Pumpkin Pie

As was mentioned in a previous post, we picked some pumpkins at an apple orchard / farm down in Afton, MN, a week or so ago. We picked some for jack-o-lantern purposes (more on that from Daniela soon) and some for pie.

It turns out that this was the best pumpkin pie I've ever made. Even Jenny, who claims that she doesn't usually like pumpkin pie, loved it. I'm just sayin'....

Here's the deal:

I took 1 medium sized pie pumpkin and quartered it. I scraped out the seeds and other gook. Cut each piece into smaller pieces. Place rind-side down in an oiled roasting pan and roast for 1 1/2 hours or so, till pumpkin is nice and soft. Scrape out flesh and puree. The puree can be frozen or (as I did) refrigerated for a few days, till you have time to make the pie.

My recipe this time comes from the new edition of The Joy of Cooking (it's amazing!). Make your crust-- you can make a half recipe, since you don't need a top crust. As you'll see in the pictures, I use some of what would be the top crust to make little cut out designs, but I'm just goofy that way... Bake the crust by itself at 425 for 15 minutes-- make sure to weight the crust down with something. I used another pie plate. Pre-baking the crust will ensure that it doesn't get soggy.

Meanwhile, whisk 2 large eggs in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of cooked pumpkin puree and whisk thoroughly. Then whisk in 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinammon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground clove, and 1/2 tsp salt.

Take the crust out of the oven, let it cool just a bit, then add the filling. Turn the oven down to 375 and bake for 35-45 minutes, until firm. If you're goofy like me, add your little cut-out pastry designs about half way through.

Let it cool.

Then-- the coup de grace. Daniela whipped up some more of the heavy cream, and I made Hot Brandy Sauce. Yep. The Joy of Cooking assured me that "Thanksgiving will never be the same once you try this on pumpkin pie." They were right.

Hot Brandy Sauce:

Melt a stick of unsalted butter in a saucepan. (Really, how can any recipe that starts this way be bad?)

Stir in 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brandy, 2 tblsp water (I used more brandy instead), 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, whisk 1 large egg till frothy. Slowly whisk sauce into egg, then return mixture to the saucepan, set over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Here is one of the pie pumpkins I'll be using for pumpkin pie #2, alongside some puree for pie #1.



Here is the finished pie, complete with little goofy cutout pastry designs.



And here is part of my slice (I couldn't take a picture before I had tried it!), with brandy sauce and whipped cream. Yum!