Pumpkin Pie

I don't know about you, but I can't even think about Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie.  At this time of year, actually beginning in October, my mom baked more pumpkin pies than I can can remember, since it was my dad's favorite dessert.  Other than just a bowl of whipped cream.  I can still hear my dad asking, "Ann....when are you going to bake a Pun-kin Pie."  He'd say it that way just so that his wife and two daughters would say, "Pump-kin!"  Every year, the same thing.  I'd say that Pumpkin Pies make me feel nostalgic for the warm feeling of "home for the holidays," but truthfully, everything relative to food conjures up special memories of my parents.  The holidays are especially bittersweet without them. 

I'm one of those cooks/bakers who loves to try new recipes or variations on a favorite almost every time I prepare a dish.  Pumpkin Pie isn't typically that time, since I found a recipe for a spicy Pumpkin Pie in Bon Appetit many years ago that I find to be the best version of this classic pie.  I'll post that recipe but also mention one that I saw in their November 2009 issue for Pumpkin Pie With Brown Sugar-Walnut Topping.  That sounds particularly yummy, since "brown sugar" and "walnut topping" have me holding my fork in the ready at just the mention of that combination.  The link is listed below.
Pumpkin Pie With Brown Sugar-Walnut Topping

Here's my all-time favorite, though, which is from Bon Appetit's November 1978 issue, and it was listed in a feature on microwaveable recipes.  I always baked it in the traditional way, however.

PUMPKIN PIE

1 16-ounce can pumpkin

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup hot water

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1 9-inch prebaked pie shell

Whipped cream/vanilla ice cream....or my personal favorite:  Haagen-Dazs Rum Raisin (Yum, yum)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine pumpkin, milk, sugar, water, egg, flour, and spices in large mixing bowl and stir until well blended.  Pour into pie shell. 

Bake pie for 50 to 55 minutes.