Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie

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For those of you who don’t bake very often or are newly married and working on your first pie, Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie is a great one to start with.  It is very simple and pretty hard to mess up.  The only thing that usually goes wrong is under baking.  Make sure it is done per the directions.  If you have to cook it longer than the directions say, bake it longer but only in short time increments before rechecking.  I always have to bake this longer – often for 60 minutes instead of the 40-50 minutes noted in the recipe.  Maybe I make my pie thicker, in a smaller pan – who knows – you’ll figure it out and be the hit of the party.  My side of the family (and my oldest nephew – you know who you are) loves pumpkin pie with Cool Whip.  My husband’s side of the family loves Reddi-Whip a/k/a squirty stuff.  I would suggest having both on hand – who knew this could cause such a problem!

Note for Andrea:  Thank you for the special request for a pumpkin pie.  I wasn’t sure if you’re hoping to make one for Thanksgiving but be sure to check with husband because he is bringing you the leftovers to work on Monday!  So Andrea … save room for dessert!

Full Recipes to follow …
But first it’s time for the very first installment of Tricia’s baking tips!

This may seem like a very simple suggestion, but when you start to bake anything, pull out all the ingredients you will need and have them ready to go.  For example, this recipe calls for you to mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes the phone will ring right in the middle of something like this and I’m left to try and remember, “did I add the gloves already?”  The cloves look a lot like cinnamon.

To help prevent this problem, I measure the ingredients and add them to the bowl, then put away the cinnamon, or cloves or whatever it is I’m measuring.  At the very least, I move the item away from the baking area so I know I’ve already added what I needed.  This also helps me a lot in case I forget to add something.  When I look around and find something still sitting on the counter, like nutmeg, I first feel panic as I think to myself, “self – did you forget to add the nutmeg?!?!”  I re-read the recipe and found that it didn’t call for nutmeg, I obviously pulled it out thinking it was in the pumpkin pie – but it is not!  So in this instance, it was OK and I didn’t ruin the pie.  This ‘forgetfullness’ will often happen with salt or other things that disappear in your pot or bowl.

Another variation of this tip is to measure things such as sugar, cinnamon, etc and have it mixed before you even start the recipe.  If you’ve ever watched Emeril or Rachael Ray you will see they have everything measured before they begin.  This is obviously for the sake of better / quicker TV, but I think it also serves a very helpful purpose.

Tip # 2 – always use a timer when baking (yes I’m talking to you daughter Allie!)

I hope to learn how to create a printable recipe here on the blog, but in the meantime if you want to save a recipe as posted on the blog, copy and paste it into a Word document or an email, then hit print!

Pie crust  (page 288 of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)
Pastry for Single-Crust Pie

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening or lard (sheesh – I don’t even know how you buy lard!)
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water (I use 5 or 6 tablespoons VERY cold water)

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt.  Cut in shortening till pieces are the size of small peas.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork.  (Tricia’s Tip:  I add all the water all at once and use the least amount of stirring possible to get all the flour mixture moistened.  Don’t overwork the dough – stir with a fork just until it forms a ball.  At this point I also put the whole thing in the freezer for a few minutes while I clean up the area and prepare to roll it out.  10 minutes is about right.) Push mixture to side of bowl.  Repeat till all is moistened.  Form dough into a ball.  On a lightly floured surface flatten dough with hands.  Roll dough from center to edge, forming a circle about 12 inches in diameter (or 1 inch or more larger than your pie plate inverted for measuring purposes.)  Wrap pastry around rolling pin.  Unroll onto a 9-inch pie plate.  Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry.  Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate; fold under extra pastry.  Make a fluted, rope-shaped, or scalloped edge.  Bake as directed in individual recipe.

Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie
(Makes one 9 inch deep dish pie)

1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie shell (4-cup volume): refrigerated, frozen or homemade.
2 eggs
1 can (16 ounces) LIBBY’s Solid Pack Pumpkin (recipe on back of can)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 can (12 fluid ounces) undiluted CARNATION Evaporated Milk

Prepare pie shell.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl.
Beat eggs lightly in large bowl.  (I use a whisk instead of an electric mixer)
Stir in pumpkin and and sugar-spice mixture.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes (I often have to cook almost 60 minutes) or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Thanks for stopping by!  Tricia