Pumpkin Pie

  Anna Olson's Pumpkin Pie

Every year an essential part of our Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner is pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream.  Anna Olson's recipe for Pumpkin Pie has become on of my most favorites.  As you prepare for your shopping this week, I thought I'd post the recipe so you can plan for the ingredients.

 

Courtesy of:  Anna Olson - Bake With Anna Olson - THE FOOD NETWORK

Recipe summary

I find that a whole wheat pie dough makes for a crust that browns nicely and stays crispy under the pumpkin filling, and the subtly nutty taste really works well with the autumn filling.

Makes 1 9-inch pie

Preparation time: approx 30 min, plus chilling time for dough.
Cooking time: 10 min + 35 - 40 min
Yield: 8

Ingredients

Crust

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose)
3/4 cup cake and pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and then frozen for 10 minutes
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Filling

2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp water, for brushing

Assembly

Directions - for crust, filling and assembly.

1. Pulse the flours, sugar and salt to combine in a food processor (or the dough can be prepared by hand or using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the butter and pulse it in quick pulses until just small pieces of butter are visible and the mixture as a whole just begins to take on a pale yellow colour (indicating that the butter has been worked in).
2. Stir the egg yolk, water and lemon juice together and add this to the dough all at once, pulsing until the dough barely comes together (it should look like a crumble dough). Shape the dough into a disc by hand, wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling. Alternatively, the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed in the fridge before rolling.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to just under a ¼ inch thick. Lightly dust a 9-inch pie plate (do not grease) and line the plate with the pastry, Trim the pastry off right to the edge of the pie plate and press it down gently to secure. Reserve any remaining dough for trim and chill it and the pie shell while preparing the filling.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
5. Whisk the pumpkin purée, brown sugar and eggs together, then whisk in the evaporated milk, ginger, cinnamon, clove and salt. Pour this into the chilled pie shell.
6. To create the trim, roll out the remaining pie dough into a long rectangle and cut into strips about 1/3-inch wide. Braid three strips together, gently pulling the dough a little to stretch it as you braid it. You may have to make a few braids to cover the complete edge of the pie. Lightly brush the edge of the pie dough and place the braided dough overtop, lightly pressing. Brush the braid(s) with eggwash.
7. Place the pie onto a baking tray and bake the pie for 10 minutes at 400 F, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake the pie for another 35 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkin filling is set, but still has a little jiggle to it in the centre. Cool the pie to room temperature, then chill completely, about 4 hours, before serving.
The pie is best served chilled, and can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

Yum!  Very delicious.  ENJOY!

Thanks for reading,

Cassie