compu.terlicio.us

After the traditional thanksgiving gorging on fowl and stuffing, it’s time for something sweet. While I rarely like pumpkin pie on its own, a perfect pumpkin pie makes the perfect finish to Thanksgiving. In order to keep the flavor rich and authentic, my pie uses real pumpkin, not the butternut squash masquerading as pumpkin that is usually found. In addition, this pie is a little lighter as it follows so much other food.

Ingredients

• 14-18oz Pumpkin*
• 8oz (1 stick) Cream Cheese
• 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream**
• 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
• 3-4 Tbsp Butter (firm)
• 2/3 Cup Brown Sugar
• Generous Pinch Grated (or Ground) Nutmeg
• Pinch Grated (or Ground) Ginger
• Pinch Salt
• Splash Vanilla
• 1 Pie Crust

Example of "Real Pumpkin"

* Note on Pumpkin: If you’re using fresh pumpkin, consider adding an extra quarter cup of cream, depending on the consistency of the pumpkin meat. IF only canned pumpkin is available, find a brand which consists of pumpkin and nothing but pumpkin. Many brands contain butternut squash, sugars and various spices.

** Note on Cream: Don’t substitute half and half for heavy cream. It’s fat content is too low, and it will produce a burned mess instead of a delicious filling.

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Pre-cook the pie crust by lining with aluminum foil and filling with rice. Bake the crust for 5-10 minutes until the foil pulls free. Bake another 5 minutes until the crust is just starting to dry out.

Weight a pie crust with rice while pre-baking.

Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a food processor. I prefer to leave mine a little “chunky”. If you want a very smooth pie, you can process longer, and consider adding a little extra cream.

Fill the pie crust up to the top with filling. Put any extra filling in an oven proof ramekin. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the filling is puffed up, and set. If the top of the filling begins to crack, the pie is on the verge of ruin — take it out immediately.

The Pumpkin Pie ready for the oven.

Note on Convection Ovens: The flow of air in the convection oven causes the top of the pie to puff and rise early, in as little as 20 minutes. I have ruined more than one pie thinking it done when it was only half baked because of this phenomenon. Avoid by either a) baking without the convection turned on or b) checking by pricking the pie with a knife.

Variation: Some people like cinnamon in their pie. They’re probably wrong, but a pinch of cinnamon will not ruin the flavor balance of this pie.

Serving

Serve the pumpkin pie with whipped cream or heavy cream. Bourbon makes an excellent accompaniment.

Extra pie filling baked in an ovenproof dish.

The completed pumpkin pie on a cooling rack