All month, I’ve been building to this week’s pumpkin pie recipe. You can use store-bought puree, spices and crust for this pie, or you can make some or all of these components from scratch with the recipes I shared in recent weeks.
The pumpkin spice mix created for Spiced and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds is the same blend I use in this pie; you can find a variation for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix made from whole spices, rather than preground ones, at TwiceAsTasty.com. You can fold this into well-drained Roasted Winter Squash Puree from whole sugar pumpkin or even other winter squash. Finally, you can pour the filling into Cinnamon-and-Sugar Pie Crust. It’s scaled for a standard 9-inch pie, leaving plenty of leftover crust to bake separately as a snack.
With molasses, honey and spices, this filling appears darker than many squash pies but piles on flavor. For more pumpkin taste and less spiciness in your pie, use just 2 teaspoons of the spice mix. Pulling the pie when the center still jiggles helps avoid overcooking and cracking; the filling will keep cooking as it cools.
When I make this pie, I turn the rest of the container of cream into freshly whipped garnish. If you bought a half-pint of heavy cream, whip the remainder with a tablespoon each of honey (for sweetness) and powdered milk (for shape). I also add a splash of rum.
Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Pie
Serves 8-10
1-3/4 cups roasted pumpkin puree
3 eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons molasses
6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-3 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix
1/2 teaspoon flaky kosher salt
1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree and eggs, mixing with a whisk until smooth; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter; remove it from the heat and then stir in the honey and molasses until the sweeteners soften. Whisk this mixture into the pumpkin until well blended. Measure the heavy cream into a small liquid measuring cup. Stir in the rum, if using, along with the vanilla, spice mix and salt. Use a spatula to fold this mixture into the pumpkin.
Pour the filling into a pie crust fitted into a standard 9-inch pie plate. If uneven, gently smooth the surface with a spatula; softly tap the pie plate on the counter several times to settle the filling and remove air bubbles. Wrap a foil strip around the pie plate’s rim so that it covers the crust’s edge.
Bake the pie at 425°F for 15 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes before removing the foil and rotating the pie plate. Continue baking at 350°F an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is slightly puffy and the center barely jiggles. Let cool for at least 1 hour before serving or storing in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.