How to make Pumpkin Pie, first start with fresh, small pie or sugar pumpkins if you can. Fresh pumpkin has a great “clean” pumpkin flavor, sometimes canned pumpkin can have an off flavor.
Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. You can Prince and toast the seeds for a tasty snack. Place the pumpkin halves face down on a rimmed baking pan and pour in a half cup of water for steam.
Bake the pumpkins at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the flesh has become very tender. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh into a food processor and puree it to a smooth mixture. Add in your eggs and egg yolks ( save the remaining egg whites for a meringue topping) cream and seasonings.
You can use traditional store-bought pumpkin pie spice which is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and mace but I like to use the Indian spice garam masala. It’s a blend of those spices a over as well as coriander, black pepper, cardamom and cumin that really adds zest to your pie filling.
If you have left over pumpkin puree, make these PUMPKIN ALE WAFFLES
The pumpkin pie filling is a very loose batter so I like to add some corn starch into the ceiling as well to help the custard set during baking. For sweetness most recipes use brown sugar but I decided to use maple syrup for depth of flavor. I think the taste of maple goes quite well with pumpkin.
I used these Deep Dish Pie Baking dishes available on Amazon through this affiliate link
Pour this filling into your repaired pie crust and bake in the center of the oven. Start the pie at 400 degrees and after about 15 minutes lower the temperature to 325 degrees for the remaining 40-45 minutes.
Let the pie cool to room temperature and refrigerate it so that it is set completely. Serve with whipped cream if you like or use the remaining egg whites to make a meringue. Top the pie with meringue and toast it under a broiler or with a kitchen blowtorch for a stunning presentation.
How to make Pumpkin Pie - Maple Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pie or sugar pumpkins about 1.5 pounds each
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 egg yolks save the egg whites for meringue
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons garam masala or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 pie crust
- meringue optional
- Pie crust recipe link is in the post above
Instructions
- Cut the pumpkins in half and scrape out the seeds
- Place the pumpkin halves face down on a rimmed sheet pan with 1/2 a cup of water
- bake the pumpkins for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the pumpkin flesh is tender
- Scrape the pumpkin flesh out of the shells and puree the flesh in a food processor until smooth
- You will need a total of 2 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree. Reserve any extra for another use
- Add the cream, eggs, egg yolks, maple syrup, cornstarch, salt and spices into the food processor and process until smooth, about a minute
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, until the pie filling is set
- Let the pie cool to room temperature and chill until ready to serve
