Creamy Pumpkin Pie

I am not a big pumpkin pie person but this recipe is so yummy! The filling is from William Sonoma and I stuck with the tried and true Joy of Cooking Rich Buttery Crust recipe.

Crust - Deluxe Butter Flaky Dough/Baked Flaky Pastry Crust, (this is cut in half from the original for only one non-covered pie) and adapted:

Page 862/866 the Joy of Cooking

I made this in the food processor - makes crust-making a breeze!

1.25 cups flour

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter.

Run food processor so mixture resemples crumbs pea sized or smaller.

Drizzle 1/6 cup ice water over mixture and run processor briefly so evenly moistened. If the dough wont hold together add another 1-2 tablespoons of ice water. If it is too wet, add more flour. Press dough into a disk (should not be sticky) and wrap in plastic. Refridgerate for 30 min, minimum.

Roll dough out and put in pie pan. Heat oven to 400 and place rack in lower third of oven. push foil shiney side down and sprayed into crust and fill with rice, beans or pie weights. Bake 20 minutes. Remove frmo oven and remove weights, and foil. Prick bottom of crust and bake 5-10 minutes more until golden brown.

Brush inside of crust with a combination of 1 large yolk and a pinch of salt, beaten. Replace in oven until glaze sets and then fill immediately.

For the filling:

16 oz. fresh or canned pumpkin puree

3 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground mace (omitted, didnt have any)

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

(sorry - no pretty slice pics - didnt have time at dinner and we were all too full after dinner when I took these photos for anyone to take one for the team and eat more! :) )

To make the filling, in a large heatproof bowl (I used a double boiler), whisk together the pumpkin and eggs. In another bowl, combine the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, allspice, cloves and sugar and stir to blend. Whisk into the pumpkin mixture, then whisk in the half-and-half and evaporated milk. Gently stir in the cream. Set the bowl over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan and cook the filling, stirring constantly, until very warm (not hot) to the touch, 4 to 6 minutes.Transfer the filling to the pie shell and bake until the filling is just set in the center, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with homemade whipped cream - YUM!