Maida Heatters Pumpkin Pie Recipes

PUMPKIN PIE WITH PEPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan with it, making an extra-high, fluted rim. Lightly prick the bottom, line with foil and weight with pastry weights or dry beans. Bake 13 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees, remove the foil and weights, and bake 7 minutes longer. Remove from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.
• Place the cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat until little bubbles form around the edges. Set aside.
• Beat the eggs lightly in a large bowl. Beat in the vanilla, sugar, salt, pepper, ginger, mace and nutmeg. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Gradually beat in the hot cream. Pour into the baked pie shell, place in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake about 40 minutes longer, until the center no longer seems liquid when the pie is gently shaken.
• Remove from the oven and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

MAIDA HEATTER'S PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Position oven rack 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven; preheat to 450°. Have the crust in the freezer for at least 20-30 minutes before baking (or longer).
• Add cream to a small saucepan, uncovered, over medium heat; let stand until a slightly wrinkled skin forms on top or tiny bubbles appear around the edges.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs lightly just to mix; beat in the vanilla, sugar, and salt.
• Through a fine strainer, add the spices; then add the pumpkin and mix well.
• Gradually stir in the hot cream.
• Do not remove the pie crust from the freezer until you are ready to bake it.
• Pour the pumpkin mixture into the frozen crust.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 450°, then decrease oven temperature to 350° and bake 30-40 minutes longer until a small sharp knife gently inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean (every time you test the pie with a knife it will leave a scar that will increase in size as the pie cools; do not cut more than necessary).
• Place the baked pie on a rack; serve while still barely warm or at room temperature.
• In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip together the cream, sugar, and vanilla.
• If the pie is still slightly warm when you serve it, it is best to serve the whipped cream separately (the heat of the pie would melt the cream).
• Whip the cream until it is no too stiff, it should barely hold a shape and should be more like a thick sauce.
• But if the pie has cooled to room temperature, the cream can be whipped until it holds a definite shape and can be spread over the top of the pie.
• Either way, the cream can be whipped a few hours ahead, refrigerated, and then whisked a bit with a small wire whisk just before serving.

MAIDA HEATTER'S CHOCOLATE FUDGE PIE

Steps:

• Position oven rack 1/3 up from the bottom of oven; preheat to 350°.
• Add butter and chocolate to the top of a double boiler over warm water on low heat.
• Cover until partially melted, then uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth.
• Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat (use electric mixer) the eggs well.
• Except for the chocolate/butter mixture, add all the remaining ingredients; beat well.
• Then beat in the chocolate and butter mixture.
• Turn into the prepared, partially baked crust; the filling will come almost to the top of the crust.
• Handle very carefully and place in the oven.
• Bake for 50 minutes; do not bake any longer even if the filling appears soft.
• Turn oven heat off; prop the oven door partially open, and let the pie stand in the oven until it is completely cool (the filling will puff up during baking and then will settle down to a thin layer that will crack while cooling).
• Refrigerate for several hours.
• Whipped cream: in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip the cream with the remaining ingredients until it will just hold a shape.
• Shortly before serving spread the cream in a thick layer over the top of the pie.

MAIDA HEATTER'S FREE-FORM APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
• Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add water and toss with a fork until pastry holds together.
• Shape pastry into a ball and flatten into a disk.
• Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Melt butter in a 12" skillet over medium heat.
• Increase heat to high and add sugar and brandy.
• Stir in apples and cover and cook 3 minutes, stirring apples twice.
• Uncover and add raisins and cook apples, stirring until tender and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes more.
• Cool apples completely.
• Stir in nuts.
• Heat oven to 425.
• Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a 14 inch circle.
• Transfer pastry to a large cookie sheet.
• Arrange apples on pastry, leaving a 2 to 2 1/2 inch border around the edge.
• Fold edge of pastry over apples.
• The pie shell should be about 9 inches in diameter.
• Bake 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 400 and bake 30 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
• Melt preserves through a sieve into a cup.
• Drizzle over filling.
• Cool on cookie sheet.
• Transfer to serving platter when cool.

MAIDA HEATTER'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TORTE

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate. Dust it with bread crumbs or cocoa powder. Set aside.
• Place the chopped chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over water over low heat. Bring it to a low simmer. Meanwhile, in a cup or small bowl, dissolve the coffee in the 1/4 cup boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover and cook over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Let cool slightly. (Alternatively, place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover with a plate or kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Vigorously whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave in 15-second bursts, whisking between, until smooth and fully melted.)
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the yolks at high speed until they are pale, thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat at high speed for 5 minutes more until very thick. Reduce speed to low, and add the vanilla and cooled chocolate, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Wash the whisk attachment and mixing bowl.
• In the mixing bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry. Gradually, in two or three small additions, gently fold half the egg whites into the chocolate, then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whites just until no whites show. Handling as little as possible, gently reserve about 4 cups of the mousse in a separate medium bowl; cover and refrigerate.
• Transfer the rest of the mousse into the pie plate; it will barely reach the top. Gently level and bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, then leave it in the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. (The mousse will rise during baking and then, while cooling, it will sink in the middle, leaving a high rim.) Wash the mixing bowl and whisk attachment and place in the refrigerator or freezer to chill.
• When the baked mousse is completely cool, remove reserved mousse from refrigerator. Handling as little as possible, transfer the chilled mousse to the center of the baked mousse. Mound it slightly higher in the center, but be careful to handle as little as possible or it will lose the air beaten into it. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.
• Make the whipped cream: In the chilled mixing bowl with the chilled whisk attachment, whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla on high speed until it holds a defined shape. Spread over the unbaked part of the mousse, excluding the rim; refrigerate. (Another way of applying the whipped cream: Use a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tube and pipe a lattice pattern over the top of the pie and a border around the edge.) Coarsely grate some semisweet chocolate over the top before serving, if desired. The torte is best eaten the day it's made, but it's not bad the next day.

MAIDA HEATTER'S PUMPKIN LOAF

Steps:

• Butter a 10"x5" loaf pan and spritz with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350.
• Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat eggs just to mix. Add sugar and oil and beat lightly just to mix.
• Mix in the pumpkin puree and dates.
• Add sifted dry ingredients, and mix only until they are smoothly incorporated.
• Stir in the walnuts.
• Turn into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake 1-1/2 hours. (If you use two smaller pans, bake 65-70 minutes.).
• Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert pan and let cake stand until cool. Cake is best if prepared the day before serving.