Does anyone have a tried and true recipe for pumpkin pie? My sister's birthday is coming up and she'd rather have a pie than cake. Any suggestions are greatly welcomed!

The honey pecan pumpkin pie from epicurious is to DIE for!! It is especially good if you can get your hands on some acacia honey (easily found at middle eastern markets or italian markets). The honeyed pecans are outta this world, and the whole pie is the best pumpkin pie I've ever had. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/HONEY-PECAN-PUMPKIN-PIE-4356

Thank you for the recipe. It sounds delicious. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do the honeyed pecans because of nut allergies...but I do plan on following the rest of the recipe!

Darned nut allergies!! Too bad you can't candy something else. Hm, I wonder what would work?! Anyway although the pecans send this pie "over the top," it is excellent without them. I sure hope you agree!

The ABSOLUTE BEST pumpkin pie I've ever had/made is the recipe right off the back of the Libby's canned pumpkin. I know, it's cheating (kind of....), but for 20 yrs. now on both sides of the family I'm the one that gets nominated to bake the pumpkin pies. My MIL makes some too using her own Mother's recipe, and they don't get touched....EVER! I swear, I don't know what she does differently, but hers have this sickly greenish, gray cast to them. I've wondered if she uses an off-brand pumpkin. All I know is that family demands I bring the pies.

PS Don't get the pre-mixed Libby's pie filling, just the canned pumpkin.

Forgot to add; one of our neighbors owned several (high end) restaurants and he went ga-ga over "my" pie.....said it was the best he'd ever had! Now, I didn't tell HIM it was the Libby recipe!

Hmmm...now I don't know what to do. Both of your recommended recipes sound intriguing! I actually bought all the ingredients for the Epicurious recipe, but the canned pumpkin that I bought is Libby's! So...now I have the option to make both!

Any recommendations for a good stabilized whipped cream? I've tried the recipe with piping gel and I tend to get clumps. Thanks!

I'm sorry, I've never made stabilized whipped cream. Good luck!

I started using this recipe i found from eagle brand..
http://www.eaglebrand.com/detail.asp?rid=696

It uses sweetened condensed milk..yummy..nothing tastes bad with this stuff in it. ;0)
My family loves it. I do modify it..the only spice i use is the cinnamon as my family doesn't like the typical pumpkin pie spices.
HTH

Well I do use Libby's canned pumpkin in my epicurious pie recipe. I think you'll just have to make two pies. Bwaaahahaaaa!

I usually do the piping gel SWC recipe too, although I read in a chef's forum once (I think it was on egullet.com) a great thread, including pictures, about how you don't really HAVE to stabilize your wc, you just have to add the sugar and beat it long enough and it will remain stable all by itself as long as it is stored in plastic or glass (not metal). The trick is getting it whipped long enough without converting into butter, there is like a 5 second window so it's not easy to get that nailed. I'll post the link if I can find it. Are you sure that your clumps actually AREN'T from overwhipping the cream?? Are they really from the piping gel? I've never had that happen to me w/piping gel.

OK re: the whipped cream, here are a few interesting discussions:

egullet discussion about stabilizing whipped cream, but not the discussion I referred to above: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=55465

Rose Levy Beranbaum's technique using corn starch http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2006/03/what_is_the_best_way_to_stabil.html

egullet one with pictures involving making and storing stabilized wc made with gelatin...perhaps it will help w/use of piping gel too. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=69677&hl= An important tip is that you need to be using hi-fat heavy whipped cream. I get mine at Trader Joe's, their heavy wc is "restaurant quality" i.e. 36% fat.

aha, it's THIS egullet thread where there is a detailed discussion about not needing to use any stabilizers, but rather whipping your cream til just the right moment http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=69052

Sorry, a little OT but hope there is really GREAT information in those last two egullet threads, so I hope it helps!

Ceshell - thank you soooo much for all the links. I look forward to de-mystifying stabilized whipped cream! I will read them all tonight. My family loves whipped cream so these links will be very helpful. To answer your question about my clumps in my stabilized whipped cream - yes, they are clumps of piping gel. It's very possible that I'm not mixing it long enough, but I'm terrified of overmixing. I've been dumping the piping gel directly into the mixing bowl. Do you use a different technique? (I'm sorry if the links that you posted answer this question...I have to leave the computer now, but I promise I will read the links tonight).

A HUGE thank you to all the other posters who have shared their pumpkin pie recipes. Thank goodness the holidays are around the corner because I will need a lot of good excuses to try all these wonderful recipes!

You are most welcome, those links are fascinating! I tried the "no stabilizing agent besides sugar" two weeks ago and I must say, it worked pretty well; the wc held up in the (plastic) bowl at least 24 hours. However I did not pipe it on the cake (cake remained unrefrigerated, so people just scooped it out as desired) so I can't offer better info than that.

As for the technique using the Wilton recipe...hm..I have no idea! All I can say is, I do whatever the recipe states. I suppose I just dump it in too, there's not much else you can do with 2 Tbsp of gel. Maybe try mixing it in with the vanilla first to thin it out a wee bit??

follow the link! This one is tried, tested and true! YUMMMMMMMMY!!!!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Perfect-Pumpkin-Pie/Detail.aspx

. . . that's the same one as on the Eagle Brand site . . . it must be good . . . soooo many 5stars . . . only complaints that come up is perhaps could be alittle sweeter . . . like I said I don't like pumpkin pie . . . but I am SOOOO tempted to try this one . . .

Wow...those links are so informative! Thank you again so much! I learned a lot. I think I might try the cornstarch recipe for the stabilized whipped cream. After reading all those links I've come to the conclusion that I'm probably undermixing and that's why I'm getting those piping gel clumps. Now I just have to check the fat content on the cream that I bought! I didn't realize there are so many things to think about when making whipped cream!