Pumpkin Pie — American Thanksgiving Custard Pie

Halve the pumpkin and remove the seeds. Place it cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast at 200°C / 390°F for 35 minutes. It is ready when a knife slides in without resistance. Scoop the flesh from the skin, purée it, and transfer it to a fine-mesh strainer. Let excess liquid drain until you have 450 g purée; pumpkin that has not drained will make the filling too loose to set.

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Rub in the cold, cubed butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the ice water and press just until the dough comes together. Roll it out to 3 mm thick, fit it into a 24 cm pie pan, trim the edges, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Line the dough with parchment paper, fill it with dry beans, and bake at 190°C / 375°F for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and bake for 4 minutes more; the bottom should look matte, with no glossy, wet spots. Lower the oven to 175°C / 345°F.

Whisk the drained pumpkin purée with the eggs, dark brown sugar, heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, and salt until smooth. Do not whip in air: bubbles rise to the surface during baking and leave craters in the filling. It should coat the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger should stay open.

Pour the filling into the warm crust and bake at 175°C / 345°F for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 160°C / 320°F and bake for 32 minutes more. The filling should be set 5 cm in from the edge, while a 6 cm circle in the center wobbles together when the pan is shaken. Cover the crust edge with a strip of foil if it gets too dark.