This recipe is from Paula Deen of the Food Network® and it looked so good I decided to capture it as a potential entry in Food Nirvana. I will be making this pie later today as tomorrow is Thanksgiving 2012. I think the use of cream cheese, half and half and extra egg yolks will make the filling deliciously rich and creamy.

Oh boy, what I suspected sure turned out to be true. The pie is delicious. My daughter compared it to something similar to a pumpkin cheesecake but still retaining the pumpkin pie character. Need I say more? This then is the official Food Nirvana recipe for Pumpkin Pie. Thanks, Paula!

The recipe says to bake the pie at 350ºF for 50 minutes or until the center is set. In my case I used a steel pie pan and the required baking time was one hour and twenty minutes. I mention that here so that you do not become concerned if you also require a longer baking time. In any event the pie came out just fine and the crust was not dark.

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

2 cups of pureed canned pumpkin

1 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 cup of half-and-half

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of melted butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, optional

Pre-made pie dough for one pie

Whipped cream, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern.

Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up.

Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely.

Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl,.

Add the pumpkin puree and beat until combined.

Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined.

Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, the half-and-half, and the melted butter, and beat until combined.

Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set.

Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.