Amahh-zing Pumpkin Pie with Streusel Topping

The pie crust

1 1/3 cups of unbleached flour

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon of fresh finely grated gingerroot

¼ teaspoon of allspice

½ cup of cold butter

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons of ice water, or a little more

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and spices till nicely blended. Next, cut in the butter till you have a coarse crumbly dough. In a small bowl, whip the egg yolk and the water together then slowly pour it into the butter mix, while tossing with a fork, till the mixture forms into moist clumps. Add a little more water here, if the dough seems too dry. Form into a ball with your hands and put in a plastic bag in the fridge for 20 minutes to overnight. It is good to microwave it for a few seconds before you work with it or it is hard as a rock!

The filling

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

Or 15 oz of homemade pumpkin puree

1 cup heavy cream or half and half or coconut milk (I left the cream out the last time I made it and it was still delicious)

½ cup of sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons of honey

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

½ teaspoon of ground ginger

¼ teaspoons of cloves

½ teaspoon of allspice

½ teaspoon of nutmeg

¼ teaspoon of salt

Make your lovely ginger pie crust mix. Roll out the dough to the size of a 9 inch pie plate between to pieces of wax paper. Place the crust in your pie pan and trim and flute the crust to your pleasure. Stick in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and tuck the pie crust in the oven, filled with dried beans or pie weights and edges covered, to cook for about 10 minutes. Pour out the beans and cook for another 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool while you whip up the filling.

In a large mixing bowl, blend together all the ingredients for the filling till frothy. Pour into pie crust and bake 50 minutes or until the middle of the pie is still wiggly and the edges have set. (While the pie is baking mix up the streusel.) Sprinkle the streusel topping on it and bake for another 10 or 15 minutes till the streusel is golden brown.

The streusel

½ cup of unbleached flour

¼ cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

¼ cup of butter

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

½ cup chopped pecans

¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped fine (optional)

Whisk together the flour and spices. Cut the butter into small pieces and work into the flour till it is crumbly. Stir in the pecans and ginger, then sprinkle on the pie and bake as directed. You can never have enough streusel!