Pumpkin Chocolate Pie With Gingersnap Crust Food

GINGERSNAP PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Combine cookie crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter in a 9 inch pie pan. Press into sides. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool completely.
• Combine pumpkin, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, eggs, and milk. Blend with wire whisk until combined.
• Pour into crust. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour. Let cool. Refrigerate to chill.

CHOCOLATE, PECAN, AND PUMPKIN SEED PIE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

Steps:

• Make the crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse gingersnaps, pecans, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until dough sticks together when pressed. Transfer to pie pan and press evenly into bottom and up sides with a flat measuring cup. Bake crust until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Make the filling:
• Spread pecans and pumpkin seeds on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in 350°F oven until warmed through and lightly fragrant, 5 minutes; let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat butter, chocolate, and cream in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bottom of bowl should not touch water), stirring, until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl until frothy. Whisk in salt and 1/4 cup molasses until smooth, then slowly add chocolate mixture, whisking constantly, until combined. Stir in half of toasted pecans and pumpkin seeds. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Arrange remaining pecans and pumpkin seeds evenly over filling.
• Bake pie until filling is set around the edges but jiggles slightly in the center when shaken, 25-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk remaining 1 Tbsp. molasses and 1 tsp. water in a small bowl.
• Remove pie from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Using pastry brush, immediately brush surface with molasses mixture to glaze; let cool before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Pie can be made 1 day ahead; store at room temperature.

PUMPKIN CREAM PIE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST AND RUM CHEESECAKE TOPPING

Steps:

• For the gingersnap cookie crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the gingersnap crumbs in a large bowl and drizzle half of the melted butter all over. Using your hand or a silicone spatula, mix thoroughly. Add more butter a little at a time until you can make a fist with the crumbs that retains its shape but is easily broken (not too dry, and not too wet).
• Press the crumbs tightly into a 9-inch pie plate. A deep pie plate is much more suited to this task.
• Bake until the crust feels quite firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
• For the pumpkin filling: Whisk together the milk, brown sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, whisking constantly.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually add half of the hot milk mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the pumpkin puree and salt. Pour into the pie shell and chill until set, 2 to 3 hours.
• For the rum cheesecake topping: Cream together the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cream, rum extract, egg, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla bean seeds. Mix until well combined. Use a silicone spatula to fill a pastry piping bag with the filling. Cut off the tip.
• Pipe the cheesecake over the pumpkin filling, minding not to get too close to the crumb crust. Use a spatula to smooth out the topping to just meet the crust edge, being careful not to drag crumbs over the surface. Bake until the top is glossy and the center still wiggles, about 45 minutes.

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.