I like pumpkin but the spices that go along with the pumpkin are my favorite part. Ginger, cloves and especially cinnamon are so delicious with pumpkin. This recipe, therefore, emphasizes all of the spices but not so much that the taste of pumpkin is lost. There is still a wonderful pumpkin flavor but the spices are more in the forefront than in a lot of pumpkin pies.

Pumpkin pie is my dad’s favorite pie. I always make it for his birthday which is in the middle of October. This conveniently happens to be prime pumpkin season here in Central New York.

The pumpkin custard is irresistibly smooth and flavorful in this pie. In fact, the custard is so good I have made it without the pie crust before. If you aren’t a pie crust fan or love pumpkin custard, try baking the filling on its own. Follow the same instructions but just pour the filling into a pie plate or casserole dish without a crust and bake it until the custard is done. It is really good!

Ingredients

• 1- 15 ounce can pumpkin
• 1 cup milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• Single 9 inch pie crust

Whisk all of the ingredients together and pour into the pie crust. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for about 80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.