Confident, mature, beautiful and flashy. This pie has definitely got some attitude. And some altitude too.

Earlier I shared a recipe for Rustic Apple-Pumpkin pie which I really, really loved.  That pie is comforting and a little more humble and unassuming.  Not like this one.  This pie is J-Lo all the way.

Rich, dense, not-too-sugared-up custard is a rare treat. Have I told you how much I love home-made puddings and custards? Tuck it into a pie between a crispy, spicy, gingersnap crust and a fluffy crown of meringue and it’s a showstopping dessert.

This recipe is inspired by the Mile-High Pumpkin Pie recipe from Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann’s  lovely Earth to Table cookbook.  Their version is for a no-bake style of pie using gelatin.

Their reason for choosing the no-bake gelatin route is that they don’t like the way baked custard pie fillings tend to cook down or deflate, which is true.  But I don’t care.

My love for that dense rich layer of custard is greater than my love for an admittedly larger layer of gelatin style filling.  And, I have gelatin issues in general so I tend to avoid it.

So, I switched the recipe back to its custard roots and added a gingersnap cookie crust. It’s rich and beautiful in all the best autumn-y ways.

Here’s the printable recipe. 

One other thing – it’s a two-fer!  Since this is a recipe I cobbled together from here, there and everywhere, there is about twice as much custard as you will be able to fit into a 9-inch piecrust.

But, this is good stuff. More rich than sweet, instead of halving the recipe, I appreciate the extra custard.

The remainder can be gently cooked in a double boiler, whisking often until it thickens into a beautiful custard/pudding. Serve drizzled with a bit of chocolate sauce & topped with homemade whipped cream and YUM!

I’ve also frozen the cooked custard for later use, and while it does suffer a bit in texture, it’s still very good.

Okay friends, it’s crunch time. What pumpkin-y dish are you planning for your holiday table this year?