Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie was always a favorite of my Mother’s and still is my daughter’s. For years, I bought a small sugar pumpkin, steamed it, puréed it and used it to make a Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. Then, I evolved; and started to roast the fresh pumpkin. The roasted pumpkin has infinitely more flavor than the steamed one. Perhaps you’re wondering: why not buy canned puréed pumpkin? I love the color of a freshly puréed pumpkin. It is a beautiful deep shade of orange. Unfortunately, once you add the spices, the color changes and closely resembles canned pumpkin. Perhaps only my grandson-the super taster-would be able to taste the difference. The moral is, your Pumpkin Pie will not suffer from using canned pumpkin . That being said, I continue to roast the fresh pumpkins my grandchildren bring me.

As to the Pumpkin Chiffon Pie: It is best if made the morning of the day you’re serving it. For me, it is usually Thanksgiving. As my crowd grew, my last minute prep time lessened. Now I make a baked pumpkin pie in a chocolate crumb crust or a graham cracker crust. Both can be baked and frozen in advance. If I have time, I’ll make a last minute meringue topping to dress it up. It is denser than the Chiffon pie but pumpkin lovers don’t mind. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg are all traditional spices for a pumpkin pie. I offer you a balance of spices that work for me; but please adjust them to your family’s taste. When my friend who hates cloves comes, I leave out the cloves. Enjoy!

Bonus: this pie can be frozen!

Prep time: 15 minutes not including roasting and puréeing pumpkin

Note: I use coconut milk in this recipe to replace the cream that is usually part of a Pumpkin Pie. It adds a creamy texture. The spice mix covers over the coconut flavor.