Great Pumpkin Patch Pie

Grenville planted pumpkins at the Frog & PenguINN farm last season. The great pumpkin patch produced beautiful orange orbs and we anxiously anticipated the prospect of freshly baked pies and other treats, except for one minor glitch - the pumpkins were ready for harvest in late summer and not in mid-autumn. Since using an oven in late summer is not a good idea (trust me on this) that meant that the aroma of freshly baked pie would have to wait. So, Grenville canned the fresh pumpkin and today, I baked our first pumpkin pie from last season's F&P harvest. Figuring out the conversion of using fresh vs. canned pumpkin wasn't too hard thanks to The All New Joy of Cooking which was the only one of our assorted cookbooks that recognized people may want to use fresh vs. canned pumpkin.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Position rack in center of over and preheat to 375°F . Building up a high fluted rim, prepare a 9-inch pie pan, preferably glass (and if you don't want to make your own pie crust, here's a F&P, shortcut - buy Pillsbury® frozen pie crusts (2 per package) just don't forget to take it out of the freezer at least a day before it's needed).

Whisk 2 large eggs in a bowl and then whisk in thoroughly:

2 C freshly cooked pumpkin or canned pumpkin puree
1 ½ C evaporated milk or ¾ C milk and ¾ heavy cream)
½ C sugar
1/3 C firmly packed light or brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves or allspice
½ tsp salt

F&P Note: This recipe and others suggest you warm the pie crust in the oven until it is hot to the touch. I skipped this step - and the pie was fine!

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust and bake 40-45 minutes until the center of the filling is set, but quivers, like a bowl full of jelly (whoops that's another story) when the pan is nudged. Cool completely on a rack then refrigerate. Serve cold at room temperature or slightly warmed. Optional: top with whipped cream, but let us know when you will coming to visit, so we can bake another pie cause this one was delicious after dinner tonight!
No, we didn't eat the WHOLE pie tonight, but brought it to a neighbor's as the dessert du jour. Thankfully, there are leftovers for tommorrow night!