Classic Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Recipe


Pumpkin pie, it's the sweet ending to our family's celebration of gratitude that we look forward to all year long.  The warm spices are woven into a custard puree of sweet and creamy pumpkin, all of which is cradled in a delicate, flaky and buttery crust. I use a recipe that is perhaps not out of the ordinary, but I do take measures to ensure that the ingredients are top-notch, which is the difference that makes this pumpkin pie a classic. For example, the sugar pumpkin is freshly roasted, which yields a much more intense fresh naturally sweet flavor. The spices are freshly ground and grated whenever possible, and the butter - the main ingredient in the pie crust - must be of good quality.



Also, I make sure to use Vietnamese cinnamon, which was introduced to me by the spice people at Penzey's in Grand Central Market. Vietnamese cinnamon is considered the finest, sweetest, most complex and nuanced of its peers, and an ideal choice for baked goods. Since shopping at Penzey's, the genre of spices that I've incorporate in daily cooking has broadened. If you're close to Grand Central Station in New York, a stop at Penzey's is worthwhile.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday and are surrounded by lots of love and good food!


Classic Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Adapted from Williams Sonoma
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup milk
Method
  1. Preheat an oven to 375ºF.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cream and milk and whisk to combine.
  3. Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust and bake until the center is set, 60 to 65 minutes, covering the edges of the crust with aluminum foil after 30 minutes if they brown too quickly.
  4. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool completely, at least 2 hours, before serving. 

All Butter Pie Crust with Almonds
This is my favorite pie crust recipe. The toasted ground almonds in this recipe help to create a delicate flaky texture. 
From Simply Recipes
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
  • 1/2 cup blanched almonds or almond flour
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
  • 6 to 8 Tablespoons ice water, very cold
Method
  1. Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour so that they become thoroughly chilled.
  2. While the butter is chilling, if you are using almonds (versus almond flour), lightly toast the blanched almonds in the oven at 300 F for 5 minutes. Grind the almonds to a fine powder - this is almond flour.
  3. Combine flour, almond flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.
  4. Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.
  5. Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. I like to roll out my dough on a sheet of silpat, so that I can peel the dough off easily. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.
  6. Freeze the crust for half an hour, until chilled. 
  7. Preheat your oven to 350 F. When the crust is sufficiently chilled, line the crust with aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Fill at least two-thirds with pie weights - dried beans or rice - that you are willing to discard. Bake with the weights for 20 minutes. 
  8. Remove from oven, cool a few minutes and carefully remove pie weights. Poke small holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork and return to oven (without the weights) and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. 
  9. Cool completely before filling. You may need to tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil when you bake your pie, to keep the edges from getting too dried out and burnt. 

Roasted Pumpkin Puree
  • 1 3 lb. sugar pie pumpkin
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • salt
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully cut the pumpkin into four big wedges, and cut off the stem. Scoop out the seeds and pulp, drizzle and rub the pumpkin wedges with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, and place on a baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack until tender throughout - about an hour. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down. 
  2. Scoop flesh out of the skins and puree with a hand blender or mash well by hand. Yields about 2 cups.

68 comments:

La Bella Cooks said...

A delicious classic. A pumpkin pie is hard to beat when you use top notch ingredients. Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday.

chow and chatter said...

looks wonderful and love that you made it with fresh pumpkin next yr your lil one will be here so exciting hugs Rebecca

Bo said...

I've never had a traditional pumpkin pie...my family always eats sweet potato.

tasteofbeirut said...

I would love a pumpkin pie such as this one; I am always offered the supermarket products that are totally lacking in flavor and taste extremely sweet and I dont have the patience usually to make one like this one; I might change my mind now, yours is a superb pie.

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

this is a wonderful and classic pumpkin pie.

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

The classics are the best - what a lovely pie! Your first photo made me do a double take - last week I roasted two sugar pumpkins and made pumpkin bread - the result was delicious, almost sweet like a butternut squash.

Belinda @zomppa said...

Buttah. =) Makes me happy. A beautiful pie crust!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

A lot of love went into this pie. Your family is very lucky.

I wish I lived near a Penzey's store. My NY brother-in-law swears by them. I didn't know about Vietnamese cinnamon. I too fresh grate nutmeg and cinnamon. It makes such a big difference in flavor.

Happy Thanksgiving Christine to you and your family.
Sam

Deana Sidney said...

Perfect pie Christine. There is nothing as good as home roasted pumpkin and it is so easy to do and it freezes beautifully. Thanks for the Penzey's tip... most people don't know that 95% of cinnamon that you buy in stores is cassia bark, not cinnamon at all! The real deal is so much more elegantly flavored. Kudos on the perfect pie.!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

Great pie! I won't be making a pumpkin pie this year, but I'm saving this recipe should I become "ambitious" one day... :) (I really avoid baking...)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

This looks like the perfect pumpkin pie! I would love to find the Vietnamese cinnamon to try, thanks for sharing about that!

