Pumpkin Pie - Three Ways
The Thanksgiving "to-do" list is often so long we might feel as if we are working in a professional kitchen for one day at least. Yet, for most people, the Thanksgiving centerpiece around which everything revolves is the turkey. For many people, pumpkin pie is the crowning glory of a bountiful Thanksgiving feast. Since time is at a premium on Thanksgiving, here are three levels of pumpkin pie you can serve this holiday:
- I Need To Make This Quick Pumpkin Pie
- Who Needs To Make A Crust - Give Me Some Filling Pumpkin Pie
- I'll Make It From Scratch Pumpkin Pie
"I Need To Make This Quick" Pumpkin Pie
Dress up a store-bought pie: whip some cream or creme fraiche with brown sugar or maple syrup, a pinch of salt, and a little pumpkin pie spice; buy some candied pecans (or make your own, but we're trying to save time, here), chop them and sprinkle them over the pie.
Gently warm some store-bought egg nog and glaze your plates with it. It'll be like serving a nutmeg-spiced creme Anglaise with your pie.
"Who Needs To Make A Crust - Give Me Some Fillin' Pumpkin Pie"
If you don't want the hassle of making it, some delicious commercially produced pie crusts are out there. Get the kind you have to fit into your pie pan, not the one already in a pan.
Line the crust with plastic wrap, fill it with beans and blind-bake it for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the wrap and the beans and bake for ten more minutes before adding the filling. The plastic wrap will not melt in the oven, so don't worry. Just ensure that it is not touching the edge of the metal pie plate because it will melt if it's in direct contact with metal.
Use the recipe on the side of a Libby's can. It has been around for years and years and has been perfected for this application.
This is the traditional pumpkin pie served at many Thanksgiving dinners. Here are a few modifications you can try if you have the time or the inclination.
- Let the filling mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before pouring and baking. The rest makes for a more creamy end product.
- Lose the clove--it's a flavor that can overpower the delicate pumpkin. Instead, replace it with up to ½ teaspoon of cinnamon or leave it out entirely.
- Increase the salt by half, from ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon. The additional salt will highlight the pumpkin flavor.
I hope these ideas inspire you to make the most of your pumpkin pie, no matter how much time you have!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Pie Recipe – Three Speeds
Ingredients
For the Spiced Pate Brisee
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground ginger
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup ice cold water
For the Rich Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 3 eggs plus
- 1 egg yolk
- 15 ounce can pumpkin
- 10 ounces heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground ginger
Instructions
For the Spiced Pate Brisee
- Combine flour, salt, sugar, and spices in the bowl of your food processor. Cut the cold butter into 1-inch chunks and process until it looks like a coarse meal a few pea-sized pieces of butter are also acceptable.
- Add ¼ cup of ice water slowly through the feed tube with the processor on. Process just until the mixture holds together when pinched (even though it still might look crumbly if it passes the pinch test, you're done). Add a bit more water if necessary. Total processing time should not be more than 20 seconds or so.
- Divide the dough into two pieces. Put each piece between two pieces of parchment paper, flatten it out and then roll to about 3/16" thickness. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or so for the flour to hydrate thoroughly.
For the Rich Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain and let sit at room temperature while you pre-bake your crust.
- Line a 9-inch pie pan with one of your dough disks. Line the crust with some plastic wrap and then fill it with beans. Bake the crust at 325° F for 10 minutes or so. Then, carefully remove the wrap and beans and bake for 10 more minutes.
- While the crust is baking, cut leaf shapes out of the dough scraps and the other disc of dough. If you don't have a leaf cutter, just cut out simple leaf shapes with a knife. Score in some "veins." Make ten leaves (in case 1 or 2 breaks). You're going to place one on each piece of pie, so make each one so it will "just fit" on a wedge of pie. Then, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Brush these little leaves with an egg wash made from 1 egg and two teaspoons of water, beaten well. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.
- Pour the filling into the par-baked pie crust, and put the pie onto a cookie sheet.
- Place in a 325° oven. Put the leaves on the rack below. Your leaves will be done in 20 minutes or so. Take them out when they are golden brown and delicious. The pie could take upwards of an hour to bake in a low oven. Be patient, and don't turn up the heat. The lower temperature helps to ensure a creamy filling.
- When the pie is done, a knife inserted about 1 inch from the center should come out clean. If the very center is still a little jiggly, it's okay. It will continue to cook and set up once it's out of the oven. Cool for two hours on a rack. Serve immediately"place a leaf on each wedge of pie.
- Serve with any accompaniments from "Help, I'm Out of Time" Pumpkin Pie.
How To Make a Traditional Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is basically a custard pie. It contains dairy, is thickened with eggs and sits in a wonderful, flaky pie crust like the one we just talked about a couple of days ago. The pumpkin and spices evoke the aromas and flavors of fall, and more specifically, one of my favorite food holidays - Thanksgiving.
But for those of you who have tried something new only to be met by sad faces at the table and have your family say, "It's not that it wasn't good, it's just that it's not what we usually have. It's not what we look forward to on Thanksgiving."
Avoid those sad faces around your holiday table and give the folks what they want, but make it the best pumpkin pie you can. Dare to be traditional!
📖 Recipe
Traditional Creamy Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pastry shell
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 16 ounce can pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a deep dish pie pan with pastry dough. Trim, crimp, and par-bake.
- Whisk the egg and yolk in a large bowl until light and uniform in color and texture.
- Add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, sweetened condensed milk, and pumpkin and whisk until smooth.
- Cover the custard and let sit in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes and up to four hours. This step ensures a creamy end product.
- Strain the custard through a mesh strainer to remove any pumpkin fiber.
- Pour the custard into the pie shell and bake in the center rack of the oven until the custard barely jiggles in the center when you shake the pie pan, 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your oven. You might need to cover the pie crust during the last thirty minutes of baking to prevent over-browning.
- Cool at room temperature for an hour and then refrigerate. Cover with plastic wrap once the pie has reached refrigerator temperature. This will reduce and hopefully prevent condensation from forming on the surface of your pie.
- Remove from the refrigerator about half an hour before serving to take the chill off the pie. The flavor will be more pronounced if it is allowed to warm a bit before eating.
- For an added fall note, serve with whipped cream sweetened with a bit of maple syrup.
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