Perfect Pumpkin Pie with a Secret Ingredient

Thanksgiving and Pumpkin Pie.  What more can I say?  These are two of my favorite things. While I love turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and homemade cranberry sauce-- I always leave room for pumpkin pie.  I acknowledge that there are pumpkin pie haters in this world. Thank you.  That means I have more cans of pumpkin puree to hoard for the rest of the year! Yes, I have been known to make my own pumpkin puree. But, I'll be honest.  I really don't taste a dramatic difference between the Organic Trader Joe's brand of pumpkin puree vs. homemade.  I will say that it's fun to try making it for yourself, at least once. (Plus, you get the bonus of making your own roasted pumpkin seeds.)

However, I much prefer homemade pumpkin pie vs. store bought.   I can overlook if someone buys pre-made pie crusts.  I used to do that, until I realized the secrets of making pie crusts.  I cannot believe that people actually buy canned pumpkin pie filling, however!  Really?!   Pumpkin pie filling is so easy to make! For the last few decades, I've always made trust Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie Recipe.  It's fool-proof.   I rarely use Evaporated Milk, but I truly believe that this ingredient is what makes pumpkin pie creamy and delicious.  This year, I decided to try one of my most trusted sources of recipes and baking ingredients-- King Arthur Flour.  There was an ingredient that I found a bit peculiar. In fact, I debated if I wanted to risk KAF's recipe vs. Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie.   

Pumpkin Pie Filling only requires a whisk, folks!  Of course, I've been playing with my OXO Egg Beater that I won at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival.  It's a really cool gadget, priced at under $20.00, and I'm using it a lot!  The ingredients you need are: white and brown sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, spices, a touch of flour, and pumpkin puree (a printable recipe card is at the end of this post.)

Whisk the ingredients together. There really isn't a need to use a hand or stand mixer.   Pour into a pie shell.  NOTE: I actually made the pumpkin pie filling the day before making the pie.  King Arthur Flour recommends this so that the spices can have a chance to really blend.

TIPS: Place the prepared pie plate onto a baking sheet to prevent spills. King Arthur Flour gave me a great tip: "Pumpkin pie filling is basically a custard; the eggs in the filling will continue cooking as the heat from the edge of the pie moves toward the center, which is why it's important to remove the pie from the oven before the center is completely set. Leaving it in the oven too long will cause the eggs to overcook, tightening the proteins and causing the pie to crack in the center."

I made this pie the night before Thanksgiving, so that it would be well-chilled. 

In my previous post, I showed how I made King Arthur Flour's Traditional American Pie Crust recipe. 

I was so anxious excited to taste this pie, that I sliced it on Thanksgiving morning.  I figured I wanted to photograph it before my kitchen and dining room table Thanksgiving Dinner carnage had begun. Really!

VERDICT:  Full disclosure: I'm biased. I love pumpkin pie.  Ready?  I loved this recipe. It was creamy, and I loved the spice blend ratio.  I could taste the ginger and cinnamon, but not the black pepper.  My guess is that, somehow, black pepper brings out the spice flavor to perfection.  I was so glad that I baked this pie in a 9" deep pie dish.  The rest of my family loved the pumpkin pie.  I'm glad that I made a smaller pie for the next day...

Because pumpkin pie, for breakfast, is a very nice way to start the day.  Especially, with coffee.

I'm posting a printable recipe for pie crust and the pumpkin pie below.  You can also view King Arthur Flour's video on how to make this by click here.

Pumpkin-Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

Fall is a very strange season for those of us who live in California.  This weekend, while were away on vacation, it rained. Today, it was almost 90 degrees!  It's hard for me to accept that summer has officially ended-- especially, when I'm dressed in shorts, a tank top and flip-flops.   You see, October is that strange in-between time of seasons for most Californians. Fresh peaches and strawberries are still for sale, and I still have a few tomatoes that are clinging on for dear life-- with hues of pale orange. They're trying to turn red!  

I had plans, earlier this week, to do some bread baking and to retrieve my slow-cooker from the garage.  You see, I do enjoy rain and that is when I love to braise, and roast, and bake bread.  Instead, our Indian Summer has arrived.  So I had to change direction, and I made iced tea and decided that it was too hot for me to be in the kitchen. 

I'm not complaining, mind you!  As luck would have it, I'm on vacation for Fall Break in our school district. Craig and I just returned from a four day road trip to Wine Country (north of San Francisco in the Windsor, CA area).

This morning, I slept in, while Craig returned back to work.  I had a strong craving for pumpkin.   I had bookmarked this recipe from "Two Peas and their Pod", and even pinned it on Pinterest.  I set my timer for 15 minutes, and it took a little less than that to make the streusel and the batter.  Streusel is pretty basic to make-- flour, cinnamon and butter.  With my hands, I combined everything and then used a fork to make even "crumbs". Done.

