Easy Pumpkin Pie
You can line the pie dish with the dough and partially bake the pie shell in advance. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 day, or freeze in a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag for up to 3 weeks and thaw in the refrigerator before filling.
Ingredients
- 1 disk flaky pastry dough, at cool room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
- Whipped cream for serving (optional)
Directions
Partially bake the pastry shell
Preheat an oven to 425°F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough disk into a 12-inch round. Fold the dough round in half and transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Unfold the round and ease it into the dish, patting it firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Trim the edges to form a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under itself and pinch to create a high edge on the rim of the dish. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the dough a few times. Freeze for 5 minutes.
Bake the pastry shell until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
Prepare the filling
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Add the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt and mix well. Mix in the pumpkin puree and half-and-half until well blended. Pour into the partially baked pastry shell.
Bake the pie
Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool briefly. Cut the pie into wedges, top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and serve. Makes one 9-inch pie.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Baking, by Lou Seibert Pappas (Oxmoor House, 2006).