The peanut butter is enough to disrupt tradition, but subtle enough that it won’t upset any Thanksgiving traditionalists sitting at your table.

I think it’s worth the extra effort to roast your own pumpkin (try the Sugar Pie variety) and puree it. But if you’re using pumpkin from a can, the peanut butter does a good job of covering up that “can” flavor. Just make sure to get pumpkin “puree” and not “filling.”

Filling
2 c (or one 15 oz can) pureed pumpkin, (see puree recipe below)
3 T creamy peanut butter
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c milk
3 eggs
3/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
a pinch of cloves

*To roast the pumpkin yourself, heat an oven to 375°. Slice the pumpkin in half, scrapping the seeds for another use. Roast facing down on a piece of parchment for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, until tender, piercing with a fork to check. When cool, scrap out the flesh into a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth.

Crust
1 recipe pie crust

Whipped Cream
1 c heavy whipping cream
1-2 T powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Prepare the crust. Roll it out into a circle a little larger than the 9 inch pan. Next fold it in half, and then in half again, and then unfold it into the pan. Set in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°.
3. Combine the ingredients for the filling into a bowl and gently whisk until evenly mixed and smooth.
4. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. The center should wiggle a teenie bit.