Before we talk about pumpkin pie, some news:

Over the next few days A Hint of Honey will experience some down time as we work behind the scenes to get the newly designed site up and running! If during that time you’re in desperate need of a recipe, don’t hesitate to contact me. You can reach me via email (ahintofhoney at gmail) or Facebook or Twitter and I’ll do my best to get that recipe to you! I hope you’re as excited as I am! It will be worth the wait…

Now pie. I’ve always wanted to make a pumpkin pie with pumpkin that didn’t come from a can. Because then it would truly be a from-scratch homemade pumpkin pie. And yes it’s more work, but it had to be done. At least once.

And now that I’ve done it, I’m already considering doing it again. Because it wasn’t so hard and it was really wonderful. Although if you’re not as determined as me, this recipe would still be delicious with canned pumpkin. And even if you skip the cardamom and lemon zest (which brighten and boost the flavor), it’ll taste great.

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe all-butter pie crust (I added 1 1/2 tsp. sugar for a sweeter crust)
2 cups pumpkin puree (from a medium sized fresh roasted sugar pumpkin or canned)
12 oz. can evaporated milk (not nonfat) or 1 /2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. lemon zest

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare pie crust according to recipe directions, omitting the step where you pre-bake the crust. (NOTE: The dough needs to be made ahead of time and allowed to chill for several hours in the refrigerator before rolling out.)

2. To make pumpkin puree, preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the sugar pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. Place cut-side-down on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 40-60 minutes (this will depend on the size of your pumpkin) until fork tender. Set aside to cool before scraping out the pulp. Place the pumpkin pulp in a large clean dish towel and wring the towel to squeeze the extra liquid out of the pumpkin. If you want the puree to be extra smooth, puree the pumpkin with a food processor or blender.

3. Preheat oven to 425 F.

4. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, salt, spices, and lemon zest. Beat the eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in the pumpkin puree and milk (or cream). Whisk until well incorporated.

5. Pour into pie shell and bake in preheated 425 F oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for another 40-50 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the crust is browning too fast you can cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil partway through baking.)

6. Remove from the oven to cool on a wire rack for several hours before serving. The pumpkin will be puffed up when you take it out of the oven and deflate slightly as it cools. Serve with whipped cream.

Makes 1 9-inch round pie.

(Adapted from Simply Recipes)