This pie is almost identical to my mother's recipe in its use of brown sugar, spiciness, evaporated milk, and dark corn syrup, athough it uses three eggs. We also do not do a rest period. She is from Tennessee, so I am surprised that you identify this kind of pie as Canadian, although I admit that most American pumpkin pies strike me as bland in comparison to my mom's. I did used to have trouble with the center not baking completely--and the knife trick you mention just made a mess for me--until I adopted the Cook's Illustrated method of heating the filling ingredients, EXCEPT for the eggs, until bubbly. I cool it slightly, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time, pour it into a heated partially baked pie shell, and it bakes up very fast. As the filling is the same temperature when it goes in, the baking is much more efficient. I also use pie or sugar pumpkins--never canned. I cut them in half vertically, clean out all the seeds, and put them cut side down in a roasting pan and roast at 300F for about an hour, or until tender. The peel easily cuts--or more often can be pulled off--then I put the pumpkin in a food processor. I always freeze a lot at this time of year, and we eat pumpkin treats all year long. Thanks for the great tips - I'll definitely try heating the filling, then adding the eggs. PJH

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