Fall for me is generally characterized by crisp air, apple picking, country fairs, sweaters, leaves, and all things pumpkin. With today being the first day of fall, I thought pumpkin pie was an appropriate post to celebrate the beginning of the best time of the year. For as long as I can remember, the Fannie Farmer Cookbook has provided my family with any basic recipe you could think of; pumpkin pie included. When I was younger, I knew fall was finally here once my dad made his first pumpkin pie of the year. Being in college, it’s still nice to hold on to some of those traditions like baking pie, venturing out to the Big E, going apple picking, and more.

This pie tastes like the epitome of fall with the combination of pumpkin, spices, and flaky crust. Because everything is generally better with whipped cream, a warm slice of pie topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream is wonderful as well. It’s also fantastic for breakfast, dessert, or any time in between. Now that it’s September I think it’s more acceptable to eat cosy, spice filled, pumpkin-y food all the time, pie included (I have no shame). Also, don’t let the homemade crust scare you, it’s the easiest thing you’ll ever make, I promise. So here’s to traditions, autumn, pie, and just an overall lovely time of year!

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Pumpkin Pie

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3-4 tablespoons cold water

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the dough will hold together when pressed gently into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge at least 30 minutes.

After chilling the dough, roll the disc of dough into a circle, with the diameter being about 2 inches larger than the pie pan. Gently fit it into the pan, trim the edges and tuck under so the top of the crust and pie plate are even, and crimp the edges.

For the filling: 

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 15-oz can of pumpkin

1 12-oz can evaporated milk

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Pour into the pie plate lined with the prepared pastry dough. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 300 F and bake until filling is firm when the pie plate is gently shaken, about 45 minutes.

Serves: 12

*Recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook