Aunt Leasas Pumpkin Pie Food

PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Make the dough by hand. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.) Add the egg and stir the dough together with a fork or by hand in the bowl. If the dough is dry, sprinkle up to a tablespoon more of cold water over the mixture.
• Alternatively, make the dough in a food processor. With the machine fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter, about 10 times. Add the egg and pulse 1 to 2 times; don't let the dough form into a ball in the machine. (If the dough is very dry add up to a tablespoon more of cold water.) Remove the bowl from the machine, remove the blade, and bring the dough together by hand.
• Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges, leaving about an extra inch hanging over the edge. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath itself to form a thick edge that is even with the rim. Flute the edge as desired. Freeze the pie shell for 30 minutes.
• Set separate racks in the center and lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Put a piece of parchment paper or foil over the pie shell and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet on the center rack until the dough is set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift sides of the parchment paper to remove the beans. Continue baking until the pie shell is lightly golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• While the pie shell is cooling make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, half-and-half, spices, and salt until smooth. Return the pie shell to the baking sheet and pour in the filling.
• Bake on the lower oven rack until the edges of the filling are set but the center is still slightly loose, about 50 to 60 minutes. (If the edges get very dark, cover them with aluminum foil.) Cool on a rack. Serve room temperature or slightly warm.

AUNT ANNIE'S PUMPKIN PIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Brush crusts lightly with some of the egg. Bake 4 min. Meanwhile, mix remaining eggs with all remaining ingredients until well blended.
• Pour into crusts.
• Bake 15 min. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake 40 to 45 min. or until knife inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely. Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

JULIA CHILD'S AUNT HELEN'S FLUFFY PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Separate eggs and set aside.
• Using a mixer, blender or large bowl, blend pumpkin, the 2 cups of the sugars, 1 teaspoon salt, molasses, bourbon or rum (if using), cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, egg yolks, cream and milk until smooth. Add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, if the mixture is stiff: it should be a soft purée.
• In a clean bowl, whip egg whites until foaming. Whip in a pinch of salt, then gradually whip in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until shiny white peaks form. Beat 1/4 of the whites thoroughly into pumpkin mixture; gently fold in the rest.
• Immediately ladle filling into the shells, filling to just below the rim of the pan. Place in oven and bake just until rim of crust begins to turn gold, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake another 25 to 30 minutes, until a tester inserted into the filling 2 inches from the rim comes out clean. (The center should still be a bit wet; it will cook more as it cools.) If the rim of the crust starts to get too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.
• Immediately turn oven off, leave door ajar (stick in a wooden spoon to hold it open if necessary) and let sit 20 to 30 minutes more as the oven cools; this will prevent the filling from turning watery. Serve warm, or let cool, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let pie come to room temperature before serving.

AUNTIE'S PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees In a large bowl mix together eggs, whipping cream, pumpkin and salt.
• Blend well.
• Mix together sugar and spices.
• Add sugar and spice mixture to pumpkin mixture.
• Pour into an unbaked 9" pie crust.
• Bake at 450 for 10 minutes then lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45- 50 minutes.
• (filling should be firm) Excellant served hot or cold, with your favourite topping or plain.

PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust: Combine the gingersnaps, brown sugar, and ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the cookies are fine crumbs. Drizzle the butter into the crumb mixture. Pulse 8 to 10 times to combine.
• Press the gingersnap mixture into the bottom, up the sides, and just over the lip of a 9-inch glass pie dish. Place on a half sheet pan and bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool crust at least 10 minutes before filling.
• For the filling: Bring the pumpkin puree to a simmer over medium heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the half-and-half, nutmeg, and salt. Stir and return the mixture to a simmer. Remove the pumpkin mixture from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
• Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, and yolk until smooth in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour the prepared filling into the warm pie crust and bake on the same half sheet pan until the center jiggles slightly but the sides of the filling are set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for at least 2 to 3 hours before slicing. Pie can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Pie is best the day after it is made.
• For mini-pies: Evenly divide the crust mixture between 5 (5-inch) pie tins and bake on a half sheet pan for 5 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before evenly dividing the filling between the pans. Bake until the center juggles slightly but the sides of the filling are set, 25 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours. Spread 1 teaspoon of light brown sugar on the top of each pie. Melt the sugar using a torch to form a crispy top. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice a small piece of skin off the one side of the pumpkin so when laid on its side, the pumpkin will lay flat without rolling. Remove the stem and split the pumpkin in half from top to bottom, using a large cleaver and a mallet. Scoop out the seeds and fiber with a large metal spoon or ice cream scoop. Cut the fibers with kitchen shears if necessary. Reserve seeds for another use.
• Sprinkle the flesh with kosher salt and lay the halves, flesh side down, on a parchment paper-lined half sheet pan. Roast until a paring knife can be easily inserted and removed from the pumpkin, 30 to 45 minutes. Test in several places to ensure doneness.
• Remove the half sheet pan to a cooling rack and cool the pumpkin for 1 hour. Using a large spoon, remove the roasted flesh of the pumpkin from the skin to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the flesh is smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Crust: Into a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add the sliced butter; pulse until the mixture forms pea-sized clumps. Add the ice water and pulse 10 times. The dough should be loose but hold together when squeezed. If dough is too crumbly, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing several times after each addition, until it reaches the proper consistency.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Turn the dough out and use your hands to quickly bring it together; then use a bench scraper to divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, then wrap each one tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. (Note: You'll be using only one disk for this recipe. The other disk can be stored in the freezer, wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 month. Defrost before using.)
• Remove dough disk from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. Unwrap the disk, and place on a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour. Use a rolling pin to shape the dough into a flat circle: roll, rotate the disk a quarter-turn clockwise, and roll again. Repeat until the dough is of an even thickness and 12 inches in diameter. (Dust the dough and work surface with flour as needed to prevent sticking.)
• To transfer dough to the pie dish, wrap the dough around the rolling pin, then unroll it directly onto the pie dish. Gently press the dough into the dish, focusing on the walls of the dish and making sure you leave no gaps. Use kitchen scissors to trim the edges, leaving a ½-inch overhang all the way around. Fold the excess dough under so the crust is flush with the rim of the pie dish. Then use your index fingers and thumbs to crimp a decorative edge all the way around. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F.
• Blind bake, part 1: Use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust a few times to allow steam to escape as it bakes. Line the crust with parchment paper; then add pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans to cover the bottom and weigh down the parchment. Bake, 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling.
• Filling: In a bowl, add the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; whisk to combine. Add the milk, cream, and pumpkin purée. Crack eggs into a separate bowl (to catch stray shell pieces); add them to the pie mixture and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Blind bake, part 2: After 20-25 minutes, the crust should be sturdy and light brown. Remove rice and parchment paper, then place crust back in the oven to bake until firm and golden brown, an additional 5-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool, 20 minutes.
• Assembly: Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust and bake until the center is set, a total of 50-60 minutes. Check on the pie after 30-40 minutes: if the edges of the crust are browning too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil. When the center of the pie is set, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream (optional).

PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Place the pumpkin in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins or until tender. Drain pumpkin; let cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 mins until the base is pale golden and biscuity. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
• Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add to the pumpkin purée and stir to combine. Pour into the tart shell and cook for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Continue to bake for 35-40 mins until the filling has just set.
• Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. Serve chilled.