Classic Pumpkin Pie For Expats Recipes

CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
• Gather pastry into a ball. On lightly floured surface, shape dough into flattened round. Wrap pastry in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable.
• Heat oven to 425°F. On lightly floured surface, roll pastry with floured rolling pin into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired.
• In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly with wire whisk. Beat in remaining filling ingredients. Place pastry-lined pie plate on oven rack to prevent spilling the filling. Pour filling into pie plate. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
• Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake about 45 minutes longer, removing foil during last 15 minutes of baking, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 4 hours or until chilled.
• In chilled small bowl, beat topping ingredients with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Serve pie topping with whipped cream.

CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Using a fork, stir in oil and butter until dough is crumbly. Gradually add enough water until dough holds together. Roll out between sheets of plastic wrap into an 11-in. circle. Freeze for 10 minutes. , Remove top sheet of plastic; invert crust into a 9-in. pie plate. Remove remaining plastic. Trim and flute edges. Chill. , Roll dough scraps to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 1-in. leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet; bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat the egg, egg white, sugars, salt and spices until smooth. Beat in pumpkin. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into crust. Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with leaf cutouts. If desired, top with whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Make pastry dough as directed. Roll out dough into a 14-inch round on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 9-inch glass pie plate (4-cup capacity). Crimp edge decoratively and prick bottom all over. Chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°°F.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven 20 minutes. Remove weights and foil and bake shell until pale golden, 6 to 10 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack. Whisk together pumpkin, cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, spices, and salt, then pour into shell.
• Bake pie in middle of oven 45 to 50 minutes, or until filling is set but center still trembles slightly. (Filling will continue to set as pie cools.) Transfer to rack and cool completely.

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.

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).

CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE FOR EXPATS

Steps:

• This Recipe is involved and could take a good portion of the morning or evening to do well. Plan to dedicate several hours to the joys of making pumpkin pie. It will be worth it!
• STEP 1--- MAKING NO-ROLL PIE CRUST: As you will most likely not find frozen pie crust in the stores in China, we must begin by making the no roll pie crust.
• > Put 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, salt and sugar(optional)in a mixing bowl.
• > Mix the 2 TBSP Cold Milk with the 1/2 cup Sunflower oil, until the milk has dirtied the oil and there are thousands of milk beads floating in the oil.
• > Add Milky Oil to the bowl and using your hands, mix together until all the flour is dampened by the milky oil mixture. Form it into a ball, and place in the center of your 9" pie pan. Spread the dough over the pie plate, patting down the dough to cover the bowl. DO NOT let the crust go over (or even too close to) the edge of the pan.
• > Although if we were not making pumpkin pie, and were just using this as a shell, the next step would be using a fork to poke holes liberally to avoid having the dough bubble under the filling as it bakes. But with pumpkin pie, that only makes the crust weak, so don't do that.
• > Pat the fork on the crust portion lightly. It will give texture to the crust, but don't make the grooves too definite or they may burn unless covered with foil. Also, don't let any portion of the crust be too thin or it will burn. The crust should be even all the way around, and lightly patted with a fork.
• >Place this in the fridge to chill the pie crust, as long as you want.
• STEP 2--- MAKING PUMPKIN PUREE: As it is rare to find Pumpkin Puree on the shelves in China, we must begin the pumpkin filling by making our own home-made Pumpkin Puree. There are two ways to do this:.
• ~ METHOD 1 for PUMPKIN PUREE(Best) If you have an oven:.
• >Preheat oven to 175 Celsius (350F). Be careful with your oven settings. The little ovens in China tend to run hotter than those in America.
• > Wash your pumpkin. (vegetables here are usually dirty, no sense getting dirt on your clean cutting board.).
• >Cut the pumpkin in half. Leave the skin of the pumpkin on the pumpkin.
• > Take a spoon (one with the best edge) and scrape out the stringy mess inside the pumpkin. (You can put the stringy mess directly in the garbage or put it into a bowl to later separate out the seeds for roasted pumpkin seeds.).
• > Prepare Cookie Sheet by coating a flat cookie sheet with 1/4 cup sunflower oil or vegetable oil, using a tissue to spread the oil around the pan. (it's best to use a sheet with a lip around the side because this will be juicy and that avoids the juice spilling over later.
• > Sprinkle the 1/3 cup loose sugar over the oil.
• > Place both halves of pumpkin face down in the oil on the cooking sheet. Avoid doing this if possible but, if both do not fit, cut the halves it into the fewest pieces necessary to fit it all in the pan.
• > Place pumpkin in preheated oven and let bake for 30 or 40 minutes. Check to make sure it is not burning periodically. It will bubble at the edges and smell good and squashy.
• > When finished baking, leave the oven door open and let the pumpkin cool. The middle will probably sink in and it will look entirely unappetizing. Fear not. Looks do not matter here.
• > Once it has cooled to a warm easy to hand temp, turn each halve over, and scrape the pumpkin meat in a bowl, leaving the skin in the pan and finally throwing away the skin.
• > Water removal process: Now, we must cut down on the liquid in this pumpkin puree. This is a critical step- don't leave it out. get a good amount of paper towel ready. Place two bowls on the counter and paper towels in bottom of the bowls. transfer pumpkin between bowls, and replacing paper towels until the paper towels have soaked up a good majority of the water in the pumpkin meat. About 5 minutes later, and many paper towels later, you will arrive at the desired consistency.
• > Place this pumpkin goodness into a blender, and blend to cut up all the strings and make it uniform in texture in the pie.
• ~METHOD 2 FOR MAKING PUMPKIN PUREE(Also good but less flavorful) if you do NOT have an oven:.
• > Wash Pumpkin.
• > Cut Pumpkin in Half.
• > Taking a potato peeler, peel the skin from a the pumpkin the same way you would peel a potato. Keep doing it until the peel or outer part of the pumpkin is gone.
• > Cut the pumpkin into Chunks as you would for mashed potatoes. The chunks can be a few inches big, not too small, not too big.
• > Place chunks into pot of water on stove. Heat water to boiling, then reduce heat and cook for about 20 or 30 minutes.
• > Drain well, and begin water removal process.
• > Water removal process: Now, we must cut down on the liquid in this pumpkin puree. This is a critical step- don't leave it out. get a good amount of paper towels ready. Place two bowls on the counter and paper towels in bottom of the bowls. Don't worry if the cubes of pumpkin fall apart as you do this,. it will eventually all go into a blender. The goal is to remove as much moisture as possible. Transfer cooked pumpkin between bowls, replacing paper towels until the paper towels have soaked up a good majority of the water in the pumpkin meat. About 5 minutes later, and many paper towels later, you will arrive at the desired consistency.
• > Place this pumpkin goodness into a blender, and blend well to cut up all the strings and make it uniform in texture in the pie.
• STEP 3--- CREATING PUMPKIN FILLING: I used a blender and the pie came out better, so I'm showing publishing these instructions, but I've made the pie without the blender and it was great too!
• > Keeping pumpkin puree in blender add the rest of the filling ingredients, (adding eggs LAST so u can add spices to taste without the risk of salmonella poisoning.) I begin with the can of Nestle sweetened and condensed milk, so there is more of a thick liquid texture for blending. Next, 1 TBSP flour, 1 TSP Ground Cinnamon, 1/2 TSP Fine Salt, 1/2 TSP Ground Nutmeg, 1/4 TSP Ground Allspice. Add brown sugar to taste after all the spices as the sugar will thicken the filling, making it difficult to blend properly. I used 1 cup tightly packed, but the filling was very sweet. If you don't like pies too sweet, add brown sugar to taste. The brown sugar also adds color that looks good once baked. I once used white sugar, and the appearance wasn't as traditional. The taste that you have in your blender at this point (after the sugar) is the taste you will have in your pie, so keep playing with it until you find a good combination. Finally, once you are satisfied with the taste, add the eggs to the blender.
• LAST STEP--- ADDING FILLING TO CRUST AND BAKING PIE.
• > Take crust from fridge and pour the filling into the crust in a circular motion until the pan is filled. Do not over fill. Just a bit below the crust edge is perfect, even if it means wasting some of the filling. Though the filling shouldn't be very runny, it is still a very thick liquid, so avoid letting the filling slosh onto the crust as you place the unbaked pie into the oven. Put the rack on the lowest level to avoid burning the pie and heat the pie from the top and bottom burners. Leave it to cook for about 40 minutes, checking on it to make sure it is not burning. If crust begins to get too dark, foil the crust next time. As it heats, toward the end, the filling will puff up. Fear not. It will settle down again as it cools and transform into the worlds best pumpkin pie after refrigeration for a few hours.