Basic pastry for single-crust pie, partially baked*
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp mace
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp molasses
1-1/4 cup evaporated milk
3 large eggs (room temperature)
Preheat
oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, blend the pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon,
nutmeg, cloves, ginger, mace and salt (a wire whisk comes in handy for
this). In a separate bowl, combine molasses, evaporated milk and eggs.
Pour egg mixture into the pumpkin mixture, and whisk thoroughly. Pour
the mixture into the partially baked pie crust, and place on middle
rack of the oven. Bake for 1 hour, until the top of the pie looks shiny
and a knife inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean. (If
the crust is browning too fast, cover with an aluminum foil "collar.€")
Let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature; refrigerate
leftovers.
*To partially bake (also called "blind baking") a pie
crust: Press the crust into a 9-inch pie plate, and decorate or crimp
the edges. There are several ways to keep the crust from shrinking or
rising up while it bakes: either line the crust with aluminum foil, and
fill with rice or dry beans; or line with foil, and invert the pie
crust over another pie plate of the same size (the crust bakes as a
"sandwich" between the two pie plates). Bake in a 375°F preheated oven
for 12 minutes, or until the crust is a light golden color.