To make a pumpkin pie from scratch, you’ll first need to cook the pumpkin meat. Pop off the stem, poke a few slits in the top of the pumpkin with a knife, and then place the whole pumpkin directly into a 350° oven. Cook until the flesh is tender and soft (at that point, the skin might look slightly brown and burnt, but that’s okay). Remove pumpkin from the oven and let cool on the counter or in the fridge. You can cut in half at this point to speed cooling. Once cooled enough that you can handle it without burning yourself, you should be able to peel off the skin (which will feel leathery) and pull the flesh apart in chunks. The seed cavity will also easily remove from the flesh. If you’re not using it immediately, you can store your cooked pumpkin in the fridge for use later in any recipe calling for canned pumpkin—simply mash or puree before use.
Pumpkin pie filling (we’ll leave the crust recipe up to the experts—we recommend The King Arthur Flour Baking Companion): Mix 1½ c. cooked and mashed pumpkin, 1/3 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. white sugar, 1 t. cinnamon, ½ t. ginger, ¼ t. nutmeg, ½ t. salt, 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1½ c. milk, and ½ c. cream or evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake 10 minutes at 450°; then lower heat to 300° and bake until firm (about 45 minutes). For spicier filling, add ¼ t. cloves.
