Pumpkin pie recipe: the 1796 American custard pie

This pumpkin pie recipe follows Amelia Simmons' American Cookery of 1796: a spiced pumpkin custard poured into a blind-baked crust and set at a gentle heat, so it slices clean instead of cracking.

Printed in Hartford, Connecticut, Simmons' book is described by the Library of Congress as the first cookbook written by an American and published in the United States. Its two “pompkin” puddings baked in pastry, spiced with nutmeg, mace and ginger, swapped the sliced pumpkin of English pies for a custard. By the late 1800s the pie was expected on every Thanksgiving table.

Simmons gave no quantities for spice or sugar, so the proportions below are ours. Leftover squash goes into Mantua's tortelli di zucca.

A pumpkin pie is done while it still wobbles; the cooling rack finishes the job.

Ingredients

• 200 g plain flour
• 120 g cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 3–4 tbsp iced water
• 425 g thick pumpkin purée, homemade or tinned
• 140 g dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground mace
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 3 large eggs
• 250 ml double cream

Method

1. Rub the butter into the flour and caster sugar, then add the yolk and just enough water to bind. Chill for 30 minutes: cold fat gives flaky layers and the rest stops the crust shrinking.
2. Roll to 3 mm, line a 23 cm pie dish and chill for 15 minutes. Blind-bake at 190 °C with paper and beans for 15 minutes, then 8 minutes uncovered; a raw base turns soggy under a wet custard.
3. For homemade purée, roast halved squash at 200 °C until soft, blend it and drain it in a sieve for 30 minutes. Excess water makes the filling split.
4. Whisk the purée with the brown sugar, molasses, spices and salt, then the eggs, then the cream. Stir rather than beat, or trapped air rises as foam and pits the top.
5. Lower the oven to 165 °C, pour the filling into the warm crust and bake for 50–60 minutes, until the edge is set and the centre still wobbles, about 80 °C on a probe.
6. Cool on a rack for at least two hours; residual heat finishes setting the middle.

Which pumpkin, and how to avoid cracks

Carving pumpkins are watery and stringy; dense squash such as butternut or kabocha gives a thicker purée. Cracks come from overbaking or cooling too fast, so take the pie out while the centre still moves. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Pumpkin pie recipe FAQ

Can I use canned pumpkin? Yes, if it is plain purée rather than pre-sweetened, pre-spiced pie filling.

How far ahead can I make it? Bake it the day before and keep it covered in the fridge; the custard firms up and slices more cleanly.

Can I freeze pumpkin pie? Yes, well wrapped, for up to a month; thaw it overnight in the fridge.