Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

I made my own pumpkin pie from scratch using a fresh pumpkin. It is way easier than it sounds, and it is loads of fun too. My husband and I bought a 3 lb pie pumpkin, which yielded almost 3 cups of pumpkin after I roasted and mashed it. I find that roasting the pumpkin instead of steaming makes it less watery; and mashing it with a fork gives it a good texture. I also used seven ounces of evaporated milk instead of one can and palm sugar in place of granulated sugar. For the pie crust I used graham crackers, butter, and stevia (or any sweetener you prefer) and processed them in the food processor until they are well blended.

Ingredients

1 ½ cup pumpkin

7 ounces evaporated milk

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 large eggs

pinch of nutmeg

1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream

For pie shell:

1 small package of Graham crackers

6 tablespoons butter, chilled

dash of stevia or 1 tablespoon of sugar

Direction

1. Cut your pie pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and extra strings. Place both halves on a foil lined baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake your pumpkin at 350˚ for about one and a half hours or until tender. Scoop out the flesh, which should be quite soft and mash the pumpkin using a fork.

1. Process graham crackers, butter, and stevia or sugar in a food processor for a minute or until mixture is well blended. Distribute crumbs evenly on bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-inch plate.

2. In a large bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, salt and nutmeg; mix well. Gradually, stir in evaporated milk.

3. Pour into pie shells. Bake in 425F degrees preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F degrees; bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool and serve with whipped cream on top.

Note: You can also puree the pumkin using a hand-held or regular blender, but i find mashing the pumpkin with a fork gives it a good texture.