Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie

"Menu Description: "Our famous pumpkin pie has just the right amount of spice." The vittles from Marie Callender's have made an impression beyond the chains West Coast roots with home-style packaged entrees and side dishes available in frozen food sections of supermarkets across the country. But pie making is where the chain excels. A fresh slice of a Marie Callender's pie is as close as you'll get to homemade heaven this side of GrandMa's porch window. This clone is an obvious selection, since the restaurant sells more pumpkin pies than any other, even in non-holiday months. This clone is a perfect opportunity to I'mprove on icky pumpkin pie recipes like those found on cans of canned pumpkin, for example in many ways. For one thing, there's no need to use canned evaporated milk when fresh whole milk and cream is so much better. Also, I've added a little brown sugar in there to contribute hints of molasses that go so well with the pumpkin and spices. And three eggs, versus two found in many recipes, will add to the richness and firmness of the cooked filling. After mixing the filling well let it sit for a bit while waiting for the oven to preheat. This way it can come closer to room temperature, and the pie filling will bake more evenly. And then, of course, you've got the crust. Marie Callender's pie crust is a treat, and the clone recipe included here - which uses a chilled combination of butter and shortening - results in the perfect mix of flavor and flakiness. Source: "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" by Todd Wilbur...."