Traditional Pumpkin Pie

For the pumpkin puree:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash the pumpkin to remove any dirt. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove stem. Remove all of the seeds and stringiness from the center of the pumpkin.

Place the pumpkin halves cut-side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until skin darkens and is shriveled. The pumpkin should be very soft.

With a spoon, scoop the pumpkin out of the skin and transfer to a food processor. Puree until completely smooth.

For the pie crust:
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.

n a food processor, add flour and cold butter. Pulse a few times until lightly combined. With the motor running, add egg, cold water, and vinegar into dough. Pulse until just combined (dough might be slightly crumbly).

Remove dough from bowl and gather it into a ball with your hands. Divide the dough in half and slightly flatten it into a disc. Wrap the dough discs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Dough recipe is enough for 2 pies or 1 pie with leaf decorations.)

To assemble the pie:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add pumpkin puree and sugar mixture. Whisk in half-and-half, milk and vanilla until well combined.

On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out chilled dough into a round shape. The dough should be at least 1 inch larger than your pie dish. Carefully place the dough into the pie dish. Tuck excess dough under itself. Crimp the edges with your fingers (optional).

Pour filling into unbaked pie shell. Bake 15 minutes at 425°F. Then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 45–60 minutes or until edges seem dry and center is set but slightly jiggly. If you are going to decorate pie with leaves, roll out remaining dough and cut out leaf shapes. When the pie has been baking for 40 minutes, remove from oven and quickly lay leaf cut-outs over crust. Continue baking until pie is done.

Remove pie from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or refrigerate.