Pumpkin Pie

Filling:

I follow the recipe from the back of the Libby's can. Nothing else I've tried tastes as good to me!

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) CARNATION Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

Crust:

This year I used a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. The crust comes out nice and flaky and gets nicely browned on the bottom. I still haven't mastered how to keep the crust around the edges from overcooking (even with pie shields), but this is a great crust. This is a double-crust pie, so you'll have leftover or you can try to cut it in half.

Pie Dough:
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening (chilled)
6 to 8 tablespoons water (iced)

For the crust:
1. Mix flour, salt and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with some flour. cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl. (I think that using a food processor is an excellent way to make crust. The key to a flaky crust is to not over-handle the dough. It always takes me much longer to get the dough to the right consistency if I use a pastry cutter than if I use the processor.)

2. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into two balls with your hands, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten into 4-inch-wide disks. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.

To bake the pie:
Combine filling ingredients in order given; pour into pie crust. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees, reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and bake an additional 30 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool; garnish if desired with whipped topping. (My pies take a lot longer to cook because I use stoneware. Plan on at least an hour if you use a heavy stoneware-type dish.)