As the first hints of autumn hit, I found myself thinking a lot about pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup and other squash-based foods (not being able to find pumpkin for many years in Iceland, I learned to use butternut squash as a very nice substitute). It makes sense that pumpkin goes hand in hand with autumn since pumpkin is just ready from the garden/farm at that time and thus is traditionally used in autumn cooking and baking. With the pumpkin serving as the artistic canvas of amateur jack-o-lantern carvers across America and later serving as the pulp from which is made the traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, it would be difficult not to associate pumpkin with this season. With autumn also comes the seasonal introduction to the "pumpkin pie spice latte" and other such concoctions at coffeehouses (in the United States at least), which is a lazy way to get the much-loved flavor of pumpkin pie.
I am not big on dessert or sugar most of the time. But I have trouble resisting pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin. And spices (hence my love for gingerbread). I also have a soft spot for very sour, almost toxic, candy, like Japanese super-lemon and sour gummy worms. Yay. But luckily none of this exists in Sweden, so I am safe. I do not care about chocolate; I do not at all care for licorice; I care for so few of the world's confections. Of course, having bought an industrial amount of pumpkin does not help in my cause to steer clear of pumpkin pie.
(My pie crusts taste fine, but I am never patient enough with them, so in my haste, I always make them so they do not turn out beautifully…)
CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE
Preheat oven to 425°F (220C)
CRUST: 1 c. flour
1/8 t. salt
1/3 c. chilled butter
3 T cold water
Stir together flour and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in enough water, with fork, just until flour is moistened. Shape dough into ball, flatten ball. Roll ball on lightly floured surface into 12 inch circle. Place in 9 inch pie pan. Crimp edge. Set aside.
FILLING: 2 eggs
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
½ c. heavy whipping cream
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. ginger
½ t. nutmeg
½ t. salt
Beat eggs at medium speed in large mixing bowl until thick and lemon colored. About 2 to 3 minutes. Add all remaining filling ingredients until well mixed (another 2 minutes). Pour filling ingredients into prepared pie shell. Bake for ten minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175-180C). Continue baking for another 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Refrigerate. (I like pumpkin pie best when it's cold.)