Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds (save to make roasted pumpkin seeds).
Place pumpkin cut side down on baking tray. Bake 35-45 minutes or until pumpkin is fork tender and cooked through. Cool. Remove pumpkin flesh from the skin. Puree pumpkin using an immersion blender or food processor.
Place oven rack on the lowest rack and preheat to 425˚F.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Whisk 3 cups pumpkin puree into the eggs, then whisk the brown sugar in. Add flour, pumpkin spice, vanilla, and salt to the mixture and whisk again. Whisk in heavy cream until combined, then pour into unbaked pie shell**.
Bake at 425˚F for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350˚F. Bake for 35-45 additional minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve, overnight if possible. Serve with whipped cream.
Notes
*The pumpkin used in this recipe was 4 pounds 11 ounces and made 4 cups of pumpkin puree.
**There may be a little extra filling depending on the pie crust size. Pop it into a greased glass dish and microwave for about 4-5 minutes to enjoy a little sneak-a-peek of the pie!
Sprinkle a little flour and sugar on the crust before adding the batter to keep the crust from becoming soggy.
Do no overcook the pie as it can cause cracks in the surface. If cracks do occur, cover them with whipped cream decoration.
Refrigerate homemade pumpkin pie, covered with plastic wrap or in a container, for about 4 days.
Bake ahead, cool completely and freeze, or freeze the leftovers! It comes out perfectly from the freezer, simply thaw in the refrigerator.