Holiday Rewind: Pumpkin Pie

The last two recipes I have to post for the holiday rewind are both pumpkin based desserts: pumpkin pie and pumpkin dip. I know it seems a bit funny to do a post on pumpkin pie considering that nearly every can of pumpkin comes with a printed recipe for pie on its label. But the recipe I am posting today has a very minor but noteworthy alteration.

Every year I have followed the recipe for pumpkin pie off of the can label and I never had any complaints. The pie was good and tasted like classic store-bought pumpkin pie. But this year, since I was hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, I wanted to give my pie that little extra sparkle. So I went on a recipe hunt, looking through dozens of variations of pumpkin pie to find any tips that could give my classic recipe a small face-lift. I didn't want anything to be drastically different since I still wanted it to taste like a traditional pumpkin pie. But I was hoping to find a way to give the flavor more depth. Finally, I came across a suggestion for creating a more rich-tasting custard. And you know what the grand old secret for a better tasting pumpkin pie was? Adding more eggs. With the addition of a couple extra eggs, the pumpkin pie filling was noticeably more rich in flavor and it gave it a moist, thick custard texture that really did make a difference. I honestly wasn't expecting that the addition of a couple more eggs would make any difference at all. But it really did. And the best part was, it didn't change the overall classic taste or look of pumpkin pie.

This recipe yields two pies.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
two 9 inch pie crusts
6 eggs
1 can (29 oz) solid-packed pumpkin
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 cups evaporated milk

Beat eggs in a mixing bowl. Add pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger; beat just until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Pour into pastry shells.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake 40-45 minutes longer or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.