A good pumpkin pie is a quintessential winter dessert.
There's something about it that just speaks to the season
and you will love my pumpkin pie recipe.
And it all starts with one of my
favorite things to make, pie dough.
I've got this down to a T,
and whether you're making pumpkin pie, apple,
or mincemeat this season, this is the pie dough.
I have two and a half cups of all-purpose flour.
And I'll add to that a tablespoon of sugar
and a teaspoon of salt.
This dough isn't a sweet dough,
but I do put a little bit of sugar in it.
It actually helps make it tender.
And the first thing you can do, to make a tender pastry,
is actually coat your flour
in three tablespoons of vegetable oil,
before you add your butter.
(mixer whirring)
This protects the flour,
so it won't absorb too much liquids.
If the flour hydrates,
that's how you get a stretchy, tough dough.
Now I'm ready to add the butter.
What I've done is actually cut up my butter
and let this sit out for 15 to 20 minutes,
just to soften up a little bit.
You're not going to overwork the butter,
because it's slightly softened
and you're not going to develop the proteins
in the flour, because it takes less time.
Can you tell I get a little into making pie pastry?
And now I can tell that my butter has been worked in enough.
There's still some visible pieces,
but that flour took on a buttery color.
It went from being white flour, to all of a sudden,
creamy butter-colored.
So that's when I know it's time to add my liquids.
I have settled on a quarter cup of cool water,
along with a key ingredient, tiniest little measure,
two teaspoons of white vinegar.
You can use lemon juice, but that acidity
helps to allow the proteins in the flour to stretch.
When you roll out your dough, it rolls easily
and without springing back.
That's it.
You can do that, I know you can make pie dough.
If you're making a full-size pumpkin pie,
you only need one disk of pastry.
You can wrap the other and guess what, it freezes great.
Just thaw it in the fridge the night before
you want to roll it out and make your pie.
But I am making six individual pumpkin pies,
just stepping it up a little bit.
So I will use this full recipe of pastry.
I'll shape it into a log.
The reason I shape it like this,
is because I'm making six individual pies,
I can cut it into six portions, rolling each just once.
That way, I'm not re-rolling the dough,
which can toughen it up after a while.
So you want to let this chill for two hours,
to set up the butter and let it relax.
Just like the butter worked into the pie pastry,
you can pull out your chilled dough,
20 to 30 minutes before you want to roll it out.
So I'll cut this into my six individual pieces
and there will be scraps leftover
and you can wrap and chill and re-roll those later,
if you need to.
And then just with small motions at first,
keep rotating your dough as you roll.
And if you ever see cracks developing, through the dough,
flip your dough over,
because then the pressure of your pin
will glue the cracks back together again.
Whether you're using a full-size pie plate,
or these individuals, you want to sprinkle a little flour
in the bottom of them, that helps prevent them
from sticking underneath, and then you want to drop it in.
See that slight softening makes it
just a little more flexible.
All right.
I'll just pop these in the fridge to chill
while I tidy up and get ready to make the filling.
And making a pumpkin pie filling
is essentially making a custard.
So I've got two cups of pumpkin puree.
I'll add to that, three-quarters of a cup
of light-brown sugar.
And to intensify the sweetness, darken the color
and also make it a little more wintry,
I like to add three tablespoons of fancy molasses.
I'll whisk this together first.
This gives the sugar a chance to dissolve.
And now for the spices.
Yes, you can use a pre-mixed blend of spices,
but I like to have control and play with my flavors.
And I find, I don't want cinnamon
to be the singular dominant flavor in my pumpkin pie.
So I have equal amounts,
three-quarters of a teaspoon of cinnamon and ground ginger.
I have half a teaspoon of brown nutmeg
and a quarter teaspoon, each of allspice and cloves.
A quarter teaspoon of salt, balances it out
and I'll whisk that in.
And to set the pie filling, I have three whole eggs.
And they can get added all at once.
You really do want to make sure those eggs are well blended.
Then it's time for the whipping cream.
One and a third cups of whipping cream.
And this is why, pumpkin pie filling is a custard.
You have the pumpkin puree at the base,
but it's really the setting
of the cream and the eggs together
that makes pumpkin pie so rich and luscious.
All right, I'll grab the pie shells, chilling,
and I'll just ladle this right into each pie shell.
You can also make the same recipe
using removable bottom tart shells,
or don't forget, you can do a full-size pumpkin pie.
Here we go, ready for the oven,
which I've preheated to 375.
These individual pies take 30 minutes to bake.
You'll see the pastry has browned.
And while the outside is set,
there will be a little jiggle in the center.
If you're making a full-size pumpkin pie,
the bake time is 50 to 60 minutes
to achieve the same look.
Here are the pumpkin pies out of their shells and chilled.
Now, how do you like your pumpkin pie?
I know some people like to eat it warm.
Personally, I love it ice cold
and dolloped with whipped cream.
Just a pinch of cinnamon.
How fulfilling is that?
A pumpkin pie, truly speaks of the festive season.
And there are so many occasions
throughout the winter to celebrate.
So I know you'll be gathering together
with family and friends, and you'll use this
as an occasion to bake something special.
Enjoy. (gentle music)
That's a nice buttery pastry
and that ice cold filling,
means the spices kind of wake up
as you're enjoying every bite.