Pumpkin Pie

pastry dough for 9-inch pie

1 cup crushed ginger snaps

1 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

2 cups pumpkin puree*

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

2 eggs (room temperature), slightly beaten

egg wash:

1 egg

1 Tbsp heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425° and line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry dough. Sprinkle ginger snap crumbs over bottom of crust (not the sides) and press lightly. Place prepared crust in freezer to chill for up to 15 minutes while you make the filling.

In a large saucepan, combine all dry ingredients, then stir in pumpkin puree. Add cream and milk, beating until smooth. Place over medium heat just until barely warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in eggs.

Make egg wash: whisk egg and cream together in a small bowl; brush onto chilled crust, covering sides and edge completely.

Ladle the custard into the prepared pie shell, being careful not to overfill (you will most likely have custard left over). Keeping pie level, slowly and carefully place in preheated oven.

Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then cover crust edges with a foil shield and reduce oven temperature to 300°. Bake pie an additional 25-35 minutes, or until filling is mostly firm, but center still jiggles when you nudge the pie slightly. [If you’re unsure, you can insert an instant-read thermometer halfway into center of pie—it will be at 170° when done.]

Cool pie completely on wire rack. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

*Pumpkin Puree: You can use canned, but homemade is much better. You’ll need a pie pumpkin (they’re about 8 inches in diameter–smaller and sweeter than the ones you carve for jack-o-lanterns). Just cut it into chunks and remove the seeds and pulp, then steam until fork tender. Let it cool a bit, then peel off the skin and puree the pulp with a hand blender. (Tip: For an even better flavor/texture, skip the pumpkin altogether and use a butternut squash.)