In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender or two butter knives until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Gradually add cold water, mixing gently with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Use your hands to gently form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Unwrap the chilled dough (from Step 1) and place it on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and your rolling pin. Roll the dough out gently into a 12-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate, trim the overhanging edges to about 3/4 inch, then fold the edge under itself and crimp decoratively. Chill the shaped crust in the fridge for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, measure out all your filling ingredients. In a blender or mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, beaten egg, 1 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger. Blend or whisk until well combined. I prefer to use my blender for an ultra-smooth texture, but a whisk works well too.

While preparing the filling, place the chilled pie crust (from Step 2) into the preheated oven. Use pie weights or crumpled parchment paper to help prevent the crust from bubbling, and bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the milk or heavy cream into a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl and heat just until it begins to boil.

Slowly pour the hot milk or cream (from Step 4) into the pumpkin mixture (from Step 3), blending or whisking until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Carefully pour the hot filling into the warm, pre-baked pie crust (from Step 4). Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 450°F. Then, cover the pie crust edges with foil, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue baking for about 45 minutes, or until the center is just set and no longer wobbles. For a more pronounced spice flavor, I like to sprinkle just a little extra cinnamon over the filling before baking.

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. If you like, decorate with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy your homemade pumpkin pie!