Our Choice for Pumpkin Pie
UPDATED 2020
Tom liked this version of pumpkin pie so much he asked me to save the recipe and make again. I did, and in 2020, he said that it was the best pumpkin pie I have ever made. I found the recipe in Fine Cooking magazine. It is Abby Dodge's recipe. She is a pastry chef, instructor and cookbook author. http://www.abbydodge.com/
You can use any pie crust dough recipe you like, it's her silky custard filling which sings.
--Barbara
Classic Pumpkin Pie
(adapted from Abby Dodge of Fine Cooking Oct/Nov 2014)
Makes one 9 inch pie
For the dough (make ahead and freeze, then defrost overnight):
1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter
5 5/8 oz. (1 1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
3 T. cold water
2 T. granulated sugar
1/2 t. salt
For the Filling:
1 - 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree* (1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
pinch salt
1 1/3 cups half'n'half
1 t. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Whipped cream for serving
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Blind bake the crust:
Line the crust with foil or parchment and then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake until the crust is pale golden and looks dry, 5 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on a rack while making the filling.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the half-and -half and vanilla. Add the eggs and whisk until just blended. Pour the filling into the baked crust. It is okay if the crust is still warm.
Bake until the center of the filling jiggles like jello when the plate is nudged, probably 1 hour or 1 hr 5 minutes. A few small cracks might appear close to the crust -- that's fine. Cool the pie on a rack until room temperature, about 3 hours.
Cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve. The pie is best when served within 2 days of baking, and can be warmed slightly in a 300 degree oven, if desired.
Serve with whipped cream.
B
--Barbara
Classic Pumpkin Pie
(adapted from Abby Dodge of Fine Cooking Oct/Nov 2014)
Makes one 9 inch pie
For the dough (make ahead and freeze, then defrost overnight):
1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter
5 5/8 oz. (1 1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
3 T. cold water
2 T. granulated sugar
1/2 t. salt
For the Filling:
1 - 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree* (1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
pinch salt
1 1/3 cups half'n'half
1 t. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Whipped cream for serving
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Blind bake the crust:
Line the crust with foil or parchment and then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake until the crust is pale golden and looks dry, 5 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on a rack while making the filling.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the half-and -half and vanilla. Add the eggs and whisk until just blended. Pour the filling into the baked crust. It is okay if the crust is still warm.
Bake until the center of the filling jiggles like jello when the plate is nudged, probably 1 hour or 1 hr 5 minutes. A few small cracks might appear close to the crust -- that's fine. Cool the pie on a rack until room temperature, about 3 hours.
Cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve. The pie is best when served within 2 days of baking, and can be warmed slightly in a 300 degree oven, if desired.
Serve with whipped cream.
B
* Libby's is still the best canned pumpkin puree for pies. I have tried Wegman's organic with lackluster results. And the one from Aldi's, too. Not as good as Libby's.
To make the dough:
Cut the butter into 6 pieces and put in the freezer. Measure out 3 T. of cold water.
Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor using short pulses. Then cut in the cold butter using short pulses, until there are pieces just a little bigger than the size of peas. Scrape it out into a mixing bowl.
Drizzle the cold water over the mixture and, using the fingertips of one hand, pinch and squeeze the mixture while tossing with a silicone spatula in the other hand until it begins to form shaggy clumps.
Scrape the dough onto a clean work surface. Using the heel of your, gently smear the dough away from you in sections. Using a bench scraper, gather and fold the crumbs on top of each other and turn the pile 180 degrees. Repeat the smearing action, gathering and turning the dough several times until the crumbs just hold together. Shape the dough into a 5 inch disk, smoothing the edges. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Roll the dough. If the dough was frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Let the dough sit at room temperature until it's pliable enough to roll, 10 to 20 minutes.
She uses parchment, but I just floured my work surface and put the dough in the center. Lightly flour the dough. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough from the center to the edges into a 13.5 inch circle that's about 1/8 inch thick. after every few passes, rotate the dough a quarter turn. Re-flour only as needed excess flour makes the crust tough.
Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin, position the pin over a 9 inch glass pie plate, and unroll, easing the dough into the plate. Gently press the dough into the sides and bottom of the plate without stretching it, allowing the excess dough to hang over the edges. Trim the excess dough to a 3/4 inch over hang. Roll the overhang under itself to shape a high edge crust that rest on the rim of the pie plate. Crimp the dough into a fluted edge. Cover and refrigerate the crust while the oven heats (or freeze up to 1 month.)
