Everyone has a recipe for the perfect pumpkin pie. What makes a pumpkin pie good other than loads of fresh whipped cream? The right balance of spices and a smooth and creamy custard. Have you ever had a cracked or weeping custard? Nothing is worse than an over-baked custard where the eggs separate and you see the telltale crack on top with water forming. Well…there is something worse. The soggy pie crust along with an over done pie. How is that even possible?
I’m not very good at forming pie crust due to my injury, but I muddled through. If you want to skip this tedious step, buy a deep dish pie crust and bake it before filling. Also, I found that by pre-baking the crust, you don’t get the soggy bottom and burnt edges notorious in most recipes. A good custard pie is never baked at a high temperature. A good custard is slow and steady until the middle wobbles and it finishes cooking out of the oven.
This is a really easy recipe that uses egg yolks and the principles of making a custard to allow the pie to have a creamy, delicate texture that just melts away in your mouth. Take it up a notch by taking the time to make your own crust. Finally, no more cracked, over baked, weeping pies with burnt crusts and gooey pie shells. Time to put a British twist on an American classic and finally create the perfect pumpkin pie.
Crumple up parchment and line the bottom of a pie shell. 
Fill with rice, bake 10 minutes. 
Remove rice and paper. 
Bake until the pastry just starts to turn golden and is dry to the touch. You can bake an additional 5 minutes if you prefer a dark golden brown crust. 
While still hot, coat the bottom with an egg white to prevent a soggy crust. 
Gather up supplies. This is quick to put together. 
Whisk the sugar, egg yolks and spices into the milk. Stir in the pumpkin. 
Fill the pie 3/4 full. 
Pull out the oven tray part way and pour the remaining batter in the pie shell. 
Pull from oven when center of pie is still a bit wobbly. Transfer to a cooling rack or a cool sheet pan sitting on a towel if you don’t own a wire rack. 
See how it firms up nicely as it cools? 
Remove the tart pan by placing the bottom on a shallow bowl or cup. 
Forget that you were supposed to take a picture of the piece of pie slices that you cut for pictures. 
Show a partially eaten pie instead. 
Show off the crisp pie dough.
We have since made more pumpkin pies and grabbed a few more photos for you to enjoy. The pie above was 11″ whereas the one below is a traditional 9″ pumpkin pie. No matter the size, it will taste absolute delicious. Happy baking!
9″ pie will have a deeper filling. 
Check out that crust. 
No soggy bottoms, here!
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 15 oz (425g) canned pumpkin
- 12 oz (354mL) evaporated milk
- ½ cup (113g) brown sugar
- 4 large (80g) egg yolks
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla
- 1 tsp (2g) cinnamon
- ½ tsp (2.5g) salt
- ½ tsp (1g) ginger
- ½ tsp (1g) allspice
- 9" pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C.)
- Blind bake a pie crust 15 minutes by filling with crumbled parchment paper and topping with rice, noodles or beans. Remove parchment paper and rice, bake an additional 5 – 10 minutes or until crust is a light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Separate egg yolks from the whites. You will not need the egg whites for this recipe.
- Combine sugar and spices, including the salt in a large bowl. Whisk in pumpkin, egg yolks, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Pour over cooled crust.
- Bake 40-60 minutes or until the center of the pie temperature reaches 175°F (79°C.) The center should slightly jiggle when shaken but not be liquid. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. It will finish setting as it cools.
- Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours or until ready to serve. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
- Immediately refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
Crust Free Nutrition: 154.3 Calories – 5.5 Fat – 3.0 Saturated Fat – 225.0 Sodium – 21.2 Carbohydrates – 1.3 Fiber – 4.8 Protein
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