thanksgiving pumpkin pie

As part of my Thanksgiving lunch I cooked, for the first time, a pumpkin pie.

I tried to replicate the flavour of my grandmother’s pies and I remember her telling me that her best pies always came from canned pumpkin purée. She said she used to make her own pumpkin purée from scratch but after years of doing this she discovered she preferred canned purée.

Since Australia doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, and since Pumpkin Pie is something quintessentially American, you can’t find canned pumpkin purée here. And yet I magically discovered two cans in David Jones’ food hall and was over the moon!

I decided to go with a Williams Sonoma recipe and was very pleased with the results. The pie had a perfect velvety texture and a gorgeous spiciness, the crust enriched with pecans.

As my first attempt at Pumpkin Pie, I was proud as punch.

Candied Pecans

Recipe by Williams Sonoma.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups pecan halves

Method:

1. Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Over a plate, sift together the superfine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. Place the pecans in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Shake the colander to remove the excess water.

4. Toss the pecans in the sugar mixture, coating them evenly.

5. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer, separating any that are touching.

6. Bake the nuts until they are dry and the sugar has crystallized, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Pumpkin Pie w Candied Pecans

Recipe by Williams Sonoma. Serves 8-10.
 
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 cup candied pecans
1 cup fine cookie crumbs
155g unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup heavy cream
2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Method:
To make the crust:
1. Preheat an oven to 325ºF.
2. Place 1 cup of the candied pecans in a food processor and process until finely ground.
3. Pour into a bowl and stir in the cookie crumbs and butter until all the ingredients are evenly moistened.
4. Pour into a 9-inch pie dish and, using your fingers, press the mixture to cover the bottom and sides of the dish evenly. Set aside.
To make the filling:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, cream, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla extract until well combined.
2. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and smooth the top.
3. Bake until a toothpick or thin skewer inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
5. Just before serving, garnish the edge of the pie with some of the remaining candied pecan halves.

I'm going to submit this recipe to my own Festive Food Fair. If you want to know more about this food event, check out how to join.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes pie dessert pumpkinpumpkin pie dessert recipes holiday recipes pumpkin recipes pumpkin pie recipes thanksgiving recipes american recipes american cuisine festive food fair