A tasty, creamy pumpkin pie that’s just perfect for the fall season. If desired, you can substitute the sugar in the pie with an alternative sweetener.
(The creaminess comes from the cream cheese mixture but don’t tell your guests; they’ll never guess the secret ingredient!)
This recipe is courtesy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Everyday Baking.
For Crust:
Buy a pie dough or make pie dough. See how to make the perfect pie crust.
Roll your pie dough into a 13-inch circle and line a 9½-inch deep-dish pie plate with it, forming the overhanging dough into an upstanding rim.
As this is a “custard” pie, you need to chill and partially “blind bake”* the crust.
* Blind baking: With a fork, make indentations inside the bottom an sides of the crust. Line the inside with parchment paper or foil. Add pie weights or uncooked rice or dry beans to weight down the crust. Bake in a 400* oven for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the bottom of the crust no longer looks raw. After taking it out of the oven, carefully remove the liner and weights, and reset your oven temp to 350°.
For Filling:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the cream cheese and ¾ cup of sugar into a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Process again, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add to the cream cheese mixture along with the pumpkin and light cream. Purée, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Carefully pour the filling into the pan. Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for about 50 minutes. When done, the filling will be “set”—puffed around the edges, less so in the center. The edges will have a dull finish; the center will be shiny.
Transfer to a rack and cool completely. Refrigerate for 4 hours, uncovered, before serving. To refrigerate longer, cover loosely with tented foil.
