Michelles Pumpkin Crunch Food

PECAN PUMPKIN CRUNCH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
• Combine the pumpkin, cream, eggs, sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, bourbon, if using, ginger, nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk until evenly combined and pour into the prepared baking dish.
• Cut the butter into small pieces and add to a medium bowl. Stir in the pecans, flour, and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and mix until it holds together somewhat but still crumbles. Scatter the topping over the pumpkin mixture and bake until the edges are puffed and the filling is set in the center, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove to a rack to cool to room temperature. Serve with the Bourbon Whipped Cream and/or ice cream.
• Add the heavy cream to a medium bowl. Beat the cream with a hand-held mixer until thick and frothy. Add the sugar and bourbon and beat until medium peaks form.

MICHELE ALBANO'S MAPLE PUMPKIN PIE WITH PECAN STREUSEL

Steps:

• To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Break up the shortening and toss it with the flour mixture to coat. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, mix the ingredients together until the dough forms coarse crumbs. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons ice-cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough easily forms a ball that can hold itself together. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight.
• While the dough is resting, make the streusel: Toss the pecans with the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the butter, and using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work in until you have small clumps. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Sprinkle flour generously over a hard surface and roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it forms an 11-inch round. Fold the round in half, place it in a 9-inch pie plate, and then unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate with a bit of an overhang. Tuck the overhang under to make a double-thick rim, and then use your fingers to crimp the edges of the pie shell. Brush the heavy cream over the crimped edges, and refrigerate until the filling is complete.
• To make the filling, mix the pumpkin, flour, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl well. Add the heavy cream and maple syrup, scraping the bowl several times while mixing. Mix in the beaten eggs.
• Pour the filling mixture into the pie shell, and bake for 15 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake until the filling is almost firm, about 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the pecan streusel over the top, covering the pie completely. Return the pie to the oven and bake until the filling is just a bit wobbly in the middle and the pecan streusel is golden, 10 to 15 minutes. The total baking time should be 55 to 60 minutes.
• Cool the pie on a wire rack. The pie is best served at either at room temperature or cold. Before serving, garnish the pie with the Maple Whipped Cream.
• Maple Whipped Cream
• Place the metal bowl of an electric mixer in the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes.
• Combine the cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in the chilled bowl, and beat on high speed until the mixture thickens. Add the maple syrup and beat on high speed until the cream holds firm peaks.

PUMPKIN PIE WITH BOURBON-MAPLE WHIPPED CREAM AND CINNAMON CRUNCH

Steps:

• Make the cinnamon crunch: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the flour, oats, light muscovado sugar and cinnamon in a food processor and process a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until combined. Pat the mixture evenly into a 4-inch square on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool. Transfer to a cutting board and chop into small pieces. Keep the oven on.
• Make the crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and cinnamon in a bowl and mix until combined. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch pie plate. Brush with the beaten egg. Bake until golden brown and firm, about 12 minutes. Let cool on a rack.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Make the filling: Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, dark muscovado sugar, granulated sugar and molasses in a medium bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Whisk in the heavy cream, milk and vanilla seeds or extract. Strain the mixture through a coarse strainer into a bowl. Whisk in the melted butter.
• Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, pour the pumpkin filling into the crust and sprinkle additional cinnamon over the top. Bake until the filling is set around the edges but the center still jiggles slightly when shaken, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
• Make the whipped cream: Combine the heavy cream, vanilla seeds, maple syrup and bourbon, to taste, in a large chilled bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream and cinnamon crunch.
• Top off your feast with one (or more!) of these tasty pies.

PUMPKIN PIE CRUNCH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease bottom of 13x9x2-inch pan.
• Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in large bowl.
• Pour into pan.
• Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture. Top with pecans.
• Drizzle with melted butter.
• Bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes or until golden. (Check it early).
• Cool completely. Serve with whipped topping. Refrigerate leftovers.

QUICK AND EASY PUMPKIN CRUNCH

Steps:

• In a medium bowl mix pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar together.
• Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
• Sift cake mix over top of pumpkin mix.
• Drizzle melted butter over top.
• Bake for 1 hour or until top is golden brown.