- Basic pastry dough (Helpful tips), chilled
- 1 can (15 oz/ 470 g) pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup (5 1/2 oz/ 165 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/ 250 ml) heavy (double) cream
- 2 whole large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
Gather ingredients.
Lightly dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Roll out the chilled dough into a 14-inch (35-cm) round about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Lift and turn the dough several times as you roll to prevent sticking, and dust the surface and the rolling pin with additional flour as needed. Use a dough scraper or icing spatula to loosen the pastry round if it sticks. This pastry dough has butter in it so make sure the dough is very chilled before trying to roll it out.
Carefully roll the dough around the pin and position it over a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate, preferably glass. Unroll the dough and position into the plate, gently but firmly pressing the dough against the sides and bottom while taking care not to pull or stretch it. Trim the edges, leaving a 3/4-inch (2-cm) overhang. Roll the overhang under itself to create a high edge on the plates rim. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. Whenever I have made pastry dough there never seems to be enough to create an overhang of sorts. On some pie plates there is a grooved edge that will make the top of the pie crust fluted automatically. I had to work really hard to get the dough in the pie plate because the dough got really soft.
Preheat the oven to 425F (220C). Line the frozen crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. I used black eyed peas instead of pie weights.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and continue to bake until the shell is golden brown, 4-5 minutes longer. Let the shell cool completely on a rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F (165C) Mine took a bit longer to bake until golden brown.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cream, whole eggs and egg yolk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into the crust. This was the easiest part for me, add everything and mix!
Bake the pie until the filling is set but the center still jiggles slightly when the pie plate is gently shaken. About 50 minutes, longer if using a metal pan. Let cool completely on rack. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Mine took 70 minutes to bake, time differs depending on the type of oven.
Helpful Tips:
Basic Pastry Dough:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup (5 1/4 oz/175 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) pieces
- 3 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
- 3 tablespoons very cold water
To make the dough, in a food processor combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl. Pulse to blend. Add the shortening and pulse until reduced to 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces. Add the water a little at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together in a rough mass. It only took 1 tablespoon of water to give it the right consistency for me.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.
My Experience:
I had a very limited time to make this when I did. It turned out really good though, better than I expected. I got really frustrated with the pressure I was under to finish baking the pie. I'm sure I would have had a better time if I got to relax a little bit.
