Pi is 3.14 right? The only way I can remember it is that March 14th is called Pi Day. I’ve always been ridiculously bad at math. And by ridiculously I mean that I still do plus and minus on my fingers. Forget about multiplication and division is equivalent to what hell must be like.
But actual PIE I am amazing at! Well…pretty good. I’ve only had experience with Apple Pie, but it turned out damn good! So it’s fall now and I decided to make Pumpkin Pie. It’s kind of healthy, right? Because that was my plan for tonight.
Pumpkin Pie
2 cups pumpkin (canned or puree)
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups half & half
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
9 in. pie crust (store-bought or handmade)
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Place pie crust into 9 in. pie plate. Trim edges to extend 1/2 in. over pan, then fold edges over and press to seal. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
Freeze for 15 minutes.
Bake pie shell for 15 minutes at 350F. I set an empty pie tin on top of the pie crust to keep it from coming up. Then I took it off and let it bake for another 15 minutes.
Pie pre-baking.
Place pumpkin in a bowl.
In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Add half & half, vanilla extract, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat until well blended. Add in pumpkin and mix well.
My slightly runny pumpkin mix. Still delicious!
Pour pumpkin mixture into pie crust (it will be pretty runny) and place on center oven rack. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the filling is firm.
Cool on wire rack and serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Right after baking.
See? The inside is a little bit runny.
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Use an electric mixer and whip cream until stiff. Add sugar and vanilla extract; beat until cream holds peaks. Serve in a chilled bowl for individual serving.
Butter Pie Crust
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup cold water
Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Add butter, then slowly add water and mix until crumbly (I used a whisk on very high-speed).
Roll out onto a floured counter into a circle, about 12 to 14 inches around.
Press pastry into bottom sides of pan. Trim overhang as stated in Pumpkin Pie recipe.
Absolutely delicious pie crust!
Overall, this recipe was easy and fun, I especially liked making the pie crust the best. I didn’t use pumpkin from scratch because that’s just too messy with a 2×2 kitchen and two dogs running around, although that is what I would have typically done because I do all my recipes from scratch. Either way, the Libby brand of canned pumpkin is pretty famous and super delicious.
My only downfall in this recipe is that for some reason the filling came out runny, both before I baked it and afterwards. It still tastes delicious, but I’m not sure if I did something wrong, as this was my SECOND pumpkin pie of the night and they both turned out runny (the first one was just ridiculous so I threw it away…guess that’s baking trial and error for ya!). I couldn’t find anything online that said what my mistake may have been, but other people have had the problem as well. My Mom suggested me buying the Betty Crocker cookbook (probably should have done that a long time ago) and she said to start with that recipe. But that’s another pumpkin pie for another night…
I would make this pie for Halloween festivities and definitely make it for Thanksgiving dinner (while also watching the traditional Detroit Lions football game :)).
Keep posted, this week I plan on making some Halloween cupcakes with decorations that everyone can do!
Bake On, Baker 