Pumpkin Pie

Source: Serious Eats, Condensed Milk, Toasted Sugar

Ingredients

Condensed Milk

• 32 oz milk (any percentage, 4 cups, 910g)
• 6 oz heavy cream (3/4 C; 170g)
• 7 oz toasted sugar (1 C, 195g)
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• vanilla bean split lengthwise, cinnamon stick (optional)

Pumpkin pie

• 14oz honeynut squash puree from ~2-3 honey squashes
• 19oz sweetened condensed milk (2 cups, 540g)
• 1/2 oz vanilla extract or bourbon (1 Tbsp, 15g)
• 1.5 tsp ground ginger
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1 oz unsalted butter, melted and warm (2 Tbsp, 30g)
• 3 large eggs, cold
• 
  
• 1 pie dought crust

Directions

1. Toast sugar: Add 1 cup of sugar to an aluminum foil lined pan and bake in a 275°F  toaster oven for 1 hour or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes.
2. Condensed milk: 
1. Combine milk, cream, sugar, salt, and optional aromatics into a 5quart stainless steel saucier. Weight and pot and ingredients to track reduction. Place over medium heat, sitting occasionally with heat resistant spatula until simmers, about 12 minutes
2. Continue simmers for 30 minutes, scapring continuously to prevent a build up from forming on the sides. When it turns foamy, it's almost done. Keep stirring until foam goes away and mixture condenses to 2 cups for 19 oz. The pot will weigh 26oz less than when started
3. Honeynut squash
1. Adjust your oven rack to the lower-middle position and pre-heat to 400°F. Split squash lengthwise, remove pulp and seeds, and place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast until fork tend, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, puree in a food processor until smooth. Measure out 14oz of the puree.
4. Par-bake the pie crust in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes
5. Custard: whisk the honeynut squash puree, condensed milk, vanilla extract, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, salt, cloves, butter, eggs in a large bowl and pour into the par-baked pie crust. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes then lower the heat to 350°F and bake for ~25 minutes more or until a knife in the center of the pie comes out clean.

Notes: After comparing this recipe with others, I removed the brown sugar. Tasted really good, best filling I've ever tasted! Make sure NOT to bake this on the baking steel or the crust is too crunchy and tough. Be sure to eat with ice cream.