Honey Ginger Pumpkin Pie

I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to my traditional recipes, so generally speaking, I stick to the absolute most iconic version of a pie and do it very, very well. Last year, however, we had a bit of an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner, and I couldn’t track down my own pumpkin pie recipe (which is here, on my website – how hard is that, Candace?), and I found one I’d printed from somewhere ages ago and decided to give it a whirl.

How did we end up putting together a full turkey dinner on the fly? Well, you see, my friends David and Meghan got married on Thanksgiving weekend in what was surely one of the most beautiful weddings of all time, and they asked that guests bring a dish for a pot luck dinner.  I love pot luck dinners, and I’ve often said that when I get married, it will either be pot luck dinner or catered by Shawn Adler at the Flying Chestnut in Eugenia (maybe I’ll have to have two weddings).

Anyway, I decided I was going to bring a Turkey Pot Pie, and to do that, you need cooked turkey, and cooking a whole bird seemed like the more economical way to go, and if you’re cooking a turkey you might as well stuff it, and if you’ve got turkey and stuffing you really need cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, roasted squash, and a pumpkin pie. Obvs. So we whipped together this dinner on a bit of a whim, and just as it was ready to hit the table at 9pm on Friday night, Sammi’s friend Mary stopped in on her way through town, having driven up from Chicago to spend time with her Aunt, and we ended up having a full table of people eating a delicious late dinner.

So that’s how I came to discover that a) if you make a Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll magically have the guests to eat it with and b) I think this Honey-Ginger Pumpkin Pie is the best thing ever.

PUMPKIN PUREE DIRECTIONS

• One ripe pumpkin, smaller then your head. Probably a scant 1 lb. pumpkin will do the trick.

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Halve pumpkin crosswise and scoop out the guts.
3. Bake uncovered on a baking tray, hollow side down for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, until ‘fork tender.’ Whatever that means.
4. Remove from oven and cool.
5. Scrape pulp from shells; blend with a fork.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup cooked pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pie crust (recipe)

Directions

1. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch pie dish. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang under. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans. Bake until edges begin to brown, about 17 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until golden brown, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to rack. Maintain oven temperature.
3. Blend pumpkin, sugar, and honey in large bowl.
4. Stir in eggs.
5. Stir in cream, ginger, cinnamon, and salt.
6. Pour into crust.
7. Bake pie until set, covering edges with foil collar if browning too fast, about 60 minutes. Cool.
8. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream.