Pumpkin-Pecan Pie

Can’t choose between pumpkin pie and pecan pie at Thanksgiving? This one gives you both. A warmly spiced pumpkin custard filling baked until set, then crowned with a broiled brown sugar and pecan crumble that bubbles and caramelizes on top.

Five spices go into this filling: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. That’s more complex than most pumpkin pie recipes, and each spice brings something different. The cinnamon is warm and familiar, ginger adds bite, nutmeg brings earthy sweetness, allspice rounds things out, and cloves add a sharp, almost peppery edge.

The two-temperature bake is important. Fifteen minutes at high heat sets the crust and the edges of the custard quickly, then the lower temperature lets the center cook through gently without cracking. Test with a knife halfway between center and edge. The center should still jiggle slightly.

The pecan topping goes on after the pie has cooled. Butter, packed brown sugar, and chopped pecans get blended with a pastry cutter into a crumbly streusel, sprinkled over the top, then broiled for just 1 to 1 ½ minutes until the sugar bubbles. Watch it like a hawk. Broilers turn caramel into carbon in seconds.

Pro Tips

• Bake on the lowest rack for the crispest bottom crust. Soggy-bottom pumpkin pie is a common problem, and rack position fixes it.
• Let the pie cool completely before adding the pecan topping. Warm custard will melt the butter and make the topping soggy.
• Cornstarch in the filling gives a firmer set than flour, which means cleaner slices.
• Refrigerate after the topping cools. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Variations

• Bourbon pecan topping: Add 1 tablespoon bourbon to the crumble for a boozy, caramel depth.
• Maple pumpkin: Replace ¼ cup of the sugar with maple syrup for a more autumnal sweetness.
• Gingersnap crust: Swap the pastry shell for a crushed gingersnap cookie crust to double down on the ginger flavor.