This post originally appeared in the Good Grub Blog of Butterfly Bakery. We're reprinting it now because it is, as the title suggests, the best pumpkin pie ever. You can find Butterfly Bakery cookies, granolas and other products at stores around Vermont, for order online, and at the December 14th Touch of Vermont holiday gift market in Montpelier where Claire will have her specialty truffles and hot sauces made from local ingredients.
This recipe came into being several years ago. A friend and I used to get together every Sunday to cook. She belonged to a CSA and when she got a pumpkin in her box she suggested pumpkin pie! I thought she was some Suzy-Homemaker nut to think of making pumpkin pie from *gasp* non-canned pumpkin! But she assured it was not only possible, but delicious. So, with a skeptical eye, I roasted and pureed the pumpkin. Oh no! The pumpkin puree was waterier than canned pumpkin! But my friend assured me that all would be divine. Well, she said “edible,” but I like “divine” better.
It was the most delicious pumpkin pie ever. Really. Ever. The different between using canned pumpkin and non-canned pumpkin is like the difference between buying a tomato at the supermarket in March and eating one in your garden that still smells like sun. I have made this recipe more times than I can count. I once actually carried a Vermont pumpkin to California for Thanksgiving, just for this pumpkin pie.
Leave out the crust and this makes a great Maple Pumpkin Custard (which is naturally low in fat!). You can cook it up in individual ramekins and serve with ice cream. Oh yum.
Pumpkin Pie
1 3- to 4 lb pie pumpkin
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 unbaked 9” pie shell
1) Preheat oven to 450° F
2) Slice the pumpkin in half from pole to pole. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the pumpkin, open side down, on a greased cookie sheet. Roast until a fork easily slides through the skin or the pumpkin, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3) Scoop the flesh of the pumpkin into a medium bowl and puree with an immersion blender (or food processor).
4) In a large bowl, beat the eggs until uniformly yellow. Add 1-1/2 c pureed pumpkin, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk until smooth
5) Whisk in the cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
6) Pour mixture into the pie shell and bake for 20 minutes at 450°, lower the temperature to 350° and bake for another 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serves 8
