31 December 2020
Welcome friends. We've had some warm weather lately, and I've been able to sneak in a few bike rides along the lakefront. When I rode by this clock tower, the moon was almost the same size as the clock face and almost at the same height. I had to take a picture of it with my phone. It seemed a little surreal.
Today I am sharing my pumpkin pie recipe. I've been working on this recipe for a while. I started out making pumpkin cheesecake, but sometimes I got tired of it. At one of those points, my neighbor gave me a piece of pie that she made with kabocha and bourbon. It was awesome. I admit that I am too lazy to start with raw squash or pumpkin, but it reminded me how much I enjoy pumpkin pie.
I would often spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents during college. On the night before, I would help tear bread for the stuffing and my grandmother would make her pumpkin pies. You could smell the pies baking. She's gone now, but a few years ago, I made her pie recipe and the smell took me back to those days in her kitchen. It's funny how a smell can trigger a strong memory. I'm lucky to have her recipe because some of the things that she made often were never written down. I missed Thanksgiving one year and she sent me the recipe. This isn't her recipe, but I think she would like it.
Pumpkin pie gets better the next day, so try to make it a day before you plan on serving it. As a bonus, your kitchen will smell great! I've been known to have a slice for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving.
Earlier versions of this recipe used bourbon, but eventually I found that a little agave nectar gave me that slightly smokey, slightly caramel vibe. I've been using crème fraîche to finish my butternut squash soup, and it found its way into this recipe.
I like clove, but if you don't, you could swap in some nutmeg.
I've included the crust that I like with this pie. I like a sturdy crust made with butter here. If you've sworn off making crusts give this one a try, it is easy to make and nice to work with. Or buy a crust. I didn't include the recipe for whipped cream. It seemed like too much information to add here.
Pumpkin Pie with Rustic Crust
45 min. prep time | 1 hr 20 min. bake time | chill crust for 30 minutes
Ingredients
Makes a 9 inch pie
- for the crust
- 3/4 cup pastry flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted
- or
- 1 cup all purpose flour and 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 8 Tbl butter, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
- or
- 1/4 cup cold milk (2%) and 1/4 tsp champagne or other light vinegar
- for the filling
- 15 oz can pumpkin
- 1 Tbl vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 Tbl raw agave nectar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups half and half
- 2 Tbl crème fraîche (optional)
Directions
Make the Crust
place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process for 30 seconds to combine.
add half of the butter and process for 30 seconds. The mixture will look like small pebbles.
add the remaining butter and pulse 12 times. This will give you some fine pieces of butter and some chunky pieces of butter.
pour the mixture into a medium bowl. Rub the larger butter chunks between your thumb and fingers to flatten them and coat them with flour. You may want to pull some of the larger chunks apart. This will make the dough easier to roll out, but the large pieces will make the dough more flaky.
combine the milk and vinegar in a measuring cup. Stir a few times to combine if you are using milk. If you are using buttermilk, pour it into the measuring cup.
pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. When the dough begins to clump, use your hand in a claw-like grasp to pinch the dough together. It will eventually form a ball. Once the dough holds together, press it into a ball.
place the ball onto a lightly floured surface, and press the top down with your hand to form a disk. Use the palm of your hand to press the dough out from the center to the top and form a flap. Fold this piece back toward the center, and press it into the dough. Turn the dough 45°. Repeat this process until you have completed a circle. Use your hands to reshape the dough into a disk, pressing and turning until the dough is fairly smooth.
gather the dough in plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a disk that is about 5 inches across. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out the crust.
roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. I like to roll from the center to the top, then all the way down. Then I turn the dough counter-clockwise an eight of a turn. This way, I know that the dough is not sticking to the surface. I also flip the dough over about half-way through. Once the dough is rolled out, drape the ends over the rolling pin and place the dough into your pie pan. Fit the dough into the 9-inch pie pan. Do not stretch the dough. Gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan, starting from the center and then press the sides against the pan. Use a fork to prick the dough along the bottom and sides. Crimp the edges along the rim with your fingers or leave the edge free-form.
Make the Filling
preheat the oven to 400° F. Adjust the rack to the middle of the oven.
combine the pumpkin, vanilla, sugars, agave, and spices in a medium sauce pan. Warm over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to combine. I do this because I think that it improves the texture. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
roll out the pie crust while the pumpkin mixture cools. See directions above.
whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche, and half and half in a large bowl.
add the cooled pumpkin mixture to the egg mixture. Gently stir the mixture with a whisk to combine.
place the pie pan with the crust on a baking sheet. Pour the filling into the pie pan.
bake for 20 minutes at 400° F. Then, reduce the heat to 350° F and bake until done, about 60 minutes more for a ceramic pie pan. When I use a metal pie pan, this takes 40 minutes, so check the pie after 40 minutes. The butter crust needs to bake at 400° F for a little bit to be flakey. When the pie is done, the filling will be a uniform color, not darker near the center. It will puff up a little and the center will not jiggle.
allow the pie to cool for at least one hour, or over night.