Sally - My Custard Pie said...

I'm really interested in the pastry you've used for the pie crust. Sounds like the perfect complement to pumpkin.

Nisrine, Dinners and Dreams said...

It looks wonderful, Christine!

Stella said...

Wonderful post, Christine. The pie looks so delicious, and I loved looking at the photos. Make pie baking seem like a wonderful activity rather than a chore!

The Church Cook said...

Your photos are beautiful, Christine! And love the crust recipe, too!

nancy at good food matters said...

You are absolutely right about Vietnamese cinnamon--it is remarkably heady and layered with flavor.
Your recipe for the pie is not unlike mine, but
I am really intrigued by your crust, combining almonds and almond flour---sounds terrific, and one to try soon.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Nancy

Delicious Dishings said...

The almonds in the crust sound fantastic! I'm not even sure I'm having pumpkin pie this year. I've decided to make a cranberry tart, and I might be the only one making dessert.

Hope you and yours have a very happy Thanksgiving!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

I think pumpkin pie is one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving! I think I need that Vietnamese cinnamon. Thankfully, we have a Penzeys store nearby ;)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your budding family!

Ingrid de Villiers said...

Oh my goodness Christine...this looks so yummy! I will have to try this recipe...thanks for sharing and may you have a happy Thanksgiving!
Ixx

Mari Nuñez said...

MMMMM!!! The taste of the roasted pumpkin is so unique. I like this recipe, it will go straight to my recipe collection.

Have a wonderful and, blessed day!

Mari Nuñez said...

MMMMM!!! The taste of the roasted pumpkin is so unique. I like this recipe, it will go straight to my recipe collection.

Have a wonderful and, blessed day!

Victoria said...

The best things are made with fresh ingredients instead of prepackaged ones. I love that you roasted your own pumpkins, and I will definitely have to stop by Penzey's soon!

Juliana said...

Love the idea of using fresh pumpkin for the pie...must taste much yummier :-)

Chef E said...

I have to come up with a gluten free alternative pie crust, but we always had both kinds, SP and Traditional. Lovin the photos, hope you are feeling good and eating well!

Unknown said...

This is perfect timing! I just bought 2 of these sweet little pumpkins tonight. No plan in particular or not sure if I'll have time to play with them...but I have them :) and thanks to you, I'll know how to fix 'em.

bunkycooks said...

We could swap pies since we agree on what needs to be in them! The fresh puree cannot be missed if you love pumpkin pie and I also use the Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzeys in my pie (I love that they deliver!). Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Unknown said...

I love it that u used fresh pumpkin, the finished pie looks so lovely with a really old-fashioned feel. I totally want some.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful thanksgiving. May you always have much to be thankful for daaaahling!
*kisses* HH

Joanne said...

Oh i love this Christine! simple and yet classic. In such cases, you are so right - it's the quality of the ingredients that matters and these sound top-notch. I really need to stop by Penzey's and get me some of that cinnamon. Smitten Kitchen wrote about it a bit ago ad I meant to pick some up but never got around to it.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Happy Thanksgiving.cook up a storm!

Chuzai Living said...

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Thanks for leaving me a comment on my blog! I was delighted to see you! I LOVE pumpkin pie. It is actually my favorite pie. I have to keep this recipe because I love classic pumpkin pie more than any new and twisted ones. This year I am not making a pie for Thanksgiving, but I might try this recipe next time I find pumpkin in Jakarta!!

El said...

This is beautiful. I'm so impressed that you made the pumpkin filling yourself. Looking at your pictures I can almost taste the pie! I hope you and yours have a wonderful day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sherry said...

Looks like a great recipe, Christine! Gorgeous pictures, as always!

skip to malou said...

your pictures are so alive... and look at that pumpkin pie... looks so silky and glossy... I WANT SOME RIGHT NOW!
Happy Thanksgiving Christine! I heard/ read about the good news.. and I'm truly excited for you... soon you'll have a mini-Christine walking around the house hihihi...
happy thanksgiving!

Deb in Hawaii said...

Such a beautiful pie and you are so lucky to be so close to Penzy's too. ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for.

Belinda @zomppa said...

A wonderful Thanksgiving to you too!

Lea Ann said...

This is similar to my mom's old PP recipe, except for her's calls for 5 eggs. Love the custard style pumpkin pies. This crust sounds out of this world.

Anonymous said...

Your pie looks fantastic! I always look forward to the pumpkin pie most on Thanksgiving :)

Heather S-G said...

MMMMM! A good pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving is definitely a requirement in my family...and yours is beautiful :) Hope your turkey day was great!

marla@familyfreshcooking.com said...

