Creamy Pumpkin Pie
What makes a pumpkin pie stand out in a crowd?
Why bake my pumpkin pie when there are so many others out there?
“The desserts were to die for.” This is not my quote, but a quote from someone famous. One Thanksgiving Day, in 2004 or 2005, I was in the dining room at The Old Inn On The Green in New Marlborough, MA when I saw the late great Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, leave their table. Paul Newman commented that “the desserts were to die for” to his wife! I turned away trying not to reveal my gasps of glee. He was talking about my desserts. From then on, every time I think about this pie, I remember my number one fan, Paul Newman.
Here is the plated Creamy Pumpkin Pie at the restaurant. This is the pie Paul Newman was talking about.
Here are the links to recipes for the optional garnishes that you see in the photo:
· Red Wine Poached Cranberries
· Pie Crust Leaf Cookies (See My Trusty Pie Dough recipe)
The whole time I was a pastry chef in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, I got similar feedback on this pie. Every Thanksgiving for fifteen years I baked this pie. I must have baked hundreds, along with help from my assistant pastry chef and other helpers. But I was the pie person and I feel confident in sharing it with all of you. In this newsletter, I’ll give you all the tips I learned that make this creamy pie so successful.
My Secrets for Success:
Anyone who has ever worked with me knows that I wrote my Prep List by hand on a ruled notepad on a clipboard. I can hear someone laughing at this because they know I loved my clipboards, and still do. Just know that there are many ways to do everything in pastry, and that this newsletter reflects the way I do it.
So, let’s get going. I have structured my tips to start on Monday because I always make a countdown plan.
Creamy Pumpkin Pie Prep List
Monday:
Make My Trusty Pie Dough
This recipe makes enough dough for one single-crust pie, plus a little extra dough if you want to make pie crust cookies. For how make the cookies see my Creamy Pumpkin Pie recipe.
Weigh out all the ingredients before you start mixing. This is called mise en place.
I write my recipes in grams, the easiest and most accurate method. It requires a digital scale. However, I do include the equivalent cups in the recipe. You also need a food processor (preferable) or mixer.
After mixing, wrap disks of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until Wednesday, which is baking day.
I write my recipes in grams, the easiest and most accurate method. It requires a digital scale. However, I do include the equivalent cups in the recipe. You also need a food processor (preferable) or mixer.
After mixing, wrap disks of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until Wednesday, which is baking day.
I prefer to buy Penzeys spices online, but any good quality spices are okay.
Tuesday
Roll out the pie dough and fill the pie plate. Freeze overnight.
Roll out the pie dough on a Silpat mat. Keep floured so the dough won’t stick. If your dough gets too warm, slide it onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate until it is firm. Cover the pie dough with a large sheet of plastic wrap before you roll it out. This makes the dough easier to handle.
Silpat mats work well for rolling out dough.
If the plastic wrinkles, just peel it off, smooth it out, and keep rolling. Roll out the cold disk of dough just a little thicker than 1/8 inch (3/16 inch or about 4 mm) and 13 inches (33 cm) in diameter. Roll from the center out, giving the dough a quarter turn each time. Maintain a round shape.
Glass pie plates are best. Spray a 9-inch (23 cm) glass pie plate with non-stick spray with flour such as Baker’s Joy. Roll the dough up on the rolling pin and gently unroll it over the pie plate, making sure that it is centered with the plastic wrap on top.
Carefully push the dough down into the corners of the pie plate. Push down; don’t stretch up. Trim the excess dough so there is a 1-inch (2.5 cm) overhang beyond the edge of the pie plate.
Refrigerate the pie shell for 1 to 2 hours until firm, then fold the overhang underneath. Make sure the dough sits right on the rim of the pie plate without hanging over the edge.
Refrigerate again for 1 to 2 hours until the dough feels firm. Now is the time to crimp the edges. Lift the plastic wrap off the edge but don’t remove it. Press hard when crimping so that the dough holds its shape in the oven. Freeze (preferably) or refrigerate overnight.
This is what my pie shell looks like just before blind baking.
My Mottos When Working With Pie Dough:
Use Chilled Dough and Never Stretch it.
If the dough feels warm while working with it, put it back in the refrigerator until it firms up. Warm dough will tear easily.
The technique of keeping the dough covered with plastic will help prevent stretching when putting it in the pie plate. Turning under the edge to form a crust and during crimping are the other two places to be careful not to stretch. Either will lead to bad things like ugly crusts that dip and dive while in the oven.
If you want to make the pie crust cookies, get these inexpensive cookie cutters with a plunger that imprints the leaf veins. Besides decorating your pie, a plate of these next to the pie, along with a bowl of whipped cream is a nice touch.
Guess what goes first at our house. These pie dough cookies, along with the
Creamy Pumpkin Pie. You’ll find tips for making the cookies in the pie recipe.
Wednesday:
Warm the pumpkin pie filling, bake the crust, and bake the pie.
Warm the pie filling in a stainless steel mixing bowl set over a pan of hot water to 130° F (54° C.) Stir often, but gently, so as not to incorporate too much air. Frequent stirring prevents the eggs from cooking. Why130° F? It is low enough not to cook the eggs. If you cook the eggs at this stage, the pie will not set while baking.
Watch the temp! I do it with this gadget.
I don’t bake pumpkin pies in raw dough pie shells. I always take the extra step of blind baking the crust first, meaning without filling, which helps prevent soggy crusts. Then I pour warm pie filling into hot crusts. This gives the pie a head start in the oven and cuts down on baking time. See My Trusty Pie Dough recipe.
Cut a large piece of aluminum foil and spray one side with non-stick spray. Remove plastic wrap and place the sprayed side of the foil next to the dough. Gently press the foil into the corners and up over the crimped edge. Trim excess, leaving enough foil to cover the crimp so the crust won’t get too brown. Fill the pie plate with dried beans or pie weights and place the pie plate on a sheet pan to bake.
Pour the warm filling and hot crust. That’s another tip that produces the creamy texture. Pumpkin pie is really a custard pie because it contains lots of eggs and dairy, which don’t do well with long bakes at high temperatures. A lower oven temperature of 300° F (149° C) is best.
Thursday: It’s Thanksgiving Day
Cut the pie into 8 wedges and serve.
Serve the pie chilled or at room temperature, depending on your preference, with whipped cream. Add any optional garnishes you choose.
Use a sharp knife. Dip it into hot water between slices and dry the knife with a paper towel.
Here’s a quick tip if the pie sticks to the pie plate when you start to cut it. Set the whole pie on top of a saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of simmering water until you can turn the pie in the plate. Be gentle; you don’t want to break the crust. A pie that is stuck to the pie plate will not only be hard to cut, but the wedges will not come out without breaking.
Memorable
And that’s it for my professional pumpkin pie tips. They are worth knowing to make your pie memorable.
For me, a “memorable” dessert must be so good that you will talk about it and remember it from year to year. It is not only the ritual of eating pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving that we remember, but the ritual of talking about that pie and all the pumpkin pies that we have eaten in the past. It’s fun to remember where you had the best pumpkin pie you’ve ever eaten, who made it, and when.
This is your goal: a smooth top with no cracks and a golden brown crust.
I’m heading back to the kitchen now to get a head start on my pie dough. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Until next time.