Pumpkin Cream Pie

Tags

baking, fall, pie crust, pudding, pumpkin, recipes, Thanksgiving, whipped cream

Happy Black Friday!  Err, except I didn’t participate in that, as usual.  I’m more of a last-minute kind of gal, and shopping for Christmas almost a month in advance is way too well-planned for me.

I did plan out this Thanksgiving’s bakefest as evidenced in my last post, and thank goodness!  Everything always takes longer than I anticipate, especially since I’m super slow in the kitchen.  I think it’s a perfectionist thing, and I tend to take out/put ingredients back as I need them.

Anyway, on Day 2 (Wednesday), I prepared almost everything needed for the pumpkin cream pie.  Due mainly to the texture, I am not a big fan of traditional pumpkin pie, and neither are my dad and my sister.   We all liked this one, though!  It’s a mash-up of recently-posted pumpkin cream pies on shutterbean and Joy the Baker.  Tracy and Joy are friends, so it only makes sense that their pies would complement each other.  :)

Pumpkin Cream Pie
adapted from shutterbean and Joy the Baker

So this is essentially Tracy’s pie recipe with Joy’s whipped cream. I’d really like to try the cream cheesey filling from Joy’s sometime, also! By the way, I whipped the cream by hand with a whisk. O_O Actually, my uncle finished it off because my arm got tired! (the beaters were in the dishwasher)

Gingerbread Crust:
1 1/2 cup ground gingersnaps (about 30 cookies)
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Pumpkin Cream Filling:
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 cup sugar, divided
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon salted butter

Candied Pecans:
handful of pecan halves (about 10)
1/2 cup sugar
sprinkle of ground cinnamon

Maple Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Crust: Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine the ground gingersnaps, sugar, and melted butter, then press into a 9 inch pie plate.  Bake for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.

Filling: In a medium saucepan, add the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and salt.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks.  Add in the milk mixture a little at a time to temper the eggs.  Once both mixtures are combined, return them to the saucepan.  Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens into a pudding consistency (after about 2 minutes), then remove from the stove.

Whisk in the pumpkin and melted butter, then pour into the cooled pie crust.  If you have lumps, you can use a sieve to strain the pudding into the crust.

Nuts: (I toasted my pecans a little first, which isn’t necessary.)  In a small skillet, melt the sugar.  When it turns light brown, add the cinnamon and the nuts.  Stir the nuts until they’re coated, then place them onto a sheet of parchment paper.  Once cooled (about 8 minutes), chop them up.

Topping: In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream and maple syrup until soft peaks form.  Spread over the pie, then top with the candied nuts.

Hello, my new go-to pumpkin pie!

I failed at slicing this pie, but so did everyone else.  For hers, Joy suggests using a tart pan, but mine was pre-occupied.  I wonder if it would help to stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing?

p.s. Here was our Thanksgiving spread, buffet-style:

And here was my plate:

clockwise-ish: haricot vert with shallots by my sis, sweet rosemary acorn squash by my sis, mashed potatoes with cheese and chives by my mom, creamed corn by my uncle, vegetarian stuffing by my mom, cranberry-pomegranate sauce by my sis (Jill <3s P-Dub), crabcake + tarter sauce by my mom, layered salad by my uncle, brussels sprouts salad by me, and a roll by me.

The other dessert will be posted tomorrow! Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. :)