Pumpkin pie!

My pumpkin pie was delicious. Seriously - the best vegan pumpkin pie I have ever had. John and I have attempted vegan pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving, and it has always been too runny. But this pie? PERFECT. So, I thought I would give you the recipe (you know, just in case you decide to go vegan - or if someone in your family is vegan - or maybe just because you don't have any eggs in the house.)

Vegan Pumpkin Pie: A Novel

First things first, you need a medium sized pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrap out the stringy guts and seeds. Next, place the pumpkin pieces in a shallow baking dish (with the open part facing down), cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hours. When the pumpkin is nice and soft, scrap the pumpkin flesh out and throw the skin away. Now, this is where it can get a little tricky. My pumpkin was VERY watery. So, I placed it in a fine mesh strainer and let it sit for about an hour (I actually made my crust during this time). If you don't have a fine mesh strainer, I read that you can also use cheesecloth. Finally, I mashed the pumpkin with a potato masher for a few minutes. At this point you are ready to make your pie!

This is the recipe I used for the crust. Please note that is it for a double crust, so there will be a little extra. I placed the extra dough in the freezer to use for my next pie.

Finally, the pie filling...

2 cups pumpkin
1 1/4 cups milk (I use soymilk)
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
Pinch of salt

Add salt, spices, and cornstarch to pumpkin and stir. Then add the brown sugar, milk, and lemon extract. Mix well. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower to 350 degrees and cook for 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream!).

Enjoy!