Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie

There are thousands—maybe tens of thousands—of pumpkin pie recipes out there, and almost all of them contain a filling that follows this basic formula: pumpkin + eggs + sugar + dairy + warm spices. So why come up with yet another? Because so often the proportions are off between all these components. Sometimes it’s an overwhelming amount of warm spice, other times too few eggs so the pie isn’t custardy. Most often, it’s too much sugar. I wanted a filling that set, firmly into a custard and uses strong flavors to balance out the vegetal quality of the pumpkin. I came up with browned butter for richness and caramelized honey (just honey that’s cooked to intensify the flavor) for sweetness. I love this pie and would gladly eat it on any occasion, not just Thanksgiving.