Diner Pumpkin Pie - 1940's Recipe!
Pumpkin Pie Recipe served at my Great Uncle's Diner, JOHN & RUBY'S, in Pilot Pint, TX in the 1940's.
Ingredients
Diner Style Pie Crust:
- 1 c. all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. shortening (for an all butter pie crust, see my Southern Sweet Potato Pie recipe)
- 3 3/4 Tbsp. water, room temperature
John's Pumpkin Filling:
- 1 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
- 1 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. molasses
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 c. evaporated milk, or whole milk
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
For the crust:
- In a mixing bow, stir together the flour and salt. Cut the shortening into the flour using a blending fork or pastry blender forming pea size crumbles. Drizzle in the room temp water. Gently mix the dough together being careful not to over mix. Bring the dough together in a ball using your hands. Roll out to fit anstandard size 9 inch pie plate. Crimp the edges of the dough and set aside. (See video for how to mix the dough.)
For the filling:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Whisk in molasses. Whisk in eggs until fully combined. Add milk and whisk to combine.
- Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 and bake an additional hour. All ovens are different, so keep check on the browning. You may need to add a foil pie crust shield around the edge to prevent over browning. When a knife tested in the middle comes out clean, its all finished baking. Allow to cool fully before serving.
For the topping:
- In a chilled mixing bowl, whip together the heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat until nice and thick. Chill until ready to serve. Add a large dollop of cream to each slice of pumpkin pie and top with a little extra cinnamon and ginger. Enjoy!