I have made many pumpkin pies in my lifetime.  I’ve tried wide variations in recipes, and finally settled upon this one.  It is a modification of a William Sonoma recipe.  I love the creamy, rich texture and the balance of spices.  It is especially great with homemade whipped cream.

Ingredients:

• 1 pie shell
• 1 ¾ cups of homemade pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt
• Whipped cream for topping

Pumpkin Preparation:

I don’t believe in using pumpkin from a can.  Fresh pumpkins burst with flavor and natural sugar.  The canned stuff just pales in comparison.  Your choice of pumpkin is very important.  Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are not the best for eating.  Sugar pumpkins (otherwise known as Pie pumpkins) can be good, but personally, I prefer either cheese pumpkins (they look like a normal pumpkin, but squashed down and tan instead of orange) or Kabuka pumpkins (these are green on the outside and shaped like a Japanese lantern.

• Take the pumpkin and cut it unto quarters, then scoop out the seeds and put them meat-side up in a roasting pan
• Sprinkle with canola oil, salt, ground pepper, and drizzle with honey
• Bake them at 425 until they are tender and just starting to become golden brown on the edges.
• Let them rest until cool enough to handle, then peel the skin off the pumpkins and put the meat into the blender and puree it until very smooth. 
• Now take a ½ sheet pan or a baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
• Spread the puree out evenly onto the sheet pan and top with paper towels (at least two layers).
• Put the tray (covered with the paper towels) into a warm – but not hot – oven for about 30 minutes.
• Remove the tray and throw away the paper towels.  Your puree is ready to use.
  

The reason for spreading the puree onto the paper towels and warming them is because canned pumpkin is much drier than fresh pumpkin, so all the recipes out there are based on moisture content from the canned stuff.  In order to get the correct consistency in your finished baked goods, you have to remove some of the excess fluids from the fresh pumpkin.


Pie Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and position the oven rack to the lower third shelf
• In a food processor, whisk pumpkin puree, sugar and cream cheese until completely blended.
• Add the eggs one at a time, pausing to ensure that each one is incorporated before adding the next
• Add the half-and-half, vanilla, spices and salt, then continue to mix.
• Line a heat-proof pie plate with rolled out pie-shell (make sure it is very cold).
• Pour filling into pie shell, place pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until the top of the pie wiggles – showing it is set.   
• Allow the pie to cool completely. Top with whipped cream and serve.