Classic Pumpkin Pie

Avocado, watermelon, pumpkin - these are a few of my absolutely favorite foods. 

Pumpkin is a highly flexible fruit (yes, it's a fruit, not a vegetable!).  It can be made into bread, muffins (see my recipe here), gingerbread, cookies, pancakes, pudding, pumpkin butter, soup, ice cream, cheesecake, and, my favorite, pumpkin pie.  In my view, pumpkin pie even trumps strawberry shortcake, which I chose as my wedding cake because cakes can't be made out of pumpkin pie.  No, I'm actually not joking. 

Now we are now solidly into pumpkin pie season and there is a pumpkin pie in my refrigerator.  As a pumpkin pie connoisseur, you might logically expect me to share with you my favorite pumpkin pie recipe - so here it is!

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• one 15 ounce can 100% pure pureed pumpkin
• 12 ounces of half and half (I prefer this over evaporated milk)
• one 9-inch unbaked deep dish pie crust

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Stir in half and half. Pour into pie shell.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F, then bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 2 hours, then serve immediately or refrigerate.

 Yum!!