awesome pumpkin pie

One of my favorite recipe sites is Smitten Kitchen. This recipe is one I found at her site and changed a bit.

1 pie crust

I would love to tell you I make my own crust every time. This Thanksgiving (or Pie-a-palooza, as we call it at our house), I used the Pillsbury crusts, but if you are using your own, roll out dough on generously floured work surface to make a circle about 1/8-inch thick and big enough to leave at least 1-inch overhang all around pie plate. Press the dough into the bottom of the plate and then fold the overhang under to create the crust around the top. Work around the plate, crimping the crust with your fingers to give it the fluted look; refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or pennies and bake it on a rimmed baking sheet for fifteen minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake it another five minutes or so, until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove the plate and baking sheet from oven.

Preheat the oven to 4oo degrees.

While the pie shell is baking, whisk together

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk (I used 2 cups of half and half instead of one cup each of cream and milk)
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can (it enhances the pumpkin taste)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon table salt

cook over medium heat until it begins to sputter, stirring consistently and mashing the yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, which will take ten or twelve minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cream mixture slowly, until it is fully incorporated. I then take my Braun hand mixer and pureed the mixture until it was silky smooth. You could also use a food processor. When it is thoroughly mixed, transfer the it to warm pre-baked pie shell. Bake the pie (on a baking sheet) for ten minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and ontinue baking until the edges are set, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Peace,
Milton