Pumpkin Custard (Or Pie Filling)

I don't use evaporated milk for much. This is it, in fact. However, I do like to have a tin of pumpkin and a tin of evaporated milk on-hand throughout the winter; that way I can throw this together very quickly with the addition of a few other pantry staples. I'm sure you could make this with cream instead, and it would probably even be better, but cream doesn't have that sit-on-the-shelf-and-wait factor.

This is a fairly spicy pumpkin custard. You could tone it down a bit if you like. I don't recommend adding any more or you will start to get a rough taste to the spiciness.

1/2 cup Sucanat
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons arrowroot or corn starch
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 796-ml (28 ounce) tin pumpkin purée
4 extra-large eggs
1 370-ml (14 ounce) tin evaporated milk
1/4 cup fancy molasses

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix in the pumpkin, then the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the evaporated milk - this is the one with NO SUGAR in it (i.e. make sure it's not condensed milk) - and the molasses.

Pour the custard into a 2 quart (litre) baking pan, or 2 prepared 9" pie crusts.

Bake until set in the centre, about 1 hour and 20 minutes for the custard. The pies will take less time, but I confess it has been so long since I have done pies that I really don't know. Forty five minutes maybe? Probably a bit longer.