Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Adapted from Maurice Pastry by Blue Heron Kitchen

Thanksgiving may have come and gone, but pumpkin pie is never inappropriate during this time of year. When I was a partner in a wholesale bakery, we delivered 18 pumpkin pies for a Cheerios commercial. I had my 15th of a second of fame when I saw the take of a child's hand grabbing for a piece of one of our pies.

This recipe uses heavy cream .. not evaporated milk. Save the evaporated for the next superstorm.

It yields enough filling for 2 pies. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Be sure to use plain pumpkin and not “pumpkin pie filling”, pumpkin that’s pre-seasoned.

If you have leftover dough, roll it out and cut it into decorative shapes. Use a maple leaf or pumpkin shaped cookie cutter! Make a menorah, a dreidel or a Christmas tree! or, you can cut them into any simple shapes, say diamonds. Brush them with a little beaten egg and bake them at 350º on a sheet pan until golden brown. Beautiful.

Buy good quality heavy cream (organic, if you can find it), and canned (organic) pumpkin is fine. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have house brands of organic canned pumpkin. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh and moist. The “dark” or “light” brown sugar choice is yours. “Dark” will make the finished pie darker and have a more ‘molasses-like’ taste. “Light” will let the pumpkin shout louder.

There are four egg yolks (in addition to whole eggs) that are called for. If you want a less rich product, you can just use two more eggs and forget separating the eggs. (But I wouldn’t.) Egg whites can be used for: an egg white omelet, or, if you’ve separated them well .. that means no yolk has entered the white .. then, use them for meringues, or freeze them (individually, in those wasteful ‘snack bags’!) and pull them out to whisk them for nice finishes on biscotti or other cookies.

And more bad news*:  Usually 18 oz. of pumpkin mean opening two cans. Suggestion: use the remainder for pumpkin soup! It’s so easy: dump it into chicken or vegetable broth (open a box of low sodium, organic pre-made if you don’t have or try getting some “Better than Bouillon” base. Add some (fresh, if you’ve got it) rosemary and if you’re feeling indulgent, some heavy cream (don’t let it boil!), some twists of the pepper mill, and bingo, this could be the first course for a festive dinner!

Whole Foods sells all kinds of ‘responsible’ and decent frozen crusts that have ingredients you can pronounce. Or, make a basic Pâte Brisée or Pâte Sucré pie crust. Below is Martha’s recipe for a basic pie crust. It works every time. The sugar is optional, but sugar works here as a tenderizer more than a sweetener.

Ingredients:

(this is for 2-9” pies)

6 eggs, size large, at room temperature

4 egg yolks, size large, at room temperature

18 oz. (canned, preferably organic) pumpkin

1 cup brown sugar

3 cups heavy cream

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 ½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ to ½ tsp. cloves (depending on how much you like cloves)

2 tsp. ground ginger

Procedure:

Prepare your pie crust(s): For a nice finish, brush the outer rim with beaten egg or beaten egg yolk – you can mix in a little heavy cream for a paler yellow finish. Nice.

Preheat the oven to 375º F. and pull out a FLAT cookie sheet or jelly roll pan to bake the pie/s on.

You can do this by hand or with an electric mixer.

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well mixed.

Pour into prepared pie shells and bake until the center is ‘almost’ set, somewhat quivering, approximately 30-40 minutes. If the top cracks, don’t worry. Pumpkin pies tend to do this.

Cool COMPLETELY on a rack and then refrigerate for up to a day before serving.

Serve with dollops of slightly whipped, (not too sweet) freshly whipped (by hand is best) cream.

peace, love and pumpkin pie,
jane

*Here’s a little silver lining – since this recipe is by weight (buy a kitchen scale – you’ll feel
good every time you use it), you can weigh out other ‘pumpkinish’ products. Try baking any
winter squash (I like butternut or kobocha), puree it and use for your pies. You can use sweet
potatoes or yams, but you’ll have to adjust the sugar.

Pâte Brisée

Martha Stewart

Makes two 8- to 10-inch tarts or single-crust pies, one 8- to 10-inch double crust pie, or twelve 2 ½ - to 3-inch tartlets.

Ingredients:

2 ½ c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar (opt.)

1 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

 ¼ to 1/3 c. ice water

Procedure:

1. Put flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.  All ingredients should be cold.  Add pieces of butter and process for approx. 10 seconds or till the mixture resembles coarse meal.  (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.)
2. Add ice water, drop by drop, through the feed tube with the machine running, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky; do not process more than 30 seconds.  Test the dough at this point by squeezing a small amount together.  If it is crumbly, add a bit more water.
3. Turn onto a large piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc.  Wrap and chill for at least an hour.
4. You know the rest.