It’s difficult to say what is our family’s favorite pie. But pumpkin is very, very high on the list. Lars’ parents sometimes substitute yellow winter squash for pumpkin. Canned pumpkin is okay, if you can’t get fresh or don’t have the time to start from scratch.
Prepare:
2 medium unbaked pie crusts
Remove seeds and strings from one pumpkin. Bake in an oven at 175 until soft (about an hour). Remove meat from the shell and put in a saucepan. Cook down to remove excess water from the pumpkin meat. It should be a thick paste when you’re done.
Preheat oven to 220.
Put into a lightly buttered heavy iron skillet:
450 g pumpkin
Brown it very lightly to bring out its natural sweetness. Stir it with a wooden spoon, to keep it from sticking, until it is very slightly caramelized. This simple extra step will make a truly memorable pie.
Cool the pumpkin and place into a large bowl with:
30 ml flour
175 ml sugar
1 can (190 ml) evaporated milk
5 ml cinnamon
2 ml cloves
2.5 ml salt
2.5 ml ginger
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Blend thoroughly. Mix together:
15 ml flour
30 ml sugar
pinch cinnamon
pinch allspice
Sprinkle mixture in the pie shells.
Pour filling into pie shells. Bake 15 minutes at 220 degrees, and then at 165 until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean – anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, or even longer. Lars likes his baked for at least two hours!