Family gatherings can be stressful. That’s why one of the things that I’m thankful to have in my life is Bernal Yoga. Every year, BY offers a pre-feast class on Thanksgiving day, which I gratefully take to muster up some calm before a lively, familial evening.
Last year’s class was gloriously unconventional for a couple of reasons. The first was that Ann Lam, studio assistant manager, editor of Untapped San Francisco, and accomplished violinist serenaded the practice with ecstatic music throughout class.
The second occurred when Megan Windeler, favorite teacher and über yoga babe, asked each yogi to state their name and favorite Thanksgiving food.
As we went around the room, dishes were shouted out – mashed potatoes and apple pie being the most popular. (Unsurprisingly, no one mentioned turkey.) When my turn came, I told my fellow yogis that my name was Alanna and I couldn’t BELIEVE no one had chosen pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie, in my opinion, was the whole point of Thanksgiving. The rest of the meal – the spuds, breads, sauces, meat and veg – were merely a prelude, an excuse, a quagmire to wade through before gratefully throwing one’s body upon the shores of pumpkin pie.
I expected my fellow students, and Megan, to slap their foreheads and say, ‘Of course! Pumpkin pie! THAT’S my favorite Thanksgiving food!’ But instead, everyone just shrugged apologetically as if to say, ‘You’re nuts. Namaste.’ (Jay’s turn was next, and he loyally chose pumpkin pie AND mashed potatoes.)
Perhaps the reason pumpkin pie isn’t better-loved has more to do with the execution than the concept. (At least, I can hope.) What could be unlikeable about creamy pumpkin and sweet spices bound up in a custard and baked in a buttery pie shell?
According to Cook’s Illustrated, plenty can go wrong when making this American classic (but then, they say that about everything).Cook’s points out that most pumpkin pie gets over-baked, causing the solid proteins in the eggs to clump together, separating from the liquid, and resulting in a grainy texture. Anyone who has ever over-cooked a custard knows this phenomenon. Care must also be taken to avoid sogging up the crust from the moisture of the custard, and the spices should be a subtle backdrop rather than an overpowering mask for bland squash.
The wonderfully anal cooks at Cook’s developed a superb recipe (and if you don’t have a subscription to their site, you should – it is well worth the small annual fee). They add sweet potato to their pie (a trick which I happen to know Nancy Silverton came up with many years ago in Pastries from the La Brea Bakery) to give the filling more density and flavor. They also use maple syrup as a sweetener, and fresh ginger and judicious amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg for spice. They par-bake their crust, to which they add vodka for tenderness, and cook the pie just until the center reaches 170º, the temperature at which the eggs are cooked, but not curdled.
Cook’s recipe is fabulous, but it calls for a can each of pumpkin puree and candied sweet potatoes, and since I like to make things as labor-intensive for myself as possible, I roasted and pureed my own vegetables. Also, since the usual pumpkin pie recipe calls for only one can of pumpkin puree, or 2 cups, Cook’s recipe yielded enough filling for 1 1/2 pies. I know this because last year I made a double batch, and ended up with enough for three pies. (Not that we minded.) So I cut the recipe back by 1/4 and ended up with just the right amount of filling for a tall, full pie.
I made a few other tweaks, too, like increasing the maple syrup and decreasing the sugar, and using half and half in place of milk and cream. I considered trying their vodka-ed pie dough, but was relieved to read Deb’s post on pate brisee in which she admitted to preferring a standard, all-butter dough, which is almost identical to Martha Stewart’s, which is the recipe on which I base mine. She’s posted step-by-step photos of how to make an all-butter crust by hand, which happens to coincide with my own method. (She rocks.)