The dry ingredients are flour (I only use unbleached), whole wheat flour, 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar, a pinch of salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Now, you can make your own spice blend, and I usually do. Somehow, while organizing my pantry, I discovered I had pumpkin pie spice. I decided to make good use of it. (Don't worry-- a printable recipe card is at the end of this post.)

For the wet ingredients, I used milk, pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), egg, vanilla, canola oil and pure vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk just until combined.

My griddle is set to medium-low, and prefer to add an even layer of vegetable oil with a paper towel. You can use non-stick spray, if you wish.  Measure about 1/3 cup of the batter and then sprinkle about 1-2 Tablespoons of the streusel, evenly.  Cook until bubbles begin to form; carefully flip over the pancake...

...then add more streusel on top.  Cook another 2-3 minutes.

These smell wonderful.  My son was very pleased that mom was making breakfast. That's a treat for him, since I normally work days and he works nights.  It's always a treat for me, to have breakfast with just the two of us.

I have, finally,  converted my husband and son to the virtues of Pure Maple Syrup.  If you are using pancake syrup, I beg you to spend a few dollars more and to try Pure Maple Syrup.  I find that I don't need to use a lot of maple syrup-- it's plenty sweet. Trust me, you will never go back!   I decided not to add more butter to the pancakes.  I figured since the streusel had plenty of butter in it, that would be enough. Let's see how these taste...

VERDICT:  The whole wheat to white flour ratio is just right.  The pancakes are surprisingly tender, while the whole wheat lends a little bit of density to the pancake.  The pumpkin-spice is perfect. Personally, I'm glad that I didn't add more butter, nor did I pour on a lot of syrup.  These pancakes are very rich and filling. I could only eat one, and it wasn't for lack of loving them.  I simply felt full, after eating one pancake. Amen.  My son could only eat two-- and he's a hearty eater.  The sweetness of the streusel was just slightly on the edge of being a little too much-- so I suggest adding the streusel only once the pancake has been cooked on one side, and flipped.  For those of you who have a strong sweet tooth, then be my guest and use the streusel on both sides.  There are a few pancakes left, and I have no problem heating them up tomorrow morning.  I'm sure they'll taste wonderful, with a cup of hot coffee.  I doubt I can ever have a pumpkin overdose!

I won't do a long post about our road trip, but... Craig and I drove to Bodega (Bay), one afternoon and I spotted this house. I quickly pulled over and grabbed my camera.  I got so excited that I found this house!

 Do any of you Alfred Hitchcock Movie Buffs recognize this house? 

It's where one of the most famous scenes from "The Birds" was filmed. This is one of my favorite classic horror films. 

...there's the church that was also in the movie.

... and one grave marker.

Our hot weather is supposed to stick around through next week.  I have to rethink my dinner plans.  Pumpkin, however, is something I enjoy year-round. I hoard pumpkin puree, by the way.  (Maybe that's why there's a supposed pumpkin shortage. Ha!) 

Pumpkin Pots de Creme with Candied Pecans

I'm bracing myself.  Pumpkin recipes are hitting Blogosphere, and I couldn't be happier.  Pumpkin is about the only squash (or is it a fruit?) that I truly love.   For those of you who hate pumpkin pie, just send me your share. I'm in.

Pots de creme (PO-de-[insert phlem here] and say from deep in your throat "c-h-hrem") is a simple dessert.  I think of it as a baked custard. Actually, Pots de Creme is a lot like a creme brulee. Both are baked in a bain marie (water bath).  The only real difference is that a brulee has caramelized sugar, from a blow torch.

I hoard canned pumpkin.  I'm probably the reason that there is a "supposed" pumpkin shortage.   I eat pumpkin year-round. Here's one cup.  Isn't uncooked pumpkin a pretty color? Remember this, as I'll point this out later on.

Pumpkin spice is convenient, but I made my own blend of nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon. Coarse salt brings out the sweetness in desserts. Sounds strange, but it's true.  Molasses is also necessary for this recipe.

To the pumpkin puree, add 3 egg yolks (did you now you can freeze egg whites to use later?) and some brown sugar...

Add heavy creme.  This is not the time to add skim milk, folks. This is dessert.  Just eat a smaller portion.

The recipe said to oil  four individual ramekins. I'm not sure why, but I did as instructed.
NOTE: I've read that it's safe to use tea cups (which makes a pretty presentation) as the pot de creme is baked in water, at a temperature.  I'm not that daring, as my tea cups are heirlooms.   Set the ramekins on a clean kitchen towel, in a roasting pan and the oven should be preheated to 325F.

Divide the filling, evenly....  I used six ramekins, rather than the suggest four.

But don't space out, like I did, and forget to strain the filling before dividing it.  D'oh!

Very carefully, add hot water to the pan until it reaches to about halfway up.  I didn't use the right kind of pitcher, and splashed water into one ramekin.  Double D'oh!

Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are set but still jiggle when you shake them, 30-35 minutes.
 

 Transfer the roasting pan to a cooling rack and remove the foil, leaving the ramekins in the water until the custard reaches room temperature. Removed the cooled ramekins from the water bath and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. NOTE: I found that the ramekins were cool enough to touch in about 30 minutes, and they went straight into the refrigerator.

While waiting for the Pots de Creme to cool, I decided to make the Candied Pecan recipe as a garnish. Leave the oven at 325F.  The ingredients include sugar, coarse salt, pepper, cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne.

 Add some honey...

...a little corn syrup

 Whisk it well...

I keep an arsenal of pecans in my freezer, so I measured about 1-1/2 cups. 

Coat the pecans, well, with the honey mixture.

If you have a silicone Silpat baking sheet, this is the perfect time to use it. Otherwise, use a lot of non-stock spray on a baking sheet. Bake at 325F for about 5 minutes.

Using a fork, stir the pecans to coat them with melted spice mixture. Continue baking until the nuts are golden and the coating bubbles, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pecans to the foil. Working quickly, separate the nuts with the fork. Cool. Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

I was a little disappointed that so much of the cinnamon had floated to the top. I'm not sure why, but the pecans do look pretty.  The pecans aren't necessary.  Whipped cream works really well with this dessert. So, remember how I said to make a mental note on how pretty uncooked pumpkin looks.  Don't look away....

I wasn't going to post this photo.  Fine Cooking won't be asking me for permission to reprint it, that's for sure. I'm just keepin' it real, and so here it is.  Remember the ramekin that I accidentally spilled water in?  This is it. Craterville, after scooping out the pool of hot water from the middle.  As for the color... well... it's not attractive.  I admit it. It reminds me of... well, I raised a baby. That's all I'm sayin'.   As for oiling the ramekins, I'm not sure if that's necessary. It's spooned out easily, and clean up was a snap.

VERDICT:  The texture was very creamy, indeed.  Pots de Creme are very quick and easy to make.  If you don't own a torch to make creme brulee, then this dessert is for you.   This is naked pumpkin pie, and I'm fine with that-- as I'm not the biggest fan of pie crust. Not too sweet, and the spice was balanced nicely.  As for the pecans, my son liked them.  I don't think they're necessary, but if you want to take the extra step, they make a pretty presentation.  That sorts of makes up for the not-so-appealing color. I still prefer my Pumpkin Brulee recipe, but this one come close.

I believe in giving recipe credit where it's due.  Thanks to "Baking Obsession" for the recipe, and beautiful photos.  A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.

Harvest Pumpkin Scones - The Great Pumpkin Has Arrived!

Living on the Central Coast of California, our change of seasons happens in a very subtle way.  Ground snow doesn't happen in my part of California. Instead, our golden hills begin to show signs of life again with patches of bright green grass.   In our backyard, our tomato plants are beginning to look tired. There are a few orbs of red tomatoes, but plenty of green tomatoes.  Alas, they are small tomatoes-- too small for making Fried Green Tomatoes.  We've had a couple of days of welcome rain, but the sun still makes an appearance.  I noticed a few roses decided to show their pretty colors, though the rose bushes are starting to look a little sparse. Our sugar pumpkins are not doing so well. (That's what happens when you plant them a little too late.)  Fortunately, the pumpkin shortage that was predicted has been lifted.    I've run out of the frozen pumpkin puree I made, last year. So, I'm back to stocking up on canned pumpkin. I can eat pumpkin year-round.  Sweet or savory, I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy this winter squash (or is it a fruit? or vegetable? I bookmarked this recipe a few months ago, from the King Arthur Flour website.

KAF's recipe for Harvest Pumpkin Scones, suggests adding crystallized ginger.  I haven't used this pretty (but deadly "hot" to my tender palate) product in a long time.  My son grabbed a piece of this, and before I could warn him, he took a big bite. The look on his face was total shock, and tried not to laugh at him too much.  Don't let the sugar fool you!  Ginger can be very hot to the taste buds. A little goes a long way!  If you've never made scones-- or your attempts yielded desert dry and hard hockey pucks-- I'm going to show you how fast you can make these, with a few tips and tricks along the way. Ready?

First, we measure our dry ingredients. NOTE: I forgot left out the allspice. I used it up making my famous Red Cabbage, last week.  Full disclosure: I am not an employee of King Arthur Flour, nor do they pay me or provide free products.  I am a regular customer, though. I simply love their baking products because of the quality of their ingredients.  You don't have to add crystallized ginger (I found this in the bulk section at Whole Foods) ...

...nor mini cinnamon baking chips (purchased online at  King Arthur Flour). But I recommend it. You need pumpkin puree.  Don't use canned pumpkin pie filling, by mistake! (Why does anyone even buy that? Pumpkin pie is so easy to make...just sayin'.)

I decided to use 1/2 cup of minced crystallized ginger and 1/2 cup of mini cinnamon chips-- half of what the original recipe calls for.  You need 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree. Puree freezes really well, in case you don't use the rest for something else in a day or two.  You need two eggs. Cold eggs.  More on that, in a moment. Now, we need butter.  Not margarine, please. Butter.  One stick. Cold butter.  Do you see a theme here?

Here's a great tip:  Grate the butter. Put it in the freezer to keep it ice cold.
So, what's up with the emphasis on cold, you might wonder?  Unlike baking cakes or cookies, scones turn out puffy and tender when the ingredients are very cold.  The chunks of butter create steam, just like when baking with puff pastry or pie crusts.

I don't think it matters what order you do things, but I whisked the eggs and then combined the pumpkin puree. I put that in the refrigerator, to keep with the cold theme.

So, now all the ingredients are prepped and ready to make scones.  This shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. When you're photographing step-by-step, it takes more than twice that time. But, you readers are worth it.
Stir/whisk the dry ingredients.  A pastry cutter helps. (The warmth of your fingers might warm the butter up.)

Work in the grated, cold butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

 If you're using the cinnamon baking chips and crystallized ginger, add them in now.

Add the pumpkin/egg mixture and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

At first, I found that my dough didn’t turn out very moist. Don’t panic, if it does.

I gently worked the dough until it held together.  If you overwork the dough, you will end up with tough scones. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don’t have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan. Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5” circle (if you haven’t incorporated any add-ins); or a 6” circle (if you’ve added 2 cups of fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about 3/4” thick.
* *NOTE: I found that room was “tight” to place two circles onto one baking sheet. Even though I spaced them, they spread out and fused a bit together. I recommend using separate baking sheets.

 See those bits of butter, ginger and chips?  Yes! At this point, I put the baking sheet into the freezer for 30 minutes. That's the perfect opportunity to clean up the kitchen.  Get ready to preheat the oven to 425F. (The high heat gets that wonderful, buttery steam going.)

30 minutes later, the baking sheet and the unbaked scones are ice cold.  I brushed each round with milk and a sprinkling of coarse bright sugar. 

NOTES:  King Arthur Flour does the aboves steps before freezing. I chose not to, for no particular reason. Maybe I couldn't bond with the idea of freezing the milk... either way, it worksout fine.  Coarse bright sugar is one of my (many) favorite King Arthur Flour baking products. This sugar gives a wonderful texture to my muffins, puff pastry goods, cookies and scones.  If you can't find it (you can buy it here), you can substitute a cinnamon-sugar topping.

I love my bench scraper tool!  Since the dough was very cold, from the freezer, I found cutting the rounds into wedges was pretty easy.

Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2” space between them, at their outer edges. Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes (mine took 20 minutes), or until they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs. If you pull one of the scones away from the others, the edges should look baked through, not wet or doughy.

NOTE: To be on the safe side, I checked the scones at 20 minutes, and the aroma was amazing! They were very ready!

 NOTE: Seriously, spread them apart! Mine fused slightly together (see previous note). In the future, I will use two baking sheets. Just sayin’!

Get your coffee or tea ready.  You won't have to yell "ready". The aroma will bring anyone in the house right to the source of the pumpkin-ginger-cinnamon aroma!

 Serve while warm.

VERDICT: Like Ina Garten and Cook's Illustrated, I've yet to not have success with a King Arthur Flour recipe.  The scones were tender and crumbly.  The ginger was the dominant flavor, so I plan to cut back to 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup.  I'm so glad I didn't add a full cup of ginger, or these would be renamed "Gingerbread Scones".  The cinnamon chips were very subtle, so I will increase from 1/2 cup to 1 cup.  The pumpkin flavor is very subtle, but I attribute that to the power of ginger.  Next time, I will definitely add the allspice. I just love the crunch of the coarse sugar, but I might try the cinnamon-sugar topping instead.  Overall, these are delicious scones. They would be perfect for a Thanksgiving morning brunch.

You can warm these up in the microwave, for a short burst of time. Or, in a toaster oven. I am thinking that these could be made the night before and refrigerated. The next morning, I'd add the milk and coarse sugar (or cinnamon-sugar topping) and bake them as directed. I would be tempted to par-bake these and freeze them.  Then, you could try baking them until golden brown, at a later time.

The printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.  Since I've baked these, the sun has disappeared and we're back to grey skies. Maybe it's not such a bad idea that we put fresh flannel sheets on our bed.  I do think that the frost on the pumpkin might be coming in the next few weeks!  In the meantime, what do I do with tiny green tomatoes?

Have a blessed weekend!