Maple Pumpkin Pie

This pie is always a huge hit at Thanksgiving. It's perfectly silky and smooth, and not too sweet. The key is to par-bake the crust before adding the filling and baking it - this prevents the bottom from getting soggy. It is an extra step, but it's so so worth it! When doing this you have to place something heavy on top of the pie dough to keep it from puffing up - use pie weights if you have it, otherwise dried beans do the trick just as well.

The filling itself is made up of a number of easily findable ingredients, and the maple syrup really adds a nice depth of flavor. Serve with whipped cream and / or vanilla ice cream, and your Thanksgiving guests will be thanking you!

I like to make my own pie dough for this recipe, and I use a food processor to make it (it takes less than 5 minutes!) but you can of course do it by hand in a mixing bowl or buy a pre-made pie shell (in the freezer section) if you prefer.

This recipe works for a 9-10inch pie pan. Serves 8