I love pumpkin pie. Something about that smooth custardy pumpkin filling fills me with enormous joy. Maybe it’s because it means I get to eat my Grandmother’s incredible Thanksgiving dinner afterwards (we always have our pie for lunch because we know we’ll be too stuffed after dinner). Maybe it’s because it’s the first dessert stop on the food train from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Whatever the reason, I was determined to make my best pumpkin pie yet this year. I had a couple of obstacles to overcome. First, I hate making pie crust. Inevitably, the butter leaks out and the dough shrinks up and someone (me) ends up crying. Second, I love pumpkin pie and so does my father (though he forgets every year that I make it for him), but my mother and sister prefer pecan pie. Because they are traitors.
These problems luckily were solved by my obsession with watching cooking shows. (See mom, it’s worth my time). I was watching America’s Test Kitchen while making dinner one night, as is my habit, and they showed a “fool-proof” dough recipe. This ended up being a godsend. It was easy, tasted great, and even rivaled my father’s favorite pie dough, the frozen one from Trader Joe’s.
The second problem was solved by Bon Appétit. For Thanksgiving, the test kitchen tried to make the perfect Thanksgiving, and this included a pumpkin pie/pecan pie hybrid that seemed to be the perfect compromise (Thank you Claire and Brad!). I made a couple of changes to the recipe, Frankensteined it with the crust, and made, possibly, the greatest pumpkin pie of all time. It was crunchy from the pecans on top, but there was plenty of pumpkin underneath, and, as an added bonus, I was able to use leftover crust to make decorations which meant extra pie crust for me.
Tip: If you want to add dough decorations, add them at the same time as when you top the pecans and then egg wash them. You may have to broil the pie very VERY briefly to get the decorations browned and cooked by the time the pie is done, but be sure to cover the crust with foil before you do that. It is a little fussy, but it looks lovely.
Recipe
For Crust
Ingredients:
2 tbs frozen grated butter
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbs 1/2” cubed butter
4 tbs of ice water
1 egg white (you will not use it all, the rest is used in the nut topping)
Method:
Dump the NOT frozen butter, 3/4 cup of flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor and turn it on for 30 seconds until it forms a solid, cookie-like dough.
Break the dough up into little pieces and drop them back in the processor
Add your remaining 1/2 cup flour
Pulse 3-5 times until the mixture is crumbly
Dump that mixture into a bowl and add the frozen butter
Add 2 tbs of ice water and stir the dough together.
Add two more tablespoons of ice water and press it together with a spatula to form dough
Form a dough disc on piece of plastic wrap without fissures in a round shape
Let it rest in the refrigerator for two hours
After two hours, roll your dough out on floured surface into a 12 inch circle (or a little larger if your pie dish is larger
Drape your dough into your dish, and trim the dough to 1/2 inch, fold over the dough, crimp with two fingers and a thumb to form a crust. Keep your scraps for decoration.
Let rest for 30 mins and preheat the oven at 350 degrees
Blind bake at 350 for 30-40 mins with pie weights (or dried beans)
At around the 25 minute mark, take out the pie crust and seal the inside with egg white wash.
For Filling
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk (leftover from brushing the crust with egg white)
1 can Organic Pumpkin Puree
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbs rye whiskey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
And a healthy shake of pumpkin pie seasoning, if you have it
Method:
Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl that is easy to pour from.
Once the pie shell has finished baking, pour in the filling. Continue baking for 40-45 minutes.
For Pecans
Ingredients:
The leftover egg white from brushing
1 tbs brown sugar
Salt
1½ cups whole pecans
1 tbs melted butter
1 tbs maple syrup
Method:
Meanwhile, toast your pecans for 8-10 minutes.
In a bowl whisk together egg white, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, and a pinch of salt
Add the melted butter and maple syrup. Combine.
Toss the pecans in the mixture.
Assembly:
Remove pie from oven and top with pecan mixture, and any dough decorations you wish to add.
Bake the pie another 8-10 minutes, or until the filling is completely set.
Let cool for 2 hours before serving.
(This can also easily be made the day before.)
Never Enough Counter Space 