I Told You There Would Be Pie

So after an entire week of telling people I was going to make a pumpkin pie, I finally did. I found the elusive pumpkin puree at Whole Foods (or as some would call it Whole Paycheck). It is amazing how much better run that store is then my local Food Emporium. Employees asked if I needed help finding items and located my free environmentally friendly shopping bag for me (Thanks Food and Wine Festival). Too bad I don’t shop there more often; I might have a satisfying shopping experience. I am telling you I was so close to roasting a pumpkin for this puree. Lord knows the amount of havoc that would have caused.



Anyway, back to the pie. I have never made my own pie crust before and wanted to try it out. The problem is I do not have a food processor. How did grandmas make pie dough before the food processor? Well they do it with a fork. I found a video on YouTube and it was easy enough. Simply, mash butter into a flour and salt mixture, then add spoonfuls of ice water until it turns into a ball of dough. The end result was successful. Next time though I want to freeze the butter and then grate into little butter pieces. I think this would make the mashing easier and keep the butter cooler for a more flakey crust.


The recipe for the dough and pumpkin pie are from FoodandWine.com



All-Butter Pie Dough

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 cup ice water



DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, pulse the flour with the salt. Add the butter and pulse until the size of peas. Drizzle in the water and pulse until the crumbs are moistened; turn out onto a work surface. Gather into a ball, flatten, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Classic Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS

All-Butter Pie Dough
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Pinch of salt
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream



DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a 13-inch round a scant 1/4 inch thick. Fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate and trim the overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold the dough under itself and crimp decoratively; refrigerate the pie shell for 10 minutes.

2. Line the pie shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the center of the oven until nearly set, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is pale golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves and salt until smooth. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, then the cream. Working near the oven, pour the filling into the crust. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the custard is set. Let the pie cool on a rack.

Everyone at work seemed to enjoy the pie. I must say this is a very classic recipe and with that there was no WOW factor. It was good but not OMG.

On another note, I entered a cooking/baking contest in the 5th grade and decided to make a pumpkin pie. I have always loved pumpkin pie and I guess I thought I could make it. I called my Aunt Pat up and asked her for her recipe. My Aunt Pat has always been the best cook. She gave me detailed instructions and believe it or not, I won 3rd place with that pie. I was so proud. I think that was the start of my love for cooking.