Megan's Perfect Pumpkin Pie

The Great Pumpkin Pie
(adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction recipe)

11-30-20 Note: This was a super success at Thanksgiving 2020 with "The Leia's".

Ingredients:

• Homemade pie crust (see other recipe)
• One 15oz can (about 2 cups) pumpkin puree
• 3 large eggs
• 1 and ¼ cups packed brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup milk
• Egg wash – 1 egg beaten + 1 Tablespoon milk

Directions:

1. Make pie crust dough and store in fridge for an hour or so
2. Pumpkin pie filling – whisk pumpkin, 3 eggs, & brown sugar together until combined. Add cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, cream, & milk. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined. Filling will be a little thick.
3. Preheat oven to 375
4. Roll out chilled pie crust – roll out dough into a 12-inch circle. Make sure to turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. With a knife or rolling pin, remove the extra overhang of crust. Crimp edges with fork or flute edged with fingers, if desired. Brush edges lightly with egg wash mixture. Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Crunching up the parchment paper is helpful so that you can easily shape it into the crust. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) Make sure the weights/beans are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights.
5. Pour pumpkin pie filling into the warm pre-baked crust. Only fill the crust about 3/4 of the way up. (Use extra to make mini pies with leftover pie dough scraps if you’d like.) Bake the pie until the center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes give or take. A small part of the center will be wobbly – that’s ok. After 25 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Check for doneness at minute 50, and then 55, and then 60, etc.
6. Once done, transfer the pie to a wire rack and allow to cool completely for at least 3 hours. Serve pie with whipped cream if desired. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days