The better the ingredients the better the pie. Not worth it for me to have it any other day. Those freshly roasted sugar pumpkins must put your pie in a class of its own. Hope your T-giving was wonderful :)

Barbara said...

Delicious! An almond crust? I love it! Have already copied the recipe. Really glad to hear about the Vietnamese cinnamon; that will definitely be on my list to find.

My family actually loves it cold the next day....

Emily said...

Your pie looks fantastic Christine! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! :)

redmenace said...

I was just in NYC, but didn't make it to Penzey's. Bummer. Your pie looks GORGEOUS-- and good for you for taking the ordinary pumpkin pie and making it extraordinary! xo

Prerna@IndianSimmer said...

You won't believe but this season was the first time ever that I tried ANY dessert made with pumpkin and now I have changed my life long belief that the pumpkin can not taste good when sweet. They are SO good and your pie just made me wanna have some right now :-)

sophia said...

I am sadly not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie...but I love that you used fresh sugar pumpkin!! Quality ingredients = quality pie. I'd gladly chomp on a slice or two! Also, I love Penzey's. a blogger friend of mine sent me some of their spices, and they're amazing.

Chocolate Freckles said...

Pumpkin pie is awesome ... looks like an amazing recipe!

Anonymous said...

Pumpkin Pie is a staple on our Thanksgiving table! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Unknown said...

Ooh Vietnamese cinnamon sounds so good - and we always check out Penzey's too whenever we're waiting for a train. Must get some soon!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!!

theUngourmet said...

I completely agree with you on the fresh roasted pumpkin. This year I have roasted a few already. The flavor is amazing. Your pie is gorgeous! Hope your Thanksgiving was lovely.

Anonymous said...

Pumpkin pie is not something that we British are that familiar with and I always expected it to be very orange and slimy looking but this looks amazing. Hope your thanksgiving was wonderful.

Joy said...

What a beautiful pumpkin Pie -- and so impressive that its all fro mscratch. I think pumpkin is definitely one of my favorite pies during the holidays, that and apple. I would absolutely LOVE a gigantic slice of this with a dollop of whipped cream :)

Happy Holidays my love!

Namitha said...

Wonderful pie. I have posted a pumpkin pie recipe today, but your's sounds and looks better :-)Hope you had a great Thanksgiving

Unplanned Cooking said...

Love it! That was the one thing I bought at the store this year :). But definitely would have preferred yours.

Sarah Naveen said...

wonderful pictures..loved it..

Ravenous Couple said...

pie from scratch..now you don't see that much anymore! yours look perfect!

lisa is cooking said...

That's a beautiful pie! I think pumpkin is my favorite of all pies. And, I agree about Vietnamese cinnamon. It's the best.

Kim said...

Christine- A beautiful pie indeed. In fact, I'd love a slice as we did not have a traditional Thanksgiving this year with all the typical fixings. I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you are feeling well.

Cocina Savant said...

Christine,

Your pie looks absolutely perfect, especially with the addition of spices from those awesome folks at Penzey's. I could walk out of there with 200 dollars every time if I let myself. Sorry, it has been so long, but it is great to see you are still showcasing amazing food as always.

Cocina Savant said...

Christine,

Your pie looks absolutely perfect, especially with the addition of spices provided by those awesome folks at Penzey's. It is good to be reading your enlightening and fresh take on food again. Sorry for not staying in touch.

Velva said...

Wow! This pumpkin pie rocks! Beautiful Christine.

Claudia said...

I love that the pumpkin is roasted - yes - that would add flavor. I agree with Penzey's - grand spices. And your pie crust with the lmonds is duly noted!

Sook said...

Pumpkin pie is always welcome in my diet! :)

Patty said...

I am more than impressed by your creation of a made-from-scratch pumpkin puree...amazing! The pie looks out-of-this-world gorgeous and delectable. I LOVE pumpkin pie and could very easily eat this on its own OR with some vanilla ice cream (as was tradition growing up). Lovely.

Magic of Spice said...

What a stunning pie! I will have to look for Vietnamese cinnamon, sounds quite special :)

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious! I just experienced my first Thanksgiving and first pumpkin pie (although sadly it was store bought and not nearly as appetising as yours looks!) I always thought pumpkin pie was part of the main course and was surprised to have it as dessert!

Lori said...

I have to comment that your pumpkin roasting is so beautifully organized. Mine usually ends up with different sized pieces all over the place. Ha, ha!

Pumpkin pie ranks in my top 3 and this one is beautiful. I need to get my hands on some Vietnamese cinnamone for sure.

My Taste Heaven said...

i love pumpkins!!! <3

OysterCulture said...

Pumkpin pie is always a must and I just love its versatility. Its just not Thanksgiving without a bite of this yummy favorite.