I had a faux Thanksgiving celebration with my family this past weekend, and was saddened when I learned that nobody made pie. No homemade pie? ::sad face:: That Saturday morning, I pouted, sighed, and ran off to the grocery store to buy a can of pumpkin. Blech. The best pumpkin pies are made with fresh pumpkin, buuut I was on a time crunch, and really wanted to bake.
Anyway, along with the good 'ol vodka pie crust recipe (which I've actually simplified to save the headache of lugging out the food processor), my first attempt was great. I decided to blog it upon return to San Diego so here we go.
I didn't follow the recipe (oh wait--do I ever?) but it's freakin PIE--and as my dear sister said..."pumpkin pie is like the easiest thing to make EVARRRR..." ::grin:: really, the longest part of pie making is the baking process...in which you have no control. The rest will take you a half hour or less.
::gathering my raw materials::
The filling:
- 1 12 oz can cooked pumpkin (not a fan--I've read The Jungle too many times, but if you're on a time crunch, go for it)
- 1 8 oz bar cream cheese (it adds a nice consistency and flavor to the pie) at room temp.
- 2 large eggs, or 3 small eggs
- 4-6 oz heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Allspice. Nutmeg. Cloves. Ginger. Cinnamon. Or you can be lazy and get the premade "pumpkin spice seasoning" from the store. I prefer each individual seasoning b/c I can control how much (or little) goes into the mix.
The Pie dough:
(the following makes a single crust since pumpkin pie doesn't typically use a double crust)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 stick chilled butter, diced into little cubes (I used salted, saves the hassle of forgetting the salt later)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 1/4 cup vodka
::Directions::
Preheat your oven to 350F. Start with the crust (so you can toss in the fridge to chill while you make the filling). If you want to avoid a food processor, you can get industrious with a metal potato masher, or really anything to just cut the butter into the flour. I used my pastry cutter.
Take your cubed butter and cut it into the flour and sugar until you get little "curds" that resemble something like oatmeal. Dribble some vodka in. Stir with a wooden spoon.
Now dribble in some water. Stir more with a wooden spoon.
Keep alternating your water and vodka until your dough starts to come together into a ball. Ditch the spoon and knead it with your hands. If too sticky, add more flour. The consistency is perfect once all your crumbs have unified into the ball, and it's not sticking to your hands. remove from bowl, and wrap in plastic. Throw in the fridge.
::The filling::
In a large mixing bowl beat your cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add the pumpkin and beat some more. Add the eggs and continue to beat.
Add your heavy cream. Finally, add your spices as desired. Make sure to stop and scrape the bowl before you're finished beating everything. Set aside.
::Assembly::
Get your dough ball from the fridge and generously flour a flat surface for rolling. Flour your rolling pin and roll out your dough until it's much larger than your pie pan.
Roll it in on one side to make it easier to transfer into the pan. Allow sides to drape over the edge. Press the dough into the inside of the pan.
Fluting the edges is entirely up to you. I do it, just b/c it adds a nice little touch, and I like to eat crust. = ) Fluting is just really pinching the edges of dough into a pattern of your liking. Doesn't have to be perfect.
Once done, pour the filling into the shell, scraping all the filling out with a rubber spatula.
Pop into the oven and bake for about an hour. Check on it at the 45 minute mark to make sure it's doing ok. Touch the top of it to ensure that it's not sticky. Once it feels firm and the crust is browned, it's done. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refridgerate if desired.
So there ya go. Pumpkin pie with a little twist. Cut it up and enjoy with a blob of whipped cream.
