Pumpkin Pie

By far the easiest of the pies, but oh so delicious! The pumpkin custard is velvety and spiced beautifully. What a star for a Thanksgiving table.

Pumpkin Pie

For the crust

•  1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 5 tbsp butter, chilled and diced
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, chilled and diced
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbsp ice water

For the filling

• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 15oz canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup half & half
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves

To prepare the crust, add the flour, salt and cinnamon to a food processor. Pulse once or twice. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse until the mixture resembles course sand. Add the vanilla and the water one tablespoon at a time. Pulse until the mixture begins to clump. Turn the dough out onto the counter and form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease your pie dish. Remove dough disk from the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out to about a 12 inch round. Gently transfer the dough from the counter to the pie dish. Line the crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese. Scrape down the bowl and add the pumpkin, sugar, and salt. Mix on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. If you're finding lumps in the batter, pour through a sieve. Pour the batter into the pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes until the center is just about set - it will still jiggle a bit. Turn off the oven and open the door. After 30 minutes, remove the pie from the oven and cool on the counter for at least 2 hours. Chill in the fridge prior to serving.

Serves 8

Notes from the Chef:

-Serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream

-For a different take, skip the pastry dough and make a crust using crushed amaretti cookies and melted butter