Spiced Pumpkin Pie

To prepare pastry dough: Mix flour and salt in a large bowl or food processor. Work butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives or by pulsing in the food processor until it's pebble-sized. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is evenly moist (but not wet) and is just starting to clump together, being careful not to overmix. Pat dough into a 5-inch disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Remove from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before rolling out.

To prepare filling & bake pie: preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll dough between sheets of parchment paper into a 12-inch circle. Peel off the top sheet and invert the dough into a 9-inch pie pan (not deep-dish). Remove the second sheet, trim off any overhanging dough and crimp the edges with a fork. Prick the crust with a fork several times; line with parchment paper and add enough pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice to cover the bottom. Bake until the crust is barely golden brown on the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat eggs and brown sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture is thick and forms ribbons. Beat in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt. Beat in pumpkin (or squash) and cream. Remove the parchment and pie weights from the crust and pour in the filling.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees .

Bake the pie until just set in the middle, about 1 hour if using canned pumpkin or up to 1 1/2 hours if using fresh pumpkin or squash.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.