This recipe is adapted from James McNair's Pie Cookbook, which is The Best pie cookbook. I like this particular pumpkin pie recipe because it doesn't taste like a can of sweetened condensed milk.
Here's my current version of pumpkin pie (as in, Thanksgiving, 2010):
1) Prepare unbaked single crust pie shell.
2) Mix together in the Kitchen Aid mixer/bowl at lowest setting and then pour into the pie shell:
2 cups canned pureed pure pumpkin (do NOT accidentally use pumpkin pie filling!) OR baked pureed butternut squash (squash is better, but when I'm making several different types of pies for Thanksgiving, canned pumpkin will have to do)
> 1/2 teaspoon salt
> 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
> 1/2 teaspoon ginger
> 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
> 1/4 teaspoon allspice
> 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
> 4 eggs, lightly beaten
> 1 cup whipping cream (if you buy a pint, you can use the other half to make a whipped topping)
> 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3) Bake at 375°F, about an hour or so. Don't forget aluminum foil on edges to keep crusts from burning. Just before pie is finished, it will be big and puffy in the oven. Test for doneness by inserting knife in center to see if it comes out clean.
More notes...
James McNair uses real maple syrup instead of brown sugar. I have made it that way before, and it does taste good. Also, in his recipe, he decorates the top of the pie with baked pie dough pieces shaped like maple leaves and sprinkled with sugar-cinnamon.
