An Unforgettable Pumpkin Pie

An Unforgettable Pumpkin Pie

Come the Holiday season pumpkin pies are bound to be on many a holiday table. There are those who love pumpkin pie and those who don’t. I have to admit store bought pumpkin pies can often be pretty uninspiring. However, years ago I came upon Nancy Silverton’s pumpkin pie recipe in her Pastries from the La Brea Bakery cookbook and garnered new perspectives on how beguiling a pumpkin pie can actually be. All of Nancy Silverton’s cookbooks, and MOZZA in particular, are my favorite resources for some guidance or inspiration. Her taste is impeccable, her recipes are refined and exacting, and you can be confident that the results will deliver perfection.

Bear with me. This recipe is indeed more complicated than opening a can of pumpkin puree, tossing it together with a few spices and a couple of other ingredients, and popped into the oven in 10 minutes. Just to reassure you, this pumpkin pie really is worth all the extra effort invested. I’ve had rave reviews every time I’ve served it. This is a recipe you will be revisiting for beautiful finishing flourishes for your holiday meals for years to come.

I have adapted Nancy Silverton’s recipe with a few minor adjustments.

An Unforgettable Pumpkin Pie     makes 1 10 inch pie

I would suggest roasting the yams and pumpkin, pureeing them both, and making the pastry dough the day before making the pie. Having all the ingredients readily at hand makes assembling the pie a whole lot easier on baking day.

The yams and pumpkin can be baked together. Preheat the oven to 400 f / 200 c. Cut the pumpkin into quarters. Remove the seeds and stringy membranes and place on a baking tray, skin side down, along with the yams. Brush all with olive oil and transfer to the oven. Both the pumpkin and the yams will take about 45 minutes. The pumpkin should be very tender and a deep orange. The yams should be very soft and almost bursting when finished. Remove the skins from both. Mash the yams and pumpkin separately and set aside to cool. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate.

Special item: 10 inch pie pan

For the dough:

• 4 oz/113 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco), chilled
• 2¾ cups unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt (or flaked sea salt)
• ¼ cup ice water

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the well chilled cubed butter, shortening, and salt and mix on low for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Turn the mixer up to medium and mix another 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour in 3 batches, mixing on low between each addition, until it is the consistency of a coarse meal. Begin adding small amounts of the ice water just until the dough begins to come together. You will probably will not need to use all the water and by all means do not over mix!

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and kneed a few times to gather it into a ball. Divide the dough in half, flatten each into a disc and wrap in plastic film. Chill one of the discs for at least 2 hours or overnight. Freeze the remaining dough for another use.

When the dough is well chilled, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into an 11 inch circle about ¼ inch thick, flouring the dough as necessary. Fold the dough into quarters and place the counterpoint in the middle of the pie pan. Unfold the dough and arrange it it evenly in the pan, allowing the excess dough to hang over the edges. Trim the dough, leaving ½ inch of the dough hanging over the edge. Fold the ½ inch section of the dough underneath so it is even with the rim of the pan to create a thicker edge. Make a scalloped edge by pushing the thumb of one hand against the thumb and index finger of the other hand. Continue around the entire edge of the dough. Chill until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 f/ 180 c

Lightly brush the entire interior of the pie shell with melted butter. Line the bottom and sides of the pie shell with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or metal pie weights, making sure the beans or weights are pressed tightly into the corners of the dough. Bake for about 25 minutes until the top of the crust is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the beans or pie weights and carefully peel off the paper lining. If the bottom of the pie shell is not uniformly browned, return it unlined to the oven for 5 or 10 minutes until fully cooked and lightly browned.

While the pie shell is baking you can prepare the filling.

For the filling:

• 2 cups roasted yam puree
• ½ cup roasted pumpkin puree
• 2 oz/ 57 g unsalted butter
• 1 vanilla bean (or 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
• 2 extra large organic eggs
• 1 extra large organic egg yolk
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 tablespoon brandy (or rum)
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or flaked sea salt)
• 1 very small pinch of ground cloves
  1 small pinch white pepper

Place the yam and pumpkin purees into a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and process until very smooth.

In a small sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Cut open the vanilla bean lengthwise. With the back of a knife scrape out the flesh and seeds and add to the butter along with the pod. Swirl the pan to insure the butter cooks evenly and doesn’t burn. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes until the butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Promptly remove from the heat and set aside. Remove the vanilla pod and reserve it for another use. Once the butter is cooled and the black burned bits have settled to the bottom of the pan carefully pour the butter into the food processor leaving most of the black bits behind in the pan. If you are using Vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean, add it to the food processor along with the butter. Puree the ingredients in the processor until smooth.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, cream, milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, brandy or rum, ginger, allspice, salt, cloves, and pepper. Add the pumpkin yam mixture and whisk until the mixture is completely combined and smooth. Pour the pie filling into the pie shell to about ¼ inch below the top edge. Giggle the pan to level the filling.

For garnishing:

• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 to 5 gratings fresh whole nutmeg

Lightly brush the scalloped rim of the blind baked pastry shell with milk.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and sprinkle evenly over the surface of the pie filling.

Place the pie in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour, checking the pie after 40 minutes. The filling should be just set without quivering. Do not be tempted to over bake as this will cause the surface of the pie to crack while cooling.

Cool the pie on a cooling rack until it is room temperature and ready to serve. If you intend serve the pie later, seal with plastic film and refrigerate. Be sure to ring the pie back to room temperature for serving.

Serving: Serve at room temperature with a lightly sweetened whipped cream flavored with a small dash of vanilla extract.