I will spare you the saga of the dozens of pumpkin pie recipes I’ve tried throughout the years – from Cafe Gratitude’s raw pumpkin pie to a bizarre pumpkin crostata I had in Italy, and even a variation of this recipe 2 years ago in which I used too much sweet potato and overbaked the pie– and cut to the chase about what makes this recipe the best I’ve found yet. First, the crust is par-baked – an annoying but necessary step to keeping it crisp. Then the squash puree (I used a combination of butternut and kabocha) and sweet potato are combined with the spices and sweeteners and cooked on the stove to evaporate excess liquid and dry out the mixture. This also seems to meld the spices together nicely. The dairy and eggs are whisked in, and the mixture is passed through a mesh sieve for the silkiest texture possible. Then the pie is baked until almost set, and allowed to cool at room temperature, where the residual heat solidifies the filling. (I’m always too chicken to cut into it before chilling it, so I recommend putting it in the fridge for a few hours after it has cooled completely to further firm it up.)
Despite the multitudes of recipes out there, I’ve finally found my ideal pumpkin pie.
Now I just need to bring five of them to yoga next Thursday to test out my theory.
More Pumpkin Recipes:
More Pie Recipes:
- Pecan-Topped Sweet Potato
- Pink Pearl Apple Custard Tart
- Gluten-Free Cherry Pie with Bourbon & Spice
- Roasted Winter Squash and Sage Tart
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this pumpkin pie recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Silky Smooth Pumpkin Pie
Print Recipe / Pin RecipeIngredients
All-butter crust:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole spelt (or whole wheat pastry) flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces cold, unsalted butter, in 1/2" dice (8 tablespoons/1 stick)
- about 4 tablespoons ice water
Creamy Pumpkin Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups roasted squash puree (see note)
- 3/4 cup roasted sweet potato puree (see note)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon packed finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For serving:
- whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup (and a splash of whiskey)
- freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
Make the crust:
- In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour, and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand with lots of pea-sized butter chunks. Drizzle the ice water over, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a rubber spatula, until the dough will hold together when you give it a squeeze. Dump the dough out onto a counter, divide it roughly into 6 portions, and fraisage by dragging a portion of dough across the counter using the heel of your hand. Scrape up the dough, gently press it into a ball and flatten into a disc. Slip it into a plastic bag, and chill for at least an hour or up to 2 days.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12" circle, dusting the dough lightly with flour as needed, rotating and flipping it to prevent it from sticking. Ease the dough into a 9" pie plate, fit it into the corners, and trim it to a 1" overhang. Fold the overhang under, and flute the crust by pressing it between the thumb of one hand and the index finger and thumb of the other hand.
- Chill the crust for 20 minutes, then freeze it for 20 minutes.
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400º. Remove all other racks from the oven.
- Place the frozen crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line it with a piece of parchment paper, and top with pie weights, dry beans, or clean pennies. (I keep my weights in a cheesecloth bag for easy handling; see photo in post, above.)
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment and bake until the bottom is lightly golden, 15 - 18 minutes longer.
While the crust bakes, make the filling:
- Combine the squash and sweet potato purees, maple syrup, sugar, spices and salt in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over a medium flame and bring to a sputtering simmer, stirring frequently with a heat-proof silicone spatula, 5-7 minutes. Continue to cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, 10-15 minutes longer.
- Whisk together the eggs, dairy and vanilla in a large measuring cup, then slowly whisk the dairy mixture into the hot squash mixture until combined. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve and into a large bowl or measuring cup, and use a spatula or ladle to work the mixture through. (I have two strainers: one is super-fine, and one is medium-fine. The superfine one makes for the smoothest filling, but takes forever; this time, I gave up and used the medium one.) Re-whisk the mixture.
- Place the hot, par-baked crust on its rimmed baking sheet in the lower rack of the oven (still set to 400º), and carefully pour in the hot filling.
- Bake the pie at 400º for 10 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 300º and bake for another 20-35 minutes. The outer edges should be set and slightly puffed, the center should wobble like jello, and an instant read thermometer inserted in the center should register 175º. The pie will seem under-baked, but will continue to cook from residual heat; for this