Fast & Simple Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

Litter the cold cubes of butter (1 cup) all over the flour (2 cups) and pulse to incorporate into the flour until the butter is pea-sized. Do not overmix.

With the food processor running, add ice water into the dough 1 tablespoon at a time until a cohesive dough is formed. It should just barely hold together and not be wet.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and shape into a 4 inches- diameter disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. (This can be done ahead of time.)

To roll out the dough, place the disc of dough onto a lightly-floured work surface. Then, lightly flour the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 0.25 inch thick and to a diameter that ensures you’ll have at least a 1 inch overhang of dough when draped into the pie pan.

To transfer the dough into the pan, carefully fold the dough in half, then fold in half again to form a triangle. Place the dough into the center of the pie tin and then gently unfold.

Gently trim away the excess dough, then crimp the edges.

Refrigerate the pie crust for 20 minutes to solidify the butter and to hold its shape when baking.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

To blind bake the crust, lay a piece of parchment paper into the pie dough and then fill the bottom and up the sides with dried beans or pie weights.

Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before removing the parchment paper and pie weights.

Return the crust to the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Trim and discard the stem and butt ends of the pumpkins (2). Cut in half and remove the seeds (you can clean and roast the seeds to make pepitas, if desired.). Place the halved pumpkins on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle liberally all over with olive oil and roast in the oven, cut-side-down, for 40 minutes or until very tender.

Remove from the oven, peel off the skins and put the roasted flesh into the bowl of a food processor or into a blender. Process until smooth. (If the pumpkin puree is watery, pour into a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh sieve and allow to drain of excess liquid.) Set side.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

To make the caramelized, sweetened condensed milk: In a large saucepan whisk together the milk (3 ½ cups), cream (½ cup) and sugar (1 cup). Heat over medium-high until small bubbles form around the perimeter of the pot. Do not boil. Immediately reduce the heat to medium and slowly simmer for about 25 minutes, whisking intermittently, until the sweetened milk is reduced down to 1.25 cups. (You’ll know when the milk is close to desired consistency when it bubbles violently when whisked.) Pour into a heat-safe jar or liquid measuring cup and set aside to cool completely.

To make the filling, weigh and add 15 ounces of the roasted pumpkin puree (15 oz) into a large bowl. Then weigh and add 0.25 cup of the sweetened condensed milk (1 ¼ cups). Whisk to combined.

Add the eggs (2 large) and yolk (1) and whisk to thoroughly combine.

Add the salt (½ tsp), ginger (1 tsp), cinnamon (1 ½ tsp), clove (¼ tsp), nutmeg (1 pinch) and vanilla extract (2 tsp). Whisk until smooth.

Pour the pie filling into the baked pie crust. Gently tap the pie on the counter to release any air bubbles. Pop any air bubbles that rise to the surface with the tip of a knife.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour - 1 hour, 10 minutes until the custard is completely set.

Place onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.