My Pumpkin Pie
Submitted by hgb39
Pumpkin pie with pan-browned pumpkin for deeper caramelized flavor and a sugar-flour barrier under the custard that keeps the crust crisp. Holiday classic, reimagined.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
60 minMost pumpkin pies skip the most important step. This one doesn’t. Cooking the pumpkin down in a buttered cast iron pan until it slightly browns and reduces from two cups to one and a half drives off water and concentrates the squash’s natural sugars into something deeper and almost caramel-like.
The second smart move sits between the dough and the filling: a thin scatter of sugar, flour, and spice pressed across the bottom crust. That dry layer absorbs leaking moisture and stops the dreaded soggy bottom that plagues every custard pie.
A hot start at 450°F (230°C) for the first 15 minutes sets the bottom crust fast, then dropping to 325°F (165°C) finishes the custard slowly without cracking the top. The pie is done when the center jiggles like loose gelatin but no longer ripples liquid. It firms up as it cools.
Pro Tips
- Brown the pumpkin in a cast iron pan, stirring often. Watch for slight color change and a tighter, drier texture.
- Scald the milk and add the cream and spices to it before pouring over the pumpkin. Warm dairy blends without lumps.
- Foil-shield the crust edges for the first part of baking to prevent burning.
- Test doneness by gentle shake. Center should wobble, not slosh.
Variations
- Swap brown sugar for half maple syrup for woodsy depth.
- Add ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice to the spice mix for a darker pumpkin pie.
- Brush the warm pie with bourbon for a grown-up holiday version.
Ingredients
Directions
This recipe calls for browned pumpkin which is accomplished by buttering a heavy cast iron frying pan and cooking the 2 cups pumpkin over medium heat, stirring and turning so all parts dry properly.
Keep this up til it is reduced to 1½ cups.
It will be slightly browned.
Place the browned pumpkin in a bowl, sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the flour and brown sugar and stir til thoroughly mixed.
Scald milk.
Add the cream, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
Pour over pumpkin mixture.
Mix and add the eggs.
Beat together til well mixed.
Line pie plates with dough, well built up around edges.
Mix together the 2 tbsp sugar the remaining tbsp of flour and the pinch of spice.
Sprinkle over bottom pie crusts, spreading all over with tips of fingers.
This prevents sogginess.
Fill shell ¾ full.
Place strips of foil around edge and place in a preheated 450 oven.
Bake for 15 minutes and reduce the heat to 325.
Bake 30 minutes longer.
Pie is done when the mixture shakes just in the middle when moved back and forth.
Serve hot or cold.
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