Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin pieeee!

It's so close to eating-so-much-you-explode-day... only one exam to go!

I've wanted to make pumpkin pie from scratch for a while now. My apartment currently has two pies in the fridge. Yummy yummy! Update: make that 1 pie ...and its only been 3 days

Kay come over for a pumpkin-filled break from the school blues... the blues are affecting us more this year it seems.  moop moop


I know, I know. Everyone's doing holiday-themed posts and this is really just one more. Forgive me?

It didn't take as long as I originally thought. Well. 3 hours. The second one went much easier.


Step by step!
Roll out the dough... **this is pre-moving-to-pie-pan disaster. We had some serious troubles..**

Pinch away...

 Poke holes!

 Cover with foil...

 Make the filling... Kay's pretty creation!

 Pour hot filling into hot pie crust and bake some more!

Can you tell we started when it was still light out?

As always, I went to America's Test Kitchen to get the best recipes!

If you do not have a food processor, the pumpkin may be put through a food mill or forced through a fine sieve with the back of a wooden spoon. Alternatively, you can cook the pumpkin, sugar, and spices together before pureeing, then whir the mixture in a blender, adding enough of the cream called for in the recipe to permit the pumpkin to flow easily over the blades. In either case, heat the pumpkin with the (remaining) cream and milk, as indicated, then slowly whisk the mixture into the beaten eggs. The pie may be served slightly warm, chilled, or at room temperature.

• Flaky Pastry Shell
• 1 1/4cups unbleached all-purpose flour , measured by dip-and-sweep
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 1/2teaspoon granulated sugar
• 10tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pats
• 3 - 3 1/2tablespoons ice water
• Pumpkin Filling
• 2cups plain pumpkin puree (16 ounces), canned or fresh
• 1cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2teaspoons ground ginger
• 1teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 2/3cup heavy cream
• 2/3cup milk
• 4large eggs
• 
  

1. For pastry shell: Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter over dry ingredients; process until mixture resembles cornmeal, 7 to 12 seconds. Turn mixture into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of water over flour mixture. With blade side of a rubber spatula, cut mixture into little balls. Then press down on mixture with broad side of spatula so balls stick together in large clumps. If dough resists gathering, sprinkle remaining water over dry, crumbly patches and press a few more times. Form dough into a ball with your hands; wrap in plastic, then flatten into a 4-inch disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated for 2 days or, if sealed airtight in a plastic bag, or frozen for up to 6 months.)
3. Generously sprinkle a 2-foot square work area with flour. Remove dough from wrapping and place disk in center; dust top with flour. (If it has been chilled for more than 1 hour, let dough stand until it gives slightly when pressed, 5 to 10 minutes.) Roll dough in all directions, from center to edges, rotating a quarter turn and strewing flour underneath as necessary after each stroke. Flip disk over when it is 9 inches in diameter and continue to roll (but don’t rotate) in all directions, until it is 13 to 14 inches in diameter and just under 1/8 inch thick.
4. Fold dough in quarters and place the corner in the center of a Pyrex pie plate measuring 9- to 9 1/2-inches across top. Carefully unfold dough to cover pan completely, with excess dough draped over pan lip. With one hand, pick up edges of dough; use index finger of other hand to press dough around pan bottom. Use your fingertips to press dough against pan walls. Trim dough overhanging the pan to an even 1/2 inch all around.
5. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with edge of pan lip. Press double layer of dough with your fingers to seal, then bend up at a 90-degree angle and flute by pressing thumb and index finger about 1/2-inch apart against outside edge of dough, then using index finger (or knuckle) of other hand to poke a dent through the space. Repeat procedure all the way around.
6. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (or freeze for 5 minutes) to firm dough shell. Using table fork, prick bottom and sides — including where they meet — at 1/2-inch intervals. Flatten a 12-inch square of aluminum foil inside shell, pressing it flush against corners, sides, and over rim. Prick foil bottom in about a dozen places with a fork. Chill shell for at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour or more), to allow dough to relax.
7. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. (Start preparing filling when you put shell into oven.) Bake 15 minutes, pressing down on foil with mitt-protected hands to flatten any puffs. Remove foil and bake shell for 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until interior just begins to color.
8. Filling: Process pumpkin, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a food processor fitted with steel blade for 1 minute. Transfer pumpkin mixture to a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook pumpkin, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes. As soon as pie shell comes out of oven, whisk heavy cream and milk into pumpkin and bring to a bare simmer. Process eggs in food processor until whites and yolks are mixed, about 5 seconds. With motor running, slowly pour about half of hot pumpkin mixture through feed tube. Stop machine and scrape in remaining pumpkin. Process 30 seconds longer.
9. Immediately pour warm filling into hot pie shell. (Ladle any excess filling into pie after it has baked for 5 minutes or so — by this time filling will have settled.) Bake until filling is puffed, dry-looking, and lightly cracked around edges, and center wiggles like gelatin when pie is gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.

Whew!! Cook's Illustrated recipes are usually lengthy, but totally worth the effort!

I read Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain over the summer and Kay totally reminded me about it with her post. The book was hilarious and reads just as he would talk. 

Any episode of No Reservations can make me happy. Sigh. I miss cable. 

Anthony Bourdain on Things He Will Never Do Again

Happy Thanksgiving!!