This was a good pie.  A very good pie.

Pumpkin Pie with Lard-Butter Crust

For the crust:

1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ t. salt
5 T. butter
5 T. lard
2-4 T. water

Mix the flour and salt. Cut the butter and lard into rough pieces, and add to the flour. Using a pastry blender, cut the fat into the flour until the largest pieces are pea-sized.

Add the water, a little bit at a time, stirring in between additions. You’re finished when the dough just holds together in a ball. Don’t let it get sticky. (If it does, add a little more flour.)

Flatten the dough into a disk about 6 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

When you’re ready to make the pie, roll the crust out on a well-floured surface (a chilled marble slab works great, but anything will do). Transfer the crust to a 9-inch pie pan, and make a nice edge around the top.

For the pie (this is a variation on the recipe in the next-to-latest version of the Joy of Cooking):

3 large eggs
2 cups pureed pumpkin (canned is excellent)
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (you can use lowfat if you like)
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to taste (see NOTE, below)
1 t. salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Then add everything else and mix well. Pour into the pie crust and bake until the center barely quivers when you jostle it, about 35-45 minutes.

NOTE: I think it’s silly to give precise quantities of spices in a dish like this. Your spices taste different from my spices, and your idea of a perfect pie may be much less spicy, or much more spicy, than mine. Use what you like, in the quantities you think will suit.

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