Grammy’s Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Day!

Pumpkin Pie is a dessert that just evokes Thanksgiving. This recipe, handed down to me from my Mom, uses pure pumpkin (not a pie filler) and a combination of spices that results in an amazing flavour.

Now, that you have an amazing flavour, you still need a pie that has pizazz. It has to look appealing as well. Grammy’s Pumpkin Pie has both.

You are probably wondering about the pattern that you see on the top of this pie.  It is created using a sour cream and milk mixture which is set on the uncooked pie in a pattern and baked in.

I have also included my easy to make Crisco Pastry recipe.

Pumpkin Pie

Serves 12
Inspiration Grammy's Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups pure pumpkin
  • 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
  • 2 Cups white sugar
  • 2 Tsp ground ginger
  • 2 Tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 Tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 Tsp mace
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • 6 Large eggs
  • 1 cup milk

Topping

  • 3 Tbsp sour cream
  • 2 1/4 Tsp milk

Directions

It is easy to find pumpkin pie filler, but you need to look for pure pumpkin (with no added spices or fillers).
Mix the pumpkin, flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and salt together. Beat eggs, add to milk and stir into mixture. Mix well.
Pumpkin Pie - the filling
Prepare your favourite pastry recipe or use my Crisco Pastry Recipe. Line a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with pastry and flute the edges. You will have enough to line a small 6 inch pie plate as well. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie plates. They should be almost full to the top.
Pumpkin Pie - fill the pastry
Topping
Mix the sour cream and milk together.
Pour into a funnel with a narrow tube, blocking opening with finger. Remove finger and quickly drizzle mixture in a spiral pattern over filling. If you do not have a funnel, fill a small zip lock bag and cut off one of the corners.
Pumpkin Pie - create the spiral
Beginning at the centre, put tip of knife shallowly through the filling and sour cream mixture.
Pumpkin Pie - pull through with knife
Repeat this to create 8 evenly spaced intervals.
Pumpkin Pie - 8 evenly spaced intervals
Beginning at outside, pull the knife through the middle of intervals toward centre to create a web pattern.
Pumpkin Pie - pull through in the other direction to create a web pattern
You may also just put drops of sour cream mixture on the top and then when you draw the knife through each one, you get a tear drop pattern.
Bake at 400 °F for 10 minutes to cook the pastry. Reduce the heat to 350 °F . Bake until the centre part has puffed up, about 40 - 50 minutes (depends on the pie plate and the amount of filling
Pumpkin Pie
Serve plain or with whipped cream
Pumpkin Pie

Crisco Pastry

Serves enough for a double-crust pie

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 Tsp salt
  • 1 cup Crisco shortening
  • 4 Tbsp water

Directions

Measure the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening and cut it in using a pastry cutter or two knive cutting together until the flour/shortening mixture resembles pea sized pieces
Mix in the water and stir with a fork, just until all the ingredients are clinging together. Do not over mix or the pastry will be tough.
Flour the top of your counter and around the sides of your rolling pin. Draw together about 1/2 of the pastry mixture and liberally sprinkle with flour. Pat into a circle about an inch thick and then roll it out to about 1/4 of an inch thick.
At this stage, you can either cut the dough into circles to fit into tart tins or use this half of the recipe to fill the bottom of a 8 - 10 inch pie plate. If you are making tarts, you can probably re-roll the scraps one or two more times and then the remaining pastry will be too tough to work with. Repeat with the second half of the pastry.
Pastry needs to be baked at a high temperature (400 deg F) for at least 10 minutes for pies that are then reduced to about 350 deg F until the filling is cooked or for tarts you may continue to cook at 400 deg F for about another 5 minutes to cook the centre and finish the cooking of the pastry.

Comments are closed.