Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

Heat the oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the Flaky Piecrust dough (reserve a small clump in the refrigerator for making the leaf ornaments for the pie). Line a 9-inch pie plate with the rolled crust and crimp the edges. Cover the pie plate with plastic wrap and chill it while you make the filling.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the sugars and eggs with a whisk. Stir in the spices. Then use a wooden spoon to mix in the pumpkin. Finally, stir in the half and half until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the filling into the pie shell (you will have a bit of filling leftover, which you can use to make mini pumpkin pies). Bake for 10 minutes at 450º. Then reduce the heat to 350º and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

While the pumpkin pie is baking, roll out the reserved pie dough and cut out miniature leaves or other holiday shapes. (You can buy inexpensive leaf-shaped cookie cutters at a kitchen or party supply store, or you can make your own leaf template.) Bake the leaf shapes on the baking tray of a toaster oven at 350º or in the oven alongside the pie for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly brown.

When the timer sounds, jiggle the pie to make sure the filling has set (it will still be moist in the center). Arrange the prebaked leaves on top of the pie. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 8.