Vegetarian Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Pie

A slightly less fatty version of this Pumpkin pie recipe. The end result was light, bright, and smooth. I made my own pumpkin puree, which Natasha taught us how to do last week:

To make your own version of the canned pumpkin puree that is all the rage 'round Thanksgiving, cut a small pumpkin in half, scoop out the innards, and roast opening-down at 400°F until brown and wrinkly. Let cool, scoop flesh into a blender and puree.

Dough
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Filling
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pulse together the flour, butter, and salt in a food processor until most of mixture resembles coarse meal, with rest in small (pea-sized) lumps. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse 2 or 3 times. Add an additional tablespoon or so of water, as needed. Pulse until just incorporated. The dough should hold together if you squeeze it in your hand. It should not be gummy.

Turn the mixture out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Quickly form it into a disk, wrap tightly with the plastic, and refrigerate for one hour. If you're short of time, you can freeze this for half an hour, but I find that it's more difficult to work with when I take that route.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

After the dough has rested, unwrap it on a clean (obv!), floured counter. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour. And sprinkle flour on your rolling pin. Quickly, but carefully, roll out the dough. Give it a quarter turn after each roll. If the dough starts to stick, carefully pick it up (a bench scraper is a great tool for this) and sprinkle more flour underneath it.

When the dough is about 1-2 inches greater in diameter than your pie plate, fold it lightly in half, then in half again. You should have a triangular shape. Place the tip of the triangle in the middle of your pie plate, then unfold. Press the dough down into the pan, starting in the middle. Trim off excess, and decoratively pinch the edges. (Or don't. I used a fancy tart dish for this pie, so I didn't bother with the edges).

If the crust is getting soft, stick the pie plate in the freezer for a few minutes. Prick the dough all over with a fork (this is called "docking"). Line with parchment and fill with pie weights. (I use and reuse an old mix of dry beans for pie weights; you could use rice also). Bake in middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.

Whisk together pumpkin, half and half, milk, eggs, brown sugar, spices, and salt, then pour into shell. Bake pie in middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until filling is set but center still trembles a bit. (Filling will continue to set as pie cools.) Transfer to rack and cool completely.