Crust |

Take out the chilled dough and begin to roll, make sure you roll it thin enough about 1/2 cm thick so that it fits into pie plate. Now with the oven pre-heated to 350 degrees and your pie crust pressed into the pan you are going to soft bake the dough. This will keep the middle of the pie from getting soggy when you place the filling in it and begin baking. Place tin foil on top of the dough and fill it up with some dry beans or rice works too then place it into the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool while you prepare the filling.

| Step Two: Pumpkin Pie Filling |

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees then start making the filling. Combine all of the wet ingredients in your mixing bowl then mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix again until it is all well incorporated, it will only take a moment so be sure not to over mix. And that was it, wasn’t that easy? I would say so! Now you are ready to pour this delicious mixture into the pie plate and bake at 425 for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 400 and bake for another 35-40 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and the middle of the pumpkin pie will be a bit wobbly when you take it out. The heat from the pumpkin pie will cook the rest of the way through but be aware that making a pumpkin pie with fresh puree will make a softer pie that the canned pumpkin or a store-bought pie. It will taste amazing though and you will be running back for more.   

Now that you are done and your house smells of wonderful pumpkin pie and robust spice it is time to serve. You can serve it warm or cold and with ice cream or whip cream. You will have the family running back for more!