Fresh roasted pumpkin helps highlight the sweetness at the heart of this slightly spicy, but super creamy and luscious twist on Classic Homemade Pumpkin Pie. Use a sugar pie pumpkin, a red kuri pumpkin or kabocha squash for the best flavor. Feel free to pull back on the ground chile to 2 tsp. if the spicy element worries you, and be sure to use actual ground chile and not "chili powder," which has cumin in it — delicious in chili and tacos, not so tasty in pumpkin pie. This pie is good on its own, but brought to new heights of deliciousness with a dollop of softly whipped cream.
Never roasted a pumpkin before? Check out this guide to How to Roast Pumpkins.
Yield: 1 9-inch pie; about 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 cups roasted pumpkin flesh
- 1 9-inch pie crust (buy one or use this pie crust recipe)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tbsp. ground New Mexico or ancho chile powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional, for those who truly crave the spicy)
Preparation:
- Set the roasted pumpkin flesh in a sieve or strainer over a bowl to drain any excess water out of it. Let sit for at least an hour and up to overnight (cover and chill if letting sit overnight).
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- If you've made your own crust, roll it out and place it in a pie pan. Oil or butter the shiny side of a piece of foil and place it, oiled side down, on the pie crust. Fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake 15 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes. Let cool a bit.
- While the crust bakes, whirl the strained pumpkin, sugar, cream, eggs, ground chile, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a blender until smooth.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust. Bake until pumpkin mixture is set and barely jiggles in the center when lightly shaken, about 45 minutes.
- Let cool to room temperature until set before serving, at least 2 hours.
