Pumpkin Pie According to Betty

I'm going to share a tried and true pumpkin pie recipe with you.

I've inherited my Great-Grandmother's Betty Crocker Cookbook. It's an oldie.

And as you can see well-loved.

Where else can you get this kind of wisdom?

How about this one Who knew? I think I can handle it.

I love the practicality. 

And this is my go-to recipe for pancakes. It will never fail you...

Preach! Betty is a wise, wise woman.

Anyhoo. Back to pumpkin pie. As I type this it is 8:30 on Thanksgiving morning. If you haven't thought about your pumpkin pie it's time to get started. I guarantee you it is better than those store bought pies..ouch!

I need to admit something.

I am an inconsistent baker. One day I could whip up a glorious masterpiece of culinary genius. The next day, using the same recipe, I might turn out something fit only for my parents' Big Black Dog and teenage boys.

You know I had to get him in a post somewhere. He's my buddy.

The curse of Beke's Dessert Efforts do not keep me from trying. I am (in my humble opinion) an excellent cook. Just don't expect much from my scones.

This pie recipe is well, loved.

 

My secret weapon this year is the excellent crop of pie pumpkins my Dad grew this year. And a pie isn't a pie isn't a pie without a good pie crust. I use this pie crust recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

I gave the pumpkin a good whirl in the food processor. 'Cause nothing says old fashioned cooking like the food processor.

Another good tip is to use the good stuff. At least, what you can afford of the good stuff. My idea of good stuff is generally dependent on a great deal.

So after pulverizing the pumpkin a little more, I added milk and eggs. I'll give you the recipe in just a bit. I mixed it all up. Really good.

Then came the sugar and spices. And mixed it a bit more.

 And poured it into the pie crust.

 You can see that the Curse struck again. I burned the crust a bit. Opps.

 

This is the other pie.  The crust isn't as pretty, but at least it's not burnt. I take my victories where I can get it.

I also made a pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust. It turned out pretty good. It was come and go for a bit. I discovered (after making the filling) that my springform pan was mangled. It had possibly been used for something other than making cheesecake. Like a space battle, for instance.

So here it is. The Recipe.

1 3/4 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup of milk
2 large eggs
2/3 cup of brown sugar
2 T. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
 1 prepared pie crust

Mix pumpkin, salt, milk and eggs. Add sugar and spices. Pour into pie crust. Bake 45 to 55 minutes. It's done when you insert a knife in the middle and it comes out clean. 

Enjoy! And try not to burn the crust :<))