A friend had given us a pumpkin and, honestly we thought, what do we do with this thing? A pie? Full disclosure, I am a cook but not a baker. Making pies, to me, has never been something I do on a regular basis. We have a local store where one of the employee makes great pies; and when we need one, we just call them, they bake it right on premises, and we pick it up the next day. So this pie thing, was new to me. But I decided to give it a try.

Now, the recipe given can be done with cooked fresh pumpkin. Problem with that is that you have to cut the thing, take out the seeds, scoop out the interior, etc.. , and then cook it. Last time I checked you can get cooked canned pumpkin. That will save time and effort, and make it a whole lot easier.

The recipe itself is one I got from discussions I had with people who bake. I’ve added a caramelized topping made from slivered almonds since I had a package of almonds on hand. I’m told this is not the usual topping for a pumpkin pie. My learned friends tell me that a pecan topping is the   de rigueur preferred topping for pumpkin pies. Well, the caramelized almond topping turned out great with the pie, so there. Also, the recipe is easy to make, and perfect for a holiday treat.

Another thing,  the idea of making a pie crust from scratch is not something I would contemplate. If you want to do it, go right ahead. I opted for a pre-pared Graham cracker pie shell that can be found in almost any market these days. And you know what? It came out just fabulous.  However you do it, I’m sure the results will be more than satisfactory.

EASY PUMPKIN PIE

Ingredients:

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1½ cups evaporated milk

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
  2. Blend together eggs and pumpkin. Stir in maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Add and blend in evaporated milk.
  3. Pour into pie shell and bake 45-50 minutes or until  knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, top with caramelized almond topping and serve.

CRARAMELIZED ALMOND TOPPING

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons soft or melted butter
2/3 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
2/3 cup slivered almonds

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine butter, maple syrup and almonds.
  2.  Gently drop by spoonfuls over cooled pie to cover top. Place in broiler and broil until mixture begins to bubble, about 3 minutes. Watch carefully: if cooked too long, top will turn syrupy. Cool and serve.