Pumpkin Pie

Maybe you’re thinking the world doesn’t need another recipe for pumpkin pie?  But if there’s room for one more, make it this one.

You know how I feel about traditions.  So for Thanksgiving it probably doesn’t surprise you that I don’t want to shake it up with pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin icebox cake or even a yummy streusel-topped pumpkin tart.  Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those for other days of the year, but on Thanksgiving I want my once-a-year fix of one of the best desserts ever invented.  Because it’s such a favorite (not only for me but for everyone in my family), I’ve taken care in developing this version of the classic.

When it comes to Pumpkin Pie, attention to detail makes a difference.  In what order should the ingredients be combined?  Should you use canned pumpkin or fresh?  Brown sugar or white? Evaporated milk, cream, whole milk?  Which spices and how much of each one?  How do you know when it’s done baking?  Here’s my take on each of those subjects, and what I’ve found makes for the smoothest, silkiest, perfectly-seasoned and perfectly-cooked custard:

• Mix the sugar and spices together first.  If the spices are evenly distributed throughout the sugar, they’ll be evenly distributed throughout the custard, no clumps.  Next add the thick liquid ingredients (molasses, eggs and pumpkin) and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth before diluting it with the milk and cream.
• Use canned pumpkin.  I think this has been pretty well established by now but in case you’ve been hiding out in a pumpkin patch for the past few decades:  pumpkin pie is one of those rare times when taking the easy way out will actually net you a better result.  Take advantage.
• Use white sugar plus a small amount of molasses.  Have you ever noticed how brown sugar tends to form hard little balls when it’s hit with a liquid, such as eggs?  For years I tried to overcome this by getting in with my hands and squishing the sugar and egg together, seeking out all those impossibly hard pellets and trying to break them up with my fingers.  Then I snapped to the idea that adding a small amount of molasses to white sugar equals brown sugar.  White sugar doesn’t seize up in liquid.  Problem solved.
• For the liquid, go with half and half (or half cream and half milk if these are what you have on hand).  There’s nothing like cream to add richness to a custard, but cutting it halfway with milk keeps the mixture light and fluffy.
• For the spices, I use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove.  These intense spices add not only flavor but deep color to the pie.  You can see the spices hiding under the surface of this pie, turning the brilliant orange of the pumpkin to a rich terra cotta.  And here’s a tip on the nutmeg:  If you’re going to use freshly grated nutmeg, sift it before adding it to the mixture.  I never thought about doing this until I made the switch to white sugar.  When I combined the spices with the white sugar, suddenly I saw there were larger shards of nutmeg that had flaked off during grating.  Maybe no one would notice, but for the smoothest pie I think it’s worth the extra step to get rid of those.
• And one last note:  cracks happen.  As it cools, a thoroughly-cooked Pumpkin Pie will almost certainly develop a ring of tiny cracks just inside the crust.  When I see a pumpkin pie that looks completely smooth and unlined on the top, I know it’s underdone and soupy in the center.  The custard in a pumpkin pie should be firm throughout, and this takes longer in the oven than you think – a good hour and twenty minutes to an hour and a half.  Don’t rush it.

Let’s not forget the crust.  Any pie is only as good as its crust, and pumpkin pies, maybe due to the high moisture content of the custard, seem prone to having gummy crusts that resemble wet cardboard.   Some recipes will tell you to blind-bake the crust (in other words, bake it empty first before adding the filling), but I find that unnecessary when the filling is nice and thick (like this one) and the pastry is flaky and tender (like this one).

Making Pumpkin Pie ahead and what to do with leftovers:

• On Thanksgiving, you want to make as many of the dishes ahead as you can. Pumpkin pie is one of the things you should definitely get out of the way the day before, since baking and cooling the pie takes a while.
• Leftovers will keep for several days and are very nice to have for Thanksgiving reruns on Friday night, or for breakfast over the weekend (I’m just saying).

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