Pumpkin Pie the Easy Way

I love pumpkin pie, especially for breakfast. My all time favorite pie is pecan, but pumpkin is so versatile. It's never too heavy and it has the added advantage of all that beta carotene so its good for you! Honest!

Now that the McDonalds Monopoly game is over (and I didn't win again this year), I have to loose the ten pounds I gained as a result of eating McDonalds nine times during the month of October. I only eat McDonalds during Monopoly game time and I was very disappointed that the menu items that qualified to get game pieces were some of the worst they have!  Big Mac, large fries, 10 piece Chicken McNuggets, Fillet of Fish sandwich and the Egg McMuffin were the choices -  not the salads or the chicken wraps or anything that you could possibly consider healthy. And these were the foods that, along with a diet Coke, trigger my out of control appetite causing me to eat more all through the day and into the night! It was like being addicted to something. Truly. I didn't feel like I had control of my eating the whole month. Enough being a cry baby. Time to get back on track!

So, this is the time I make pumpkin pie with out the crust. It's so easy. Pumpkin pie filling is really just a traditional egg and milk custard. So I mix up my favorite pumpkin pie recipe, pour it into custard cups and bake it in a water bath in the oven. Voila!  I have a half dozen  or more super little desserts or quick breakfasts and avoid all the guilt of the fat laden pie crust.

The key to good pumpkin pie is good pumpkin. When I am feeling very ambitious or just want to hang out in the kitchen I cook my own pumpkin. But mostly I use a can of Libby's 100% pumpkin - not the pumpkin pie mix. The recipe on the back of the can makes a good pumpkin pie but I like to substitute brown sugar for the white sugar and I'm careful of the spices. Here's my favorite recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Custard (filling)

A 15oz can of Libby's pumpkin or 1 1/2 cups of fresh processed pumpkin

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

a little grating of nutmeg (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs lightly beaten (at room temperature if possible)

1 1/2 cups of 2% milk or a 12oz can of fat free evaporated milk

In a bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer beat the eggs lightly and add the brown sugar. Mix. Add the pumpkin and the milk and mix, then add all the spices and salt and mix well. You can just throw all the ingredients in a mixer bowl and mix the whole thing together at once but I like to make sure the eggs are well blended with the sugar and the pumpkin and the spices are evenly mixed through out. Pour the mixture in to custard cups and bake in a water bath (put cups in a baking dish and take to the oven, then pour boiling water half way up the pan). This makes seven 1/2 cup custard cups for me. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of one of the cups comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate. Now you have a low fat healthy dessert or breakfast or bed time snack. To dress it up for dessert and totally kill the low cal version, bake some pecan halves on the top. When ready to serve drizzle with carmel sauce then top with real whipped cream. But if you just eat it plain its very good and you can enjoy this treat knowing you are doing your body good!