Pumpkin Pie

One of my family's most favorite desserts is pumpkin chiffon pie. My sister-in-law gave her recipe to me for the first Thanksgiving after I was married. I have been making the pie for many years but never often enough to satisfy my family. They always wanted more. This week I wanted to make the pie to serve to company but didn't have the time to make a pie crust. I simply made the pie filling and poured it into individual serving dishes. After it was cool, I covered each dish with plastic wrap. I served it as a pudding with whipped cream on top. It tasted just like pumpkin pie but without the fats from the crust to raise my cholesterol! I'll admit that my husband prefers the pie to the pudding, and I'm sure that my children would also. The recipe is as follows. Pumpkin Chiffon Pie 3 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar (white or brown) 1 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin 1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/4 cup cold water 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 3 stiff beaten egg whites 1/2 cup sugar 1 baked pie shell Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick. Add pumpkin, milk, salt, and spices. Cook in double boiler until thick. Dissolve gelatin in cold water. Add gelatin to pumpkin mixture. Stir until completely dissolved. Beat egg whites until thick. Then add 1/2 cup sugar. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Pour into pie shell and chill for at least two hours.