FRESH PUMPKIN PIE

Sing with me.... All I want for Christmas is a new digital, a new digital, a new digital. All I want for Christmas is a new digital..... then I can take better picture!! Pictures! LOL
Well, I think you can get the idea anyway. Have you ever made a pumpkin pie using fresh pumpkin? There is NO comparison! This version is so light and smooth, you almost forget you're eating pumpkin! And we like just a "tad" extra Cool Whip on ours! Ha ha! It really isn't hard at all to make this. You should give it a trial run before Thanksgiving, so you can surprise & impress your family with it!

FRESH PUMPKIN PIE

1 medium sugar pumpkin (2 cups cooked & mashed)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

Crust:

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 400. Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy portions. Lay pumpkin flesh side down on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool just until warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Puree in food processor or blender.
Prepare pie crust by mixing together the flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour, add 1 tablespoon water to mixture at a time. Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together. With lightly floured hands, shape dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board, roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inches larger than the upside down 8-9 inch pie pan. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right side up on to the pie pan. Unroll, ease dough into the bottom of the pie pan.
In a large bowl,with mixer on medium speed, beat the 2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin, heavy whipping cream, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well (will be thinner than a normal pumpkin pie) Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a butter knife inserted comes out clean.

*If you have extra pumpkin left - you can use it to make pancakes, muffins, cookies, milkshakes, etc...