Edible Landscaping - Best-Ever Pumpkin Pie

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by Sandra Oliver

There's nothing like the smell and taste of a fresh pumpkin pie hot out of the oven. It is the quintessential autumn comfort food. Here's a classic, easy-to-make recipe that features earthy spices and not too much sugar. Enjoy!

• Pie dough for one crust (recipe follows)
• 2 cups pumpkin puree (from a 3- to 5-pound pumpkin), well drained
• 1 1/2 cups milk (or one 12-ounce can evaporated milk)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or molasses, or a combination of the two)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Rum, bourbon, or vanilla, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a 9-inch pie tin with one crust. With a mixer or wooden spoon, mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar or molasses, spices, salt, and flavoring. Pour into pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 F., then reduce the heat to 350 F. and bake for 45 minutes longer or until center jiggles slightly when pan is shaken. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup chilled vegetable shortening, cut into four cubes
• Ice water

Toss the flours together in a broad bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender, two knives, or better yet, your food processor. Blend until mixture looks like coarse meal. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing flour and shortening mixture with a rubber spatula after each addition until a ball of dough begins to form. Add only enough to make the dough cling together. Chill. Roll out to fit a 9-inch pie pan.

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Charlie Nardozzi is an award winning, nationally recognized garden writer, speaker, radio, and television personality. He has worked for more than 30 years bringing expert gardening information to home gardeners through radio, television, talks, tours, on-line, and the printed page. Charlie delights in making gardening information simple, easy, fun and accessible to everyone. He's the author of 6 books, has three radio shows in New England and a TV show. He leads Garden Tours around the world and consults with organizations and companies about gardening programs. See more about him at Gardening With Charlie.

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