Dorothy Green

A plain single-egg custard pie of the sort printed in nearly every American cookbook of the period. The transcription has suffered in places, so read the quantities with a critical eye before you start.

• The garbled measurementsThe squash is almost certainly 1 1/4 cups (a bare 1/4 cup would not fill a deep plate), and the spice line reads as 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg. The 1/4 cup sugar is low by modern taste for pumpkin pie, where 1/2 to 2/3 cup is usual; the original as printed is genuinely ambiguous and should be judged by tasting the filling before it goes in the shell.
• 7/8 cup milkAn eighth-cup was a real measure in period kitchens; 7/8 cup is one cup less two tablespoons. Whole milk is presumably meant.
• Steamed and strainedThis assumes a whole winter squash or pie pumpkin, steamed until soft, scooped and pushed through a sieve to remove strings and thin the pulp. Canned pumpkin purée substitutes directly; drain it in a sieve if it looks wet, because excess water gives a weeping custard.
• "A hot oven, medium flame"The recipe gives no temperatures or times. On modern equipment this is generally read as a hot start of around 425F to set the pastry rim, then a drop to about 350F to finish. The initial heat is usually held to be what keeps the bottom crust from going soggy under a wet filling.
• Judging donenessThe custard is set when the outer inch is firm and the centre still wobbles as a single mass. A knife inserted at the edge comes out clean. Carrying it past that point curdles the egg and cracks the surface as it cools.
• Deep plate, fluted rimA pie plate with a raised, crimped edge. The recipe gives no diameter, though the quantities suit an 8- or 9-inch plate. The raised rim helps contain a filling that is loose when it goes in.
• YieldOne pie, six to eight servings. Cool completely before cutting; the custard continues to firm as it drops to room temperature.