My virgin attempt at pumpkin pie....a success!!!

Every year at Thanksgiving my mother cooks the turkey, bakes the stuffing, mashes the potatoes, and pours the drinks. And then dessert comes....and its a Sara Lee pumpkin pie which was overcooked and now rubbery. Lovely. The one pie I actually like to eat and its store bought....it just doesn't seem right after everything else was home cooked and made from scratch. So every years this happens, and every year I say to myself "I need to make a pumpkin pie." I mean literally the past 3 years I have said this and every year I disappoint myself! Well not this year!

Now every month I look forward to getting my Gourmet magazine so I can flip through the recipes and secretly wish I was an employee at the Food Network studios who could invigorate my senses with the aromas of food & wine...and get paid for it. But for now I will continue to flip through my Gourmet magazine and pretend that I am well versed in the food world, and not get paid for it. So a few weeks ago I received my November issue which of course, was dedicated to my favorite holiday...Thanksgiving. Oh the heavenly receipes for pies, stuffing, and turkey. If only I had the time, strength, and utensils to deep fry a turkey! Well moving on...I was looking for a good stuffing recipe when I stumbled across the following words....BOURBON PUMPKIN PIE. Wow...two of my favorite things, pumpkin pie and liquor! Score! This was was motivation to FINALLY make a homeade pie.

I definitely consider myself to be a good cook, but NOT a good baker. So I was alittle nervous taking on a pie receipe. So I did one small shortcut. Below is the recipe for Gourmet magazines Bourbon Pumpkin Pie, but I bought a pre-made dough that was rolled and in the refridgerator section of the grocery store. So all you have to do is roll is out over a pie tin and voila'! instant pie crust that fits perfect in a 9 inch pie, other than that I stuck to the recipe. Ok, ok.....I DID add an extra tablespoon of bourbon!

Well here is the recipe...hope everyone enjoys! I will be posting pictures shortly.

Bourbon Pumpkin Pie

• Pastry dough
• 1 (15-ounces) can pure pumpkin
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Equipment: a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate (6-cup capacity); pie weights or dried beans

• Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream (add 1 teaspoon bourbon per 1/2 cup cream if desired)

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Preparation

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round and fit into pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and lightly press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively. Lightly prick bottom all over with a fork. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes (or freeze 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shell until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool completely.

Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour into cooled shell.

Bake until edge of filling is set but center trembles slightly, about 45 minutes (filling will continue to set as it cools). Cool completely.

Cooks' note: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.