Martha Tinsdale Pumpkin Pie Food

BRANDIED PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms chickpea-size pieces. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together. It should be moist, but not wet. On a lightly floured surface, gather the dough into a ball. Flatten into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch circle. Transfer crust to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, then crimp edges. Prick crust all over with a fork, then chill crust for 30 minutes.
• While the dough chills, heat oven to 375 degrees. Line chilled crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes; remove foil and weights and bake until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cool on rack until needed.
• Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, eggs, cream, dark brown sugar, brandy, ginger, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the nutmeg and clove. Pour mixture into the cooled pie shell. Transfer pie to a large baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden and center jiggles just slightly when shaken, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out pate brisee to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim edge, leaving a 1-inch overhang: fold edge under and crimp as desired. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans; bake until crust is set, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment, and continue to bake until bottom of crust is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Brush crust with egg white; let cool on a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour pumpkin mixture into cooled crust. Bake until center is set but slightly wobbly, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight. Slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

PUMPKIN PIE IN A SHEET PAN

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the bottom of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Tear off two 24-inch pieces of 18-inch-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil. Line a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with the foil, crisscrossing the pieces and leaving an overhang on all sides. Fold over each overhang so it stands upright and forms a sturdy wall about 3 inches high. Crimp the corners together, and lightly coat the bottom and sides with the cooking spray.
• For the dough: Beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth, about 1 minute. Add half the flour, and beat to incorporate; add the remaining flour, and beat until the dough just starts to come together in large, soft clumps. (It should hold together when squeezed.) Set aside 1/3 of the dough (for decorating the edges).
• Press half the remaining dough into the bottom of the baking sheet until it is completely covered, with no gaps, about 1/4 inch thick. (The dough won't be completely smooth.) Press the remaining dough into and about 1 inch up the sides of the foil wall until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick and there are no gaps where the sides and bottom meet. Bake until the dough is light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.
• Meanwhile, knead the reserved dough a few times to bring it together. Put it between 2 pieces of flour-dusted parchment; pat it into a disk, and roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out about 50 rounds with a 1-inch round cookie cutter, gathering scraps and rerolling as needed. Lay all the rounds out on a parchment-lined baking sheet or platter, beat the egg with a little water and brush the tops of each round with the egg wash. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the filling: Gently whisk together the pumpkin, cream, granulated sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until blended well.
• Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell. Press the rounds in a single line all around the edges of the crust. (It's OK if part of the round sinks into the filling slightly.) Bake until the filling is only slightly wiggly when shaken, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares, and serve with whipped cream.

CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If using fresh pumpkin, roast pumpkin, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet until soft, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely. Roasted pumpkin can be refrigerated in an airtight container overnight.
• Reserve 1/4 of the dough for making leaf decorations. Turn out the remaining dough onto a lightly floured work surface; divide in half. Roll out each half into a 14-inch round. Fit rounds into two 10-inch pie plates; crimp edges as desired. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Roll out reserved dough to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a leaf-shape cookie cutter or a paring knife, cut leaves from dough. Freeze until cold, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Whisk 1 egg and heavy cream in a small bowl; set aside. Brush edges of pie shells with a wet pastry brush; arrange leaves around edges, pressing to adhere. Brush leaves with egg wash. Cut 2 large circles of parchment; fit into pie shells, extending above edges. Fill with pie weights. Freeze until cold, about 10 minutes.
• Bake pie shells 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; bake 5 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• If using fresh pumpkin, discard seeds. Scoop out flesh using a large spoon; transfer to a food processor. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer pumpkin to a large bowl. Add brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, remaining 6 eggs, and evaporated milk; whisk until combined.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Place pies on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide pumpkin mixture evenly between shells. Bake until all but centers are set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let pies cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream.

PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into crust. If there is extra filling, pour it into a baking pan for a crust-less pumpkin pie or custard.
• Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then approximately 35 minutes at 350 degrees or until set.

ULTIMATE PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Place two racks in the oven: one in the lower third and one in the upper third. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread butternut squash on it. Drizzle squash with 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream, sprinkle with granulated sugar and dot the top with butter. Roast on the upper rack, stirring once or twice, until squash is very tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch metal pie pan. Fold over any excess dough, crimping the edges. Transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (This helps the crust hold its shape so the edges don't slump.)
• When the squash is soft, transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes (and up to a few hours). Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
• In a food processor or blender, purée the squash with the remaining cream until smooth. Add eggs, brown sugar, spices, bourbon and salt, and pulse to combine. The mixture should be very smooth.
• Pour mixture into the chilled pie shell. Carefully transfer pie to the hot baking sheet on the bottom rack. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 300 and continue to bake until the crust is golden and the center jiggles just slightly when shaken, 35 to 45 minutes longer. Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving. Pie can be baked up to 24 hours ahead of serving; do not refrigerate before serving.

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.