Emeril Lagasse’s Pumpkin Custard Pie

For pumpkin purée: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the stem off the pumpkin and discard it. Cut the pumpkin in half; scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut the halves into quarters and cut the quarters in half. Transfer the pumpkin pieces to the prepared baking sheet and drizzle them with vegetable oil. Toss to coat well. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until the pumpkin is tender (the tip of a knife should go in easily), 1 to 1 1/2hours.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it aside until the pumpkin is cool enough to handle. Then peel the skin off (if it's not pulling off easily, use a paring knife), and chop the pulp into pieces. In batches, use a wooden spoon to push the pumpkin pieces through a sieve into a mixing bowl. Discard any fibrous parts that remain in the sieve.

Clean the sieve and line it with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Transfer the pumpkin purée to the lined sieve and place the sieve over a bowl, making sure that the bottom of the sieve does not touch the bowl. Transfer this to the refrigerator and let it sit overnight to drain any excess liquid.
Discard the liquid and reserve 2 cups of the purée for the pie. Store the remaining pumpkin in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 2 months.

For the pie crust: Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to process by pulsing until the dough just comes together to form a ball (you may not need to use all of the water, or you may need a bit more).

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a flat disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to a month; thaw it in the refrigerator before using.)

For the pie: Place the pie crust dough on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it out to form a round that is about 13 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Working carefully, fit the round into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Crimp the edges decoratively and then refrigerate the shell, lightly covered, for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Lightly coat one side of a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray, and position it, greased side down, on top of the chilled pie crust. Fill the crust with pie weights (dried rice or beans work fine) and blind-bake the crust until it is just set, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper, and using a pastry brush, immediately brush the crust
lightly with the egg white. Set it aside until cooled, about 20 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

Combine 2 cups of the pumpkin purée and all the remaining ingredients (except the whipped cream) in a large mixing bowl and stir until well-blended. Pour the filling into the pie crust, and bake until the custard is set and the crust is lightly golden, about 1 hour. (If the crust begins to brown too quickly, cover it with a rim of tented foil).

Let the pie cool completely. Slice, and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.