Thanksgiving is around the corner. Time to find your stretchy pants and get those menus finalized. Our Thanksgiving tradition is usually to either travel to New Orleans to visit with my husband’s family or to take part in a “Friendsgiving” hosted by a close friend. This year, however, we’re staying home. My oldest daughter, Andrea, will be coming in from Charleston and we’ll enjoy a smallish (10 people), cozy meal at home. But, that’s not to say that the menu will be small. Luckily, my girls get as excited about food as I do, so we’ve been editing our Thanksgiving menu via group text since early September. I think we finally have a plan…
- Fried turkey (the juiciest, most flavorful turkey & keeps the oven free for the all the sides)
- Harvest Vegetable Soup (perfect starter & newest addition)
- Sausage & Apple Stuffing (my husband’s awesome yearly contribution)
- Sweet Potato Casserole (let’s hear it for sides that double as dessert)
- Baked Macaroni & Cheese (the most popular carb on the table)
- Cuban Black Beans & rice (it makes its way into all our holiday meals…it’s a Cuban thing)
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts (let’s throw in something healthy so we can have two slices of pie)
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce (it’s good on everything)
- Warm Apple Pie (always on my mind)
- Creamiest Pumpkin Pie ever (the amazing star of today’s post)
Too much? All three of my girls can happily eat to the point of discomfort. Not me. I eat like a dainty bird. Just kidding. I’m the first to admit that holiday overindulging is a talent and a skill they proudly learned from their mama 😉 I’m so thankful to have daughters that take eating as seriously as I do.
Our strategy is to have everything ready early, so we can enjoy all the food for lunch, dinner, and snacks in between…an all day grazing, relaxing, movie-watching, game-playing extravaganza. The best thing about Thanksgiving is that the focus is on food, family, and friends. It’s about togetherness and thankfulness. No presents to wrap, plastic eggs to fill, or any other tasks that take away from the simplicity and perfection of great food with those we love.
Let’s talk about this pie. It deserves lots of attention and praise. I make this pumpkin pie recipe every year because it’s the absolute best one there is. Hands down. No other one I’ve ever made or eaten has even come close and I’ll tell you why. Pumpkin pie is often overly spiced and has a jiggly, jello-like texture that isn’t very appetizing. It can also be a bit grainy. Here’s where this pie shines. It is silky smooth and unbelievably creamy, thanks to its perfect balance of ingredients and some special techniques. It’s also spiced to perfection, meaning it doesn’t allow the spices to take over when the star of the show should be the pumpkin.
I made a homemade crust, but to save time, a store-bought pie crust works just fine. After all, even though this pie crust is awesome (crisp & buttery), the focus here is on this amazing filling. If you do make the pie crust yourself, I suggest mixing up the dough one day ahead to make everything come together quicker on pie day. Then, on the day you want to bake it, you just roll it out and make the filling…
This heavenly filling is made using canned pumpkin purée, canned candied sweet potatoes (secret ingredient), cream, milk, eggs, maple syrup, fresh ginger, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
There are two things that distinguish this homemade pumpkin pie recipe from others. First, the pumpkin (along with a few of the other ingredients) is cooked on the stove for 15-20 minutes. This helps to concentrate and deepen the pumpkin flavor. It also allows some moisture to evaporate, which means the crust is less likely to become soggy during baking.
Second, once the pumpkin has cooked and is mixed with the remaining ingredients, it is strained though a fine mesh strainer. This is how the silkiness is achieved. Disclaimer – it’s a bit time-consuming (it takes me about 10 minutes for this part alone). So, although it’s a bit of a pain because it takes a while to press all the filling through the tiny holes of a sieve, it’s so worth it in the end result. The best tip I can give you is to enlist a helper, if you can, and take turns. Another option – try giving it a whirl in the food processor instead of losing your cool with your spatula and strainer (I may have said some angry words at my kitchen tools).
This is no ordinary pie. If you’re looking for the perfect end to your Thanksgiving meal, this homemade pumpkin pie is the answer. After you try the first creamy bite, you’ll know why it’s my favorite.
I wish you a Thanksgiving filled with countless blessings, happy moments with loved ones, and a table filled with all your favorite goodies. Thank you for reading along and for trusting me enough to make my recipes. God bless you.
My Favorite Pumpkin Pie
This is my very favorite pumpkin pie recipe. It’s the creamiest, most delicious one ever. I make it every year for Thanksgiving and it always gets rave reviews.
This recipe yields one 9-inch pie. You may use store-bought pie crust in 9-inch size and skip to step 5 if using a rolled pie dough and your own pie plate or to step 7 if using store-bought pie dough already in its foil pie plate.
Pie Dough
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided into 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and chilled
- 4 Tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
- 2 Tablespoons vodka, chilled
- 2 Tablespoons ice water
Filling
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (15 oz) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 1 cup drained candied (in syrup) sweet potatoes or yams
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pie Dough
-
Process 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter and shortening over top and continue to process until incorporated and mixture begins to form uneven clumps with no remaining floury bits, about 10 seconds.
-
Scrape down sides of bowl and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup flour over dough and pulse until mixture has broken up into pieces and is evenly distributed around bowl, 4 to 6 pulses.
-
Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Sprinkle vodka and ice water over mixture. Using stiff rubber spatula, stir and press dough until it sticks together.
-
Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and form into 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 days. Let dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling.
-
Roll dough into 12-inch circle on a sheet of plastic wrap (for less mess and easier transfer to pie plate). Lift dough together with plastic wrap and invert onto a 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough while pressing into plate bottom. Wrap dough-lined pie plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
-
Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Tuck overhang under itself and crimp dough evenly around edge of pie plate using your fingers. If using tart pans (as I have), trim dough flush with top of pan and press top edges against sides. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 15 minutes, until firm.
-
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until dough looks dry and is pale in color, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and continue to bake crust until golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer pie plate to wire rack. Crust must still be warm when filling is added.
Pumpkin Filling
-
While pie shell is baking, whisk heavy cream, milk, eggs and yolks, and vanilla together in bowl; set aside. Bring pumpkin, sweet potatoes/yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to simmer in large saucepan and cook, stirring constantly and mashing sweet potatoes against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, about 15 minutes.
-
Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer (see note). Whisk mixture, then pour into warm pre-baked pie crust. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue to bake until edges of pie are set, 25-35 minutes longer. Let pie cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours, before serving.
If you don’t have a fine-mesh strainer for step 2 of the pumpkin filling or if you want a quicker option, you can place it in a food processor and mix for a few seconds. Then, strain…or skip the straining all-together.
I made the decorative leaves out of leftover pie crust scraps with my leaf cutter. I brushed the tops with a little egg wash and baked them separately on a parchment-lined baking sheet until golden brown.
Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated All-Time Best Holiday Baking Magazine
Leave a Reply