I meant to make this post earlier, but I guess a week after Thanksgiving isn’t too late. 
I couldn’t find a pie pumpkin this year that was large enough for this recipe, so I used a Creole pumpkin. It is a kind of “cheese” pumpkin, so called because it supposedly looks rather like a cheese wheel when you cut into it. It is less sweet than a pie pumpkin, but it’s still a good eating pumpkin. The smallest Creole pumpkin I could find was just shy of 8 pounds, but better a little too big than too small.
Here’s the recipe: http://rabbittalk.com/blogs/24carrot/2010/11/01/baked-whole-pumpkin-or-in-the-pumpkin-pie/
And here are the pictures:
This is my uncut Creole pumpkin. It was very stable and relatively symmetrical, a little wider than it was tall, and had a nice stem. Creole pumpkins are not orange like pie pumpkins; rather, they are somewhat pinkish tan. The flesh inside is orange, though.
I used a knife to score a line to cut a lid. I kept the knife steady by holding it in my hand and pressing my hand against my side, and using the other hand to rotate the pumpkin against the point of the knife. It works pretty well, and I don’t have to adjust the line much. It works better for me than just trying to eyeball it, because pumpkins are never perfectly symmetrical.
I cut the lid off, but at a steeper angle than I was trying for. Thankfully, the lid didn't fall in once it was cooked! ILoveBunnies cleaned most of the strings and seeds out while I prepared the filling. We saved the seeds for toasting.
I buttered the outside of the pumpkin carefully so I didn't drop it, put it into one of my 9" deep-dish pie pans (thank goodness it fit!), poured the filling in and dotted it with butter, put the lid on, and put it into the oven. Once I started checking it for doneness, I remembered that it was easier to tell if it was done when I forgot to dot it with butter, because I didn't have a layer of melted butter mixed with filling covering the surface of the custard. I think I'll leave out the butter dots next time.
I ended up increasing the temperature of the oven 25* after an hour and a half, because it didn’t appear to be anywhere close to being done, and I had a turkey to bake yet!!!
Another note to add to the recipe: When checking the pumpkin while it is cooking, and the first time after it’s done, it is best to use a butter knife to go around the lid again to make sure it isn’t stuck. If you don’t, the stem might separate from the lid… like what happened to me this time. At least the skin stayed attached to the stem, so the stem still stood up like it was doing something… but I couldn’t use it as a handle much. 
The increase in temperature may be responsible for the extra browning. Or maybe this is just the way this kind of pumpkin browns. Not quite as pretty as the bronzing I'm used to getting, but still an interesting presentation for pumpkin pie!
The lid comes off for serving! I did overcook it a little (guess I shouldn't have raised the temp!), which is why it expanded so much. Though part of it is also that the pumpkin relaxed and squished down as well.
Some custard, some pumpkin, and some whipped cream! YUM! The custard usually separates into two parts -- a lighter color, eggier, more classic custard, and a darker, creamier, looser custard. Both taste great and they give interesting, different textures. A little pumpkin on your spoon, add a little custard and/or whipped cream, and mmmmmmMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm! This is the only pumpkin pie I really like!
Soooo… anybody else give it a shot?
