If you’re planning to make the pumpkin-flavored pie of this season, I’ve recipes for you that are easy but delicious. With just a couple of my top tips, you can make the smoothest pumpkin pie you’ve ever had with incredible flavors. It’s way superior to store-bought! PS I’ve convinced Beth that my extra steps are worth every penny because you can tell how straightforward she is!
THE BEST PUREE FOR PUMPKIN PIE
The kind of puree you select is crucial. Many pumpkin purees are liquid because filling a container with a watered-down version of the pumpkin is less costly than filling it with pure pumpkin. Many purees are mixed with squashes and field pumpkins, which taste bland and bitter because they cost less. The most nutritious puree to get your budget is always the Libby’s. This isn’t an ad but a fact. It’s a water-based product with a low content and is crafted with the pumpkin variety that is bred to give rich flavor. It’s the only item they have in their cans. If you ca not afford the Libby’s brand, it’s okay. These two steps can make even the most basic pumpkin puree taste fantastic.
COOK YOUR PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
Pumpkins are a watery beast. Making their purees more liquid eliminates the excess liquid and enhances the flavor of the pumpkin. If you include spices in your pot, they flower. To comprehend the importance of this process, think of the moment you put garlic in a warm skillet, and the aroma goes from sharp to incredible. Similar to spices. If you add zest to the puree, you could include the sugar. Heating creates rich caramel notes and disintegrates the crystals, and you won’t get the same flavor of a bland, grainy mixture. While you cook it, the mixture will bubble and then burp before it changes into a shiny, sweet, and fragrant blend.
BLEND YOUR PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
To create a silky pumpkin pie, you have to mix it. I know. I’m sure of it. There’s no place on the label it includes cooking purée or mixing. You can trust me. The pumpkin puree isn’t silky. All you need to do is stare at it. Even after it has been cooked down, it looks rough. Allow it to cool for a while before blending until it is light. Add the remaining ingredients and mix again. A single sip and you’ll never return to the old mix-and-dump technique.
KEEP THE PIE CRUST FROM GETTING SOGGY
Many people will tell you to blind bake or prepare the pie dough to ensure crispy before filling your pie crust with the pumpkin purée. It’s OK to do this. However, I do not, and, as you see in the photo of the crispy golden flaky bottom crust, I have excellent results.
My technique is to set an oven rack in the lower portion of the oven. Then, I placed an aluminum sheet pan on top of the frame and put a cast iron pan on top, with the bottom facing up. (If your pan doesn’t lay flat, cook the pie inside the baking pan.) I preheat for about an hour. The heating element at the bottom boosts my cast iron skillet that holds the heat, just as you did with the first $100 bill. The pie is then baked over the turned cast iron. The heat concentrates on the top of the pie, making the most crispy of crusts. Furthermore, the sheet pan can absorb any juices that spill off, ensuring the oven won’t get too hot and start to smoke.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 recipe 3-Ingredient Pie Crust* ($1.17)
1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (15 oz can) ($2.79)
Half Cup brown sugar ($0.22)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.12)
1/2 tsp nutmeg ($0.04)
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger ($0.03)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.04)
1 cup sour cream ($1.25)
1/2 cup of whole milk ($0.25)
1 tsp vanilla ($0.58)
Three large eggs, room temperature ($0.87)
1/4 tsp of butter, to grease ($0.04)
1/4 tsp flour for dusting ($0.06)
One teaspoon thick cream ($0.03)
INSTRUCTIONS
Set up a rack in the bottom of the oven. It should be topped with an aluminum sheet pan. Place a cast-iron pan with the bottom facing up inside the pan. Set your range to 400°F. Make a crust using butter, dust it with flour, put it in the freezer. Dust your work surface with flour and form the pie crust into a 9×3 inch rectangle, approximately 1 1/2 inches thick.
Place the long edge of the rectangle horizontally on your work surface. Fold the top short side toward the middle of the rectangular to ensure the sharper edge is in touch with that center line. Fold the bottom side of the rectangle over the center to meet the outside side of the side. The dough should be rolled into a 9×3 rectangle. Repeat the fold a second and a fourth time. Then, chill your pie dough.
Place a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pan at a medium-low temperature. Add pumpkin purée, brown sugar cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt to the pot.
Mix the puree continuously until it thickens, sputters, and turns shiny. Take it off the heat and allow to cool for around 10 minutes.
After the filling has been cooled and is ready to be added to a blender with milk and sour cream, blend until the mixture is light.
Add the vanilla and eggs to the blender. Mix until the mixture is silky.
Clean your working surface in flour, and make your pie dough into a circular shape that measures 16 inches wide. The crust should be pressed into the pie dish. Overhanging the edges of the dough inwards to create an elongated lip. The pie crust is dipped with the help of a fork, making a puncture about 9-10 times. The dough is then chilled for at least 10 minutes in the fridge.
The edges of the pie should be trimmed. Pie. Fill the pie with pumpkin filling. Lightly paint around the outside of the pastry with the cream.
Place the pie into the oven that is preheated to 400 degrees over the top of the cast iron pan. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until the edges of the pie have cooled; however, the middle of the pie has some jiggles, around 50 minutes. Take the baked pie out of the oven, and let it rest in a cool place for at least 2 hours before serving it so it can cool and get set.
