Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin pie, although I know some of you don't.

Last weekend, when the boys were cleaning out their pumpkins, Ryan carefully saved the seeds, and then scraped some of the meat from the inside of the pumpkins. He was seemingly fascinated that it came out in shreds similar in size to linguini, and begged me to cook it. Having little else to do at that instant, I rinsed it, put it in a pot and simmered it a while, until it was tender. Ryan ate some in a bowl, with butter and brown sugar, and declared after his first bite that I must use the balance for pumpkin pie. Oh, well, why not?
So, if you're going to cook your own pumpkin, cook it until tender, drain well, then stir the drained bits a lot and let it continue to drain. It will be more watery than the canned variety, but it was surprisingly good.

And, am I the only person who's annoyed that all pumpkin pie recipes call for evaporated milk? Well, my 1950s edition of Fannie Farmer's cookbook didn't! And so, off I went to....

FANNIE FARMER'S PUMPKIN PIE, 1950s Style!

1 unbaked pie crust (9" deep dish pie plate) - buy one or try mine
1-1/2 cups cooked pumpkin puree (canned or homemade, if you're bored)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 450F. Combine the pumpkin, spices, eggs, milk and cream. Beat until smooth. Pour into the pie shell. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300F without opening the oven door, and bake another 45 to 55 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (Try to keep your camera away from picture taking fools like my son, so you don't have to admit that your kitchen is very cluttered while you cook.)

Let the pie cool before cutting. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
If you make your own pumpkin, use only 1-1/4 cup milk and 2 tbsp dried milk powder. The pumpkin will be wetter than canned pumpkin. If you use the full amount of milk, it will take a lot longer for the pie to set. Trust me on this issue.

And the pie didn't last until the next day. *sigh* I would very much like some now, but it's only a fond memory.