This post originally ran on November 12, 2011. I’m making the pie again today for our guests who will arrive in the coming days.

Happy Thanksgiving week…we’ve got lots to be thankful for.
xoNatalie

My daughter Maggie has been decorating the house for Thanksgiving this last week. In fact, she went directly from Halloween to a strange mixture of Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one. (Yes, our holiday tree is up and mostly decorated.) All this festiveness—along with the sound of too loud holiday music and too many left-over pumpkins—has moved us directly from unicorn costumes to Thanksgiving delights.

My friend Stacy orders tamales from Texas to celebrate the holidays. I have an uncle that believes pilgrims would have preferred steaks and potatoes so he spends the day grilling. At the farm, we eat a load of Gulf seafood in Low-Country Boil style off of a wooden board across the tailgate of the truck. I am also somewhat of a traditionalist at heart and delight in the staples—no Thanksgiving comes without dressing. (Gulf Shrimp + Dressing—you don’t know what you are missing until you have tried it!) However, despite the fact that most consider it a staple, I’ve never been one to put a pumpkin pie on my holiday table. I actually have always had a strong dislike for the most revered of Thanksgiving desserts. Then, I tried this recipe.

Fresh pumpkins and just the right amount of spice have made me a believer. The recipe is courtesy of our friend Connie at Jack-o-Lantern Farm, one of our local farmers markets.

Bring this to your holiday get-togethers and everyone will be thankful:

JACK-O-LANTERN FARM’S PUMPKIN PIE

Start this recipe by baking your pumpkin. I used a lovely 3 pound pie pumpkin from our friends at Jack-o-Lantern Farm. Quarter it, seed it, bake it on 350 for 1 hour. Scoop out the meat, puree and set aside.

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, then add:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Mash with back of fork, then drizzle with:
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Stir until mixture is damp and holds together when pinched. Transfer into a 9-inch pie pan and pat evenly over bottom, side and edge. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, brush with:

1 large egg yolk
Pinch of salt
Return to oven until egg glaze sets, 1 to 2 minutes.

For the filling:

Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.

Whisk together:
2 large eggs

Add and whisk:

2 cups freshly cooked pumpkin puree from above
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pour pie mixture into a warm pie crust and bake until center is set but quivery, like gelatin, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack, then refrigerate.

For the stencil, combine 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon nutmeg, 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Apply the stencil to the pie and gently rub sugar-spice mixture into desired space with your fingers.

xoNatalie