Lela’s Pumpkin Pies

Here we have one of the two pumpkin pies my friend Lela brought to our Thanksgiving dinner.  Normally, I’m not a fan of pumpkin pies, they’re gritty, or slimy, the crust is soggy, or they are otherwise just not right.  But, Lela’s pies provide a well cooked crust, smooth, creamy texture, and flavorful, non-slimy filling. 

Lela was gracious enough to provide her recipe, which makes two nine inch pies—if that’s more than you can handle, the recipe is easily halved.  Enjoy!

Lela’s Pumpkin Pies
(This makes 2 pies, if you only want one, cut ingredients in half & use a 15 oz can of pumpkin.)

8 large eggs, well beaten
1 1/4 C sugar
2 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 pinches of salt
1 large can (30 oz) pumpkin
2 (12 oz.) cans evaporated milk
2 uncooked pie shells (I’m lazy, so I buy refrigerated, ready-made pie shells, but if you’re awesome at making pie pastry, by all means, do that instead.) 

In a large bowl, beat the eggs well, add sugar & spices. Stir well. Add pumpkin and evaporated milk. Stir well using a whisk. Put in 2 unbaked pie shells. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 40 minutes. Test for doneness by using a sharp knife to stab a small slit in the middle of your pies. The knife should come out perfectly clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NOTE: Lela says she uses pyrex pie plates, and it’s worth the investment to use pie crust shields to prevent the edges of the crust from burning.