Best Pumpkin Pie – with cooked pumpkin custard!

I never liked pumpkin pie until I tried it with the cooked custard.  I wanted to eat the whole thing!  Cooking the custard gives the filling a deeper, more complex flavor.  Note that you pour the warm custard filling into a warm pie crust, so you must make the custard right after the crust.  This  is a game changer.

3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 – 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Libby’s Pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) Carnation evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9″ deep dish pie shell
whipped cream

Prepare the pie crust. Arrange a rack in the  middle position and heat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the pie crust and transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edges. Chill for 30 minutes while the oven heats.

Blind bake the crust. Line the pie crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Cover edges with protectors or strips of aluminum foil and bake  12 to 15 minutes. Remove the weights and lining, and bake with edge protectors for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep near the stove.

Cook the purée mixture. Combine the pumpkin purée, granulated sugar,  salt, and spices in a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir frequently until you see wisps of steam rising from the purée mixture, then stir continuously until the mixture is very steamy and “plops” when you pause for a second. The mixture will also start to smell like spices and cooked pumpkin. Cook for no more than 5 minutes.

Whisk in the milk and eggs. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the milk. To temper (warm) the eggs and ensure that they don’t cook when you add them to the pumpkin mixture, whisk them together in a separate bowl, then whisk in a few spoonfuls of the warm pumpkin mixture. Slowly whisk the eggs into the saucepan with the pumpkin mixture.

Fill the pie crust. Place the partially baked pie crust on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set it near the stove. Carefully pour the warm pumpkin mixture into the warm pie crust (leave edge protectors on).  If it looks like there’s too much filling for the crust, stop when you come close to the edge of the crust.

Bake the pie. Carefully transfer the baking sheet with the pie to the oven.  Bake for 15 minutes — reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes  until the pie is puffed in the middle, but still jiggles when you gently shake the pan. You’ll also see small cracks form in the outer part of the pie and some bubbling around the edge.

Let the pie cool completely before serving.  At least 2 hours!

Serve with Reddi-Wip (conventional whipped cream is too heavy)

This recipe was morphed between the Libby’s ingredients and The Kitchn’s method.