Classic pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick

November 23, 2010

Classic Pumpkin Pie with a Leaf Lard Crust

Name: Classic Pumpkin Pie
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ginger; 1/2 teaspoon cloves; 6 large eggs; 1 large can of pure pumpkin, 29 ounces (without spices added); 1 1/3 cups heavy cream; 2 unbaked 9-inch pie shells (there is enough filling for two deep-dish pies); Whipped cream for serving (sweeten with some sugar, and add vanilla to taste. A slosh or Grand Marnier or bourbon will make your topping even more festive!); 2 1/2 cups flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon sugar; 12 tablespoons cold butter, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces; 8 tablespoons lard, leaf lard preferred, cold, and cut into pieces similar size to the butter.; 6-8 tablespoons ice water or enough till crust just holds together when pinched between your fingers; 1 egg yolk; 1 tablespoon of cream

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This Classic Pumpkin Pie with a Leaf Lard Crust is an adaptation of the famous Libby’s pumpkin pie on their canned pumpkin labels. No other pie will suffice when it comes to my family!

A few simple tweaks push this already delicious pumpkin pie recipe over the top!! This recipe makes the perfect pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving celebration.

The BEST Classic Pumpkin Pie Recipe

The boys and I are heading to Iowa to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. Hubby is staying home with Katie as she recently got a job (hooray!), and needs to be at work at 3:55 AM on Black Friday. I made a turkey breast and stuffing on Saturday night so the two of them would get some traditional holiday food.

Today, I made two pumpkin pies. One to stay and one to go. Around here it must be the classic, traditional pumpkin pie recipe on the label of Libby’s pumpkin can. No pumpkin mousse. No pumpkin souffle. No bruleed topping. But I have snuck in a few tweaks so that are subtle enough that the picky ol’ husband hasn’t noticed.

Classic Pumpkin Pie in a white ceramic pie plate on a red and white checked napin

Tips for Making a Classic Pumpkin Pie

Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe was my go-to Thanksgiving pie recipe for years. But a few tweaks have made it even better!

First up is to swap out the evaporated milk for cream. The cream has a bit more water than evaporated milk but adds a boost of richness and, of course, creaminess.
And to counteract that extra liquid, I bump up the number of eggs from two to three per pie. Again, more fat, more richness. It’s for Thanksgiving after all!
A touch of bourbon or Grand Marnier in the whipped cream along with pure vanilla extract also makes for a more elegant dessert, just use a quality liquor or liqueur.

Also, if you can muster the nerve to make a homemade pie crust, it will take your pie to the next level. Using lard makes for the flakiest crust ever, but don’t use those boxes of lard you can find sitting on the grocer’s shelves. Check your meat market for REAL lard, and even leaf lard if you can find it. That’s the absolute best lard for pie crust.
Note that crusts made with all lard are difficult to roll and shape, so I use part lard and part butter. See below for more information on leaf lard.

Leaf Lard Crust

I was lucky enough to score some leaf lard for my holiday pie crusts. The last lard I purchased bore no resemblance to the lard my mom used to deep fry the annual Christmas rosettes. The real deal gave the house a vague smell of pork for a couple of days, but the fragile, crispy cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar were worth that inconvenience.

Beware of lard that is sitting on the shelf next to the Crisco. It’s not good stuff! My friend, Jill, took me across the Indiana countryside to the Ladoga branch of Moody’s Meats. The hospitable owners, Adam and Lucy, greeted us, and we got a behind the scene tour.

The lard is hand-rendered on site, and I could hardly wait to use it for my pie crust. They have four stores in the Indianapolis area. A top-notch leaf lard crust made this pumpkin pie one of my best. I use a butter and lard recipe that was printed in the New York Times. You’ll love this Libby’s classic pumpkin pie on steroids!!!

Wishing all my readers and friends a most wonderful Thanksgiving. As always, I am blessed and humbled that so many of you take the time to stop by and check out my recipes.

How Do You Keep a Pumpkin Pie from Cracking?

Even though my family does not care if there is a crack in our pumpkin pie, I’d prefer to have a picture-worthy holiday dessert. Here are a few ways to minimize cracking.

Pumpkin pie will crack when the eggs in the filling are overcooked. This could be due to a too hot oven or too much time in the oven. Note that even a pie that’s pristine when it comes out of the oven can still crack. The pie continues to cook due to residual heat, even out of the oven.

Start with a good, well-tested recipe.

Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven temperature is accurate. Preheat your oven and let it come to temperature before putting your pie in the oven.

Bake on the lower rack.

You can use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature in the middle of the pie (aim for about 170 degrees). But piercing the pie can encourage cracking. If you’re baking two pies and are willing to risk one of them, this trick will let you know the proper timing for your oven.

Alternatively, pull the pie out of the oven with the middle still jiggles like jello. According to the King Arthur Flour website, when the middle 4 inches of the pie jiggles, but the rest is set, your pie can come out of the oven.

Tip of the Day

If your pie filling happens to crack, make sure to bake up some pumpkin or leaf cutouts with your extra pastry dough. These can be artfully arranged atop your pie and no one with ever know!

More Pumpkin Desserts You’ll Love:

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Lasagna from The Cookie Rookie
Pumpkin Pie Bars from Texan Erin Baking
Classic Pumpkin Bread
Libbys Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Easy Pumpkin Fudge
Caramel Topped Pumpkin Cheesecake
More Dessert Recipes

Used in This Recipe:

9-Inch Ceramic Pie Plate
French Rolling Pin
Slipat Non-Stick Silicone Commercial Size Baking Mat(I love using this large silicone mat to roll out doughs and pie crusts. It keeps the mess contained, so I just roll up the crumbs when I’m finished!)
KitchenAid K 7 Cup Food Processor (Excellent for making pie crusts. I find this much easier to use than my previous Cuisinart)