Best Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin lattes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin muffins...pumpkin anything. Every fall, I enjoy picking out a fat pumpkin to sit on my front porch until the Christmas decorations come out. When it rots, I enjoy my annual tradition of lobing the late pumpkin over the hill to bounce down into the woods.

Last week, I was given a pumpkin. This was a pie pumpkin. In all my years of making pumpkin pies, I had never baked one using fresh pumpkin. I accepted the challenge, using the recipe that came on this cute little orange guy from Trader Joe's. While I microwaved the pumpkin, I measured out the ingredients and rolled out a Pillsbury pie shell. The meat from the pumpkin didn't get as mushy as I wanted, so I ran the filling through the food processor before putting it in the shell. That did the trick. The results were, in my humble opinion, spectacular. My friend Mavis told me that her kids refuse to eat any pie not made from fresh pumpkin. I now know why.

Fresh Pumpkin Pie:
2 beaten eggs
1/2 C milk
3/4 C brown sugar
2 C cooked pumpkin *
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix ingredients. Puree if needed in a food processor. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes until the custard is firm.

* Pumpkin can be split in half and seeded. Then bake it in the oven upside down in a little water until soft. Or cook it in the microwave. Poke a couple of holes in the skin to vent steam and cook until soft.Times will vary depending on the size and tenderness of the pumpkin. I think it took about eight to ten minutes in the microwave to get this 6" pumpkin cooked, turning it every two minutes.