This recipes comes from Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts cookbook.  Its flavorful spice satin filling is a perfect combination with its flaky buttery pie crust!  Serve with whip cream or organic vanilla ice cream,

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Pie Dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes

2 large egg yolks

2-4 tablespoons ice water

In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt.  Add the butter piece by piece and pulse until it resembles coarse meal.  Add yolks and drizzle 2 tablespoons water evenly over mixture.  Pulse until dough just comes together, no more than 30 seconds.  If dough is to dry add another tablespoon water and pulse.  Divide dough in half, shaping each piece into a disk and wrap in plastic.  Chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days.  You can freeze it up 3 months.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round, 1/8-inch thick.   Fir into a 9-inch pie plate.  Trim excess dough flush with rim.  Pierce bottom of shell all over with a fork.  Chill until firm for 30 minutes.

On a floured surface roll out the scraps of dough.  Use a 1-inch leaf shaped-cutter, cut out 40 leaves from dough.  Transfer cutouts to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Using a paring knife, etch veins in each leaf.  Chill until ready for use.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush one side of each leaf with egg wash.  Arrange leaves, slightly overlapping, around edge of crust, making sure they do not extend over edge, to prevent them from browning too quickly.  Lightly brush bottom of each leaf with egg wash as you work.  Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line pie shell with parchment; fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Carefully remove weights and parchment, and continue to bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.  Let cool on rack and keep oven on.

Pie Filling

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 1/2 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree, canned or fresh

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients.  Pour filling into partially cooked pie shell.  Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until edges are set but center is still slightly wobbly, 35-40 minutes.  Tranfer plate to a wire rack to cool completely.  Serve with whipped cream.