Recipe: Streamlined Mother-of-All Pumpkin Pies

So back in the summer I posted a pumpkin pie recipe and I was all like, hey, Northern Hemisphere folks, just pull this out come November ... so guess what I'm doing?

Actually, I'm also updating this recipe, streamlining it, and including a much simpler (but just as delicious) pie crust recipe.  So here you go my darlings.  The best dang pumpkin pie you will ever eat, just in time for Thanksgiving!

The Mother-of-All Pumpkin Pies
Makes 2 pies

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 20 tablespoons of butter (280 grams)
• 4-10 Tablespoons of ice water
• 1 egg, well beaten

Filling:  (Tweaked from this original recipe)

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves -- if you can, use fresh ground.  I use a mortar and pestle and it's SO much better than pre-ground
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice -- again, I grind this fresh in a mortar and pestle
  
• 1/4 of a nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs (to reduce fat/cholesterol, you can use 8 egg whites instead)
• 1 1/2 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk (Low fat is fine)
• 2.2 pounds (1 kg) peeled and cubed butternut squash/sugar pumpkin *

*  You have to trust me on this one, use the cubed, peeled butternut squash you find at the store, unless you have the luck to find a sugar pumpkin.  The behemoths we carve don't taste nice at all.  You CANNOT tell that it's butternut squash and not pumpkin and it will taste SO much better than if you use canned pumpkin.  Trust me!

Method:

Begin with the crust:  Mix sugar and salt into flour. Cut butter into flour. Add just enough water to bind it together.

Wrap in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge while you make the filling.

Now, the filling.  Steam your squash for approximately 10-15 minutes in the microwave until it is very soft. No need to add water.

This should yield you about 3 cups of pumpkin/squash mush, add all the other filling ingredients.  Blend everything together in a blender or with an immersion blender:

Now flour your counter well.  Separate your dough into 2 pieces and roll out 2 pie crusts. If there are gaps/rips in your crust you can always fix it with your pieces and/or with additional pieces.

Line your pie tins with your dough, and then add your filling.  Crimp the crust and brush with the beaten egg. It should be just perfect for 2 pies. 

Bake at 180C/350F for one hour, but start checking at 45 minutes.  The pie is done when a toothpick comes out clean out of the center of the filling.

And there you go, best pumpkin pie you'll ever taste!

ENJOY!  BUEN PROVECHO!

AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!