Gramma Sienkewicz' Pumpkin Pie

For crust, see The Art of Making Pie Crust

Prepare a 9 inch unbaked single crust pie shell. Preheat oven to 375
degrees.

In the blender container, combine:
2 cups pumpkin puree (see below)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each
ginger & nutmeg.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into prepared pie crust and bake until set and crust is golden, about 40-45 minutes.

Serve cooled but not necessarily chilled, with whipped cream.

Gramma Rose used cream or undiluted evaporated milk for the milk, to make a richer pie. I use skim milk.

The real secret to a good pumpkin pie is not using canned pumpkin. Is is not difficult to prepare pumpkin puree from a fresh pumpkin. Here is how to do it easily:

Wash the pumpkin skin. Then, with a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and stringy parts. (You can dry the seeds for eating if you wish.) Then cut the pumpkin, skin and all, into pieces small enough to fit in your pot. (We usually use an 8 -12 qt. enamel pot. Do not use aluminum for this purpose.) Put some water in the bottom of the pot and cover. Then simmer on the stove until the pumpkin meat is soft. Scoop the meat out and off the skin and put it in the blender with some of the water used to cook the pumpkin. Blend and freeze in pint containers. P.S. You can cook the pumpkin in the microwave but then you will have to add tapwater when making the puree.

This information was placed on the web by Thomas J. Sienkewicz. If you have any questions about this document, you may contact him at tom@tomsiekewicz.com.