(Image from Gourmet.com)
Caramel Pumpkin Pie (A little involved, but amazing)
For pastry
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut
into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
For filling
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 cups heavy cream
1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin (not pie filling; a
scant 2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Equipment:
a 10-inch fluted metal quiche pan (2 inches deep) with a
removable bottom; pie weights or raw rice
Make dough:
Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with
your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most
of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter
lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork
(or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold
together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing)
until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork dough or pastry will be
tough.)
Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and
divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or
twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all of dough together
with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill
dough, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to
375°F.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a
lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round, then fit into quiche pan and
trim excess dough flush with rim of pan. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Bake pie shell:
Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then
line with foil and fill with pie weights. Put quiche pan on a baking sheet and
bake pie shell until side is set and edge is pale golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shell until bottom is golden, about
10 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.
Make filling while shell cools:
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 3- to 3 1/2-quart
heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, washing down
side of pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in cold water and gently
swirling pan (do not stir), until mixture is a deep golden caramel, about 10
minutes.
Reduce heat to moderate and carefully add 1 cup cream
(mixture will bubble vigorously), stirring until caramel is dissolved. Stir in
remaining cup cream and bring just to a simmer.
Whisk together pumpkin purée, spices, and salt in a large
bowl. Whisk in hot cream mixture, then add eggs, whisking until combined well.
Pour filling into cooled crust and bake until puffed 1 1/2 inches from edge and
center is just set, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack, about 2 hours.
(Pie will continue to set as it cools.) Remove side of pan before serving.
(Image from Gourmet.com)
Gingersnap and
Pecan Sweet Potato Pie
For crust
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional
for buttering pie plate
Flour for dusting
1 cup finely crushed gingersnap cookies (5 oz; 20 2-inch
cookies)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (2 oz), toasted
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
For filling
2 lb sweet potatoes (4 medium)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
lightly sweetened whipped cream and toasted pecans
Make crust:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to
350°F. Butter and flour pie plate, knocking out excess flour.
Toss together all crust ingredients in a bowl with a fork
until crumbs are moistened, then press evenly over bottom and up side of pie
plate. Bake crust 6 minutes, then cool on a rack.
Make filling:
Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
Prick each sweet potato once with a fork. Roast in a
foil-lined shallow baking pan until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and
reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Halve potatoes lengthwise and cool.
While potatoes cool, cook sugar in a dry 8-inch heavy
skillet over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to
cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden
caramel. Remove from heat. Carefully pour water down side of skillet (mixture
will bubble and steam vigorously), then return to heat and simmer, stirring,
until hardened caramel is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel, then cut
away any eyes or dark spots. Purée potatoes in a food processor until smooth,
then add eggs, cinnamon, and salt and blend until smooth. Add milk, caramel,
rum, and vanilla, and blend until combined well.
Pour filling into crust. Bake until filling 2 inches from
edge is slightly puffed and center trembles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50
minutes (top may crack; filling will continue to set as it cools). If the crust
begins to brown too much before the filling is done, crimp a ring of foil or
use a pie shield to protect it. Cool pie on rack about 1 hour.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Honey Oat N
Granola Pie (Officially Bill's favorite, and maybe the most delicious pie in the world.)
1 pie crust
½ cup Butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 pouches Nature Valley® Oats 'n Honey crunchy granola
bars, crushed
¼ cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
Heat oven to 350°F. In large microwavable bowl, microwave
butter on High 50 to 60 seconds or until melted. Stir in brown sugar and corn
syrup until blended. Beat in salt, vanilla and eggs. Stir crushed granola bars,
oats and baking chips into brown sugar mixture. Pour into crust-lined pan.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until filling is set and crust
is golden brown. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
Apple Pie
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water (minus 1 tbsp)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1 tbsp vanilla
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the
butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, cinnamon,
nutmeg, vanilla, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce
temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples,
mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and
butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the
temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45
minutes, until apples are soft.
