My mom is a master pie baker. She can toss together a piecrust in no time and add the most scrumptious fillings that easily are blue ribbon winners at the fair. She taught me early on not to mess with tradition. Her tradition on pumpkin pie is that it is pretty dang hard to beat the recipe on the Libby’s® 100% pumpkin can. You know your mother is always right and she didn’t miss the mark on this advice that she passed on to me. Each year around this time, that is the recipe that I faithfully followed and the results were 5 star.
Fast forward a few years and I had the privilege of traveling with the Southern Living Magazine Cooking school throughout the south.What a great gig that was and I could write a book on the many adventures that we enjoyed while traveling and cooking our way through the South. One Fall Cooking School Season, we presented a new spin on pumpkin pie. It looks the same but there is one tweak in the recipe that sends it over the top. Eggnog in place of the evaporated milk. My oh my, once you try this, you may never go back to tradition. You won’t even have to tell any one your secret ingredient!
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fun to share the recipe for you to enjoy this holiday season. Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a few sprinkles of finely chopped candied ginger. Yes, the picture depicts pies baked in disposable aluminum pans. These pies, along with dozens of dinner rolls that I baked this week, are going to the homeless shelter for their Thanksgiving feast. A very small way that I can count my blessings and share good food and love with others.
From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!
Eggnog Pumpkin Pie
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups eggnog
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust
Whipped cream and finely chopped crystallized ginger for garnish
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side down.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs until well blended. Whisk in pumpkin puree and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in eggnog. Place unbaked pie crust on prepared baking sheet. Pour pumpkin filling into the unbaked crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F., bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time. Garnish each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with finely chopped crystallized ginger.
Makes 8 servings
Adapted from Libby’s® 100% pumpkin can
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