Crustless Pumpkin Pie

I love pie.  Wait, no, let me say that again ... I.  LOVE.  PIE.  Pie has to be my most favorite dessert of all time.  At the top of that list?  Definitely cherry pie -- homemade all-butter crust and filling bursting with a mountain of tart-sweet sour cherries.  It's best served slightly warm or room-temperature, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Other favorites?  Double-crust apple pie (keep your streusel topping away from my pie, people!), strawberry-rhubarb, fresh strawberry, any double-crust berry, lemon-merengue, banana cream, coconut cream, peach, shoo-fly, custard, sweet potato, aaaaaaand ... pumpkin.

Pumpkin pie has got to be one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner, and growing up, pies were almost always homemade.  (My dad happens to be the pie chef -- thanks for teaching me that making pie crust is not a scary endeavor, Dad!)  Can I just say what horrors rocked our Thanksgiving table when my grandmother decided we were going to have pumpkin ice cream one year?  GAH.  No good.  I also have a fond memory of my grandfather, typically a pretty quiet guy who loves to eat, working his way through his second plate of Thanksgiving dinner several years ago.  There was a lull in the conversation, grandpa looked up from his plate, said quietly, "oh ... there's pie ...!" and promptly set down his fork, leaving the remaining turkey and sides on his plate, untouched.  Fantastic!  A man who has his priorities straight, if you ask me.  :)

This Thanksgiving, I've been trying to figure out how I can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner without making myself totally ill ... I've found that, after months of healthy eating, my body just can't handle desserts and heavy, rich foods like it used to be able to.  Kind of a good thing and kind of a bummer at the same time!  I decided to try a crustless pumpkin pie a few weeks ago, and I was thrilled with the results.

I can't wait to make another one of these next week!  I seriously love Thanksgiving, maybe even more than Christmas.  It's a holiday devoted entirely to food!  Weeeeeeeeee!  Anyone else ridiculously excited for the impending cooking extravaganza?

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

serves 6

Ingredients:

2 eggs

one 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 c full-fat coconut milk or half-and-half

1/2 c maple syrup (the real stuff)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease and flour a pie plate (or six 8-ounce ramekins.)

2. Whisk together the pumpkin pie filling ingredients until smooth and well-blended.  Pour into the pie plate (or divide evenly among the ramekins.)

3. Bake a whole pie for about 45 minutes, ramekins for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool completely before serving.  (The pie will cut best after chilling.)

What is your favorite pie on Thanksgiving?  Or do you prefer a different dessert?  (I'll forgive you, I promise...!)