Thursday, November 27, 2008

AEB classics #75: Perfect Pumpkin Pie

one-pie pumpkin fig. a: One-Pie Pumpkin

This is the best pumpkin pie recipe either of us have ever come across.

When my Dad developed a sudden and rather unexpected passion for pumpkin pie late in life, this pumpkin pie leapfrogged right into his dessert Pantheon. Michelle surprised him with a freshly baked Perfect Pumpkin Pie once and you'd have thought he'd just tasted ambrosia. He never stopped talking about it.

Anyway, it's quick and easy too. Perfect for any last-minute Thanksgiving Day plans.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

part 1: sweet crust

1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1 egg

Place the sugar, salt and flour in a bowl and stir together. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the egg and mix well, rubbing the dough between your hands until no egg streaks remain. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 min. Roll out on a lightly floured surface and place in a 9" pie shell. Trim edge and chill again, wrapped. To partially bake, line it with parchment paper and fill with dry rice or beans and bake for 10-15 min. at 375°F until golden. Let cool.

part 2: filling & completion

2 cups pumpkin puree *
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. brandy
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth and pour into a partially baked 9" pie shell. Bake until the filling sets, about 1 hour. Let cool and serve with lightly whipped cream.


[based on a recipe from Tartine by Elizabeth Pruitt and Chad Robertson]

Happy Thanksgiving.

am/km

* By the way, as much as we love the Warholesque charms of One-Pie brand pumpkin pie filling, we recommend using an unsweetened, pure pumpkin pie filling such as E.D. Smith brand for this particular recipe.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

dudes! how come i can never find pumpkin puree in this town? help me out!

aj kinik said...

hi, Molly,
I'll get Michelle on the case, because she's the one with the answers. All I can say is, "fret not!" Michelle's never had any problems finding quality pumpkin purée here in Montreal.

cheers,
ajk

michelle said...

The brand I prefer, other than the one pictured which is unavailable in Canada, is E.D. Smith's pure pumpkin puree. Nice colour, nice texture, no additives.

Anonymous said...

i forgot to look for your reply til now! so where do you find your puree, then? i swear i looked in three or four different supermarkets last time...

michelle said...

I found E.D. Smith's puree at PA and Provigo. Look in the "baking" sections, next to the cherry pie filling. Ugh.