Recipe: Juice-Sweetened Pumpkin Pie

Pastry crust:

- 1½ cups sifted flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup shortening
- 4 tablespoons water

Filling:

- 1 cup thawed frozen apple-juice concentrate
- 1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin
- 3 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves

1. To prepare the crust: Spray a 9-inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until large flakes form. Stir in the water with a fork and press the dough together to form a flat round. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

2. Roll the dough between sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, remove wrap and place dough in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Transfer to the prepared pan and crimp edge of the dough. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mold a piece of aluminum foil over the dough and add pastry weights or dried beans to cover the bottom; don't fill entire shell with weights. Make sure the edge of the dough is also covered with foil. Bake on center oven rack 20 minutes. Carefully lift foil and weights out of pan and with a fork, lightly pierce dough that has puffed up. Continue baking 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack completely before filling.

4. To prepare the filling: Pour the apple-juice concentrate into a medium-size saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 7 minutes. Measure 2/3 cup of the concentrate. Cool.

5. Combine concentrate, pumpkin, margarine or butter, eggs, half-and-half, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; whisk the mixture until completely smooth. Pour the filling into the crust. Place the pie in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake 45 minutes or until the pie is set in the center.

6. Cool the pie on a wire rack and refrigerate. Bring out of the refrigerator 1 hour before serving.