Pumpkin pie

Happy Thanksgiving y’all ! Thanksgiving is the best time of the year where you gather as a family/ friends and be thankful for all that you have. The best part is the thanksgiving dinner and what’s it without a pie 🥧. A pie on a dinner table just completes it.

There are so many varieties of pie that we love but a classic pumpkin pie will make the thanksgiving complete. The creamy, rich and earthy flavor with buttery, flaky crust is something you will fall for. It’s absolutely decadent and I personally love this a lot.

INGREDIENTS:

PIE CRUST:

All-purpose flour - 2 ½ cups (325 grams)

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Very cold unsalted butter - 1 cup (230 grams) or 2 sticks

Ice water - 4 to 8 tablespoons

FILLING:

Pumpkin purée - 1 (15 ounce)

Heavy cream - 1/3 cup

Sugar - 1/3 cup

(or)

Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 can (14 ounce)

Large eggs - 2

Pumpkin pie spice - 1 1/2 tsp

Ground Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Butter - 2 tbsp

Step by Step Instructions:

In a food processor, add the four, salt, sugar and cold butter that’s been cut into small 1/2 inch cubes. You can also pastry cutter and mix the butter with the flour. (I prefer to use food processor as working with the butter while they are still cold is important in making pie crust as it will stop the gluten formation in the flour and results in flaky crust.)

Pulse the food processor a few times till you get a dry crumbly texture but when you take it in hands and press, it should hold the shape.

Transfer the crumbly mix to a bowl or a cleaned surface. Add ice cold water little by little till it combine into a dough (you will only need little amount of water).

Don’t knead the dough. Just combine it together into a ball. Divide the dough into two and flatten it. You can make two 9 inch pie crust out of this.

Cling wrap the dough and refrigerate it for at least an hour or preferably a day before making it.

In a sauce pan, add 2 tablespoon of butter along with that pumpkin purée. Many recipes call for using pumpkin purée directly from the can but i personally like to take off the raw smell and blend in the spices well.

Let the butter melts and mix with the purée. This will take about 1-2 mins, then add the sugar and spice powders and whisk it together in low medium heat.

Cook for a total of 5 mins. Allow it to completely cool down.

Once cooled down, add the heavy cream and eggs. (Be careful not to add the eggs while the mixture is hot because it starts to cook and scramble.)Whisk till they are well blended.

Now the delicious pie filling is ready. I like how well the flavors are incorporated in it when compared to the raw pumpkin filling. (Taste and adjust the sugar before adding the eggs in the filling.) Refrigerate till you roll out the pie.

Take the pie dough out of the fridge, Start tapping the dough to flatten it as it will be hard since it has been in the refrigerator. If it’s too hard to work with, then rest it outside for 5 mins in room temperature. Make sure the room temperature is cold enough so that the butter in the dough is not melting while you work with it.Dust the surface, top of the dough and the rolling pin with flour. Spread the dough to 12 inch diameter for about 1/8 inch thickness.Invert the baking dish, leave 1 inch around the edge and cut it.

For transferring the spreaded sheet to the baking dish, roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it in the baking dish.

Gently press the dough into the dish making sure it lines the bottom and sides.Then crimp the edges using fingers around the edge.

Transfer the filling into the pie plate. For a crunch, I have added chopped pecans in the filling (optional).

Preheat the oven at 425F and bake it for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350F and bake for 30 minutes.

Once done, allow the pie to cool in the baking rack inside the oven.