During the holidays one of the best gifts you can give is the kind that tastes like home.

My father’s favorite, and a staple at christmas, is pumpkin pie. It is traditionally known as a Thanksgiving delicacy but, with the right ingredients it can be festive enough for Christmas, Hanukkah or any other winter holiday.

To start off I make a fluffy crust from scratch. Then, I move to the maple syrup pumpkin pie filling. To top it off I use a few dollops of whipped cream, which is usually a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients For the Crust:

• 2 and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cubed
• 3/4 cup of vegetable shortening, chilled
• 1/2 cup of ice water

Steps:

1. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Once mixed, add the butter and shortening. If mixing by hand, this process takes a little over fifteen minutes to complete.
2. Then, use two forks to cut the butter and shortening. This will create a small course bits. The texture should resemble breadcrumbs.
3. Next, measure 1/2 cup of water in a cup with ice. The temperature of the water is extremely important for this process to work smoothly. The consistency of the dough will be uneven and harder to work with if the water is not cold enough. Drizzle in about 1 tablespoon at a time and stir. Be sure not to use more than about 1/2 cup of water.  Form the dough into a ball.
4. After the dough is starting to take form of a ball transfer it to a floured surface. Use a rolling pin that has been floured flatten the dough into a size to fit your individual pie pan and still be able to cover the edges.
5. Bake the crust at 357°F (190°C) until it begins to brown around the edges. This is about 15 – 20 minutes.
6. Once it has finished, let sit on a cooling rack while making the filling.

Ingredients for The Filling:

• 2 eggs
• 15 ounces of pumpkin puree
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 ground cloves

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Whisk the pumpkin, cream, eggs, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves together.
3. Pour the filling into your crust and bake till the center is cooked. This takes roughly an hour. To avoid the edges of your crust from burning wrap small pieces of tin foil around the edges.
4. Once done take out and set for an hour to cool.

Whipped Cream Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients and whip until peaks are about to form. This can be accomplished by hand but, it is much quicker to use an electric mixer.
2. Once your pie is cool proceed to decorate it with the magical substance that is whipped cream

Once you have finished you have a perfectly delicious (and sometimes controversially-timed) dessert.