THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

PUMPKIN PIE

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp flour

1 cup (cooked) pumpkin

½ teasp salt

⅛ teasp nutmeg

cup milk

1 egg.

Beat the white & put in last.

~Ida A. Shaver, handwritten receipt book. (Ida was born in 1871 and died in 1959)

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 Tb. flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 c. pureed pumpkin
• ½ tsp. grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp. powdered cinnamon (optional, but delicious)
• ½ tsp. powdered ginger (optional, but delicious)
• 1 c. whole milk
• 1 large egg (separated)
• 1 unbaked, 9-inch diameter pastry shell.

Prepare sufficient pastry for a 9-inch diameter pie (undercrust only).  I used the “Rich Short Crust” recipe and I put the remainder in the freezer for tarts or a second undercrust for another day.

Grease and then line a 9-inch diameter pie plate with the pastry.

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Mix together the sugar, flour and salt until thoroughly blended.

In a mixing bowl, combine the pureed pumpkin with the sugar, flour, salt and spices;  stir well.

Separate the egg, and beat the yolk with a fork;  then add it to the milk;  stir to blend together.

Pour the milk and egg yolk into the pumpkin mixture, and mix all together thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg white with a rotary beater until it forms stiff peaks, and then beat it into the pumpkin mixture, until the filling is smooth and frothy.

Carefully pour the filling into the prepared pastry shell, and put the pie immediately into the preheated oven.

Bake at 425F for about 8 to 10 minutes, or only until the crust just begins to appear faintly golden;  then reduce the oven temperature to 350F, and bake about an hour and a quarter longer, or until the filling is browned and set. (If the pastry appears to be browning too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 325F.)

When baked, allow the pie to cool on a rack, until it reaches room temperature, before serving.

Yield:  6 to 8 servings.

Serve with liquid honey drizzled generously over each piece, or add a dollop of whipped cream.

This Pumpkin Pie has been a favourite in our family for as long as I can remember.

A note from Margie: At the time of my parents’ marriage in 1937, my paternal grandmother, Ida Shaver, gave my mother a set of recipe cards, each featuring a handwritten favourite of my father’s.  I still have that set of cards, and this pumpkin pie is one of those favourite recipes.  Mom made pumpkin pie for our family frequently while I was growing up, but preferred to make Grandma’s recipe with some additional spices in the filling.  My Dad has always insisted that pumpkin pie should be served with honey, just as my grandmother did.  In our family, pumpkin pie isn’t quite pumpkin pie, without a generous addition of honey served drizzled over the top.

A finer dish, than a good pumpkin-pie, can hardly be eaten; and it is within the power of any poor man’s family to enjoy this luxury.  If you do not grow this fruit, any neighbour will give you one for the asking.

~Traill, C. P. The Female Emigrant’s Guide and Hints on Canadian Housekeeping. Toronto, C.W.: Sold by Maclear and Company, 1854.

If you want to make your pie richer, make it thinner, and add another egg.  One egg to a quart of milk makes very decent pies.  Sweeten it to your taste, with molasses or sugar; some pumpkins require more sweetening than others.  Two tea-spoonfuls of salt;  two great spoonfuls of sifted cinnamon;  one great spoonful of ginger.  Ginger will answer very well alone for spice, if you use enough of it.  The outside of a lemon grated in is nice.  The more eggs, the better the pie; some put an egg to a gill of milk.

~Mrs. Child.  The American Frugal Housewife. Boston: American Stationers’ Company, 1836. [“PUMPKIN AND SQUASH PIE”]

A note from Patricia: I’m really enjoying making pies! This is my fourth or fifth I think, and there’s something so satisfying about making them. I’ve never been a huge fan of pumpkin pie (I tried it once as a child and decided I didn’t like it, and then proceeded to never eat it again), but with Thanksgiving coming soon, I knew I had to make this one – it’s a family recipe after all. I ate a slice of this with a big blob of fresh whipped cream, and couldn’t believe how good it was. Just the right amount of spice, and just the right amount of sweetness. I made the pie crust gluten-free by substituting 1:1 gluten free baking flour in the “Rich Short Crust” pastry recipe (I froze the leftover pastry for another day), and the crust was buttery and crispy and perfect. I suppose some would say that I cheated as I used canned pumpkin (Libby’s), but some very fine pie-makers on the internet use canned, so I figured I would too. And really, the end result is probably the same – pure deliciousness. The rich and creamy filling came together in minutes…. It was fiddling about with the decorative leaves that took the longest for me (and were completely not necessary but made it prettier). As for drizzling the pie with honey, I had no idea this was ‘a thing’. However, the same evening that I made this pie, I had a delicious meal with cousins, and Marion produced a tray of home-made butter tarts and pumpkin tarts. My aunt’s first cousins proceeded to pour honey on their pumpkin tarts, saying that Uncle Fred (my grandfather) wouldn’t eat pumpkin pie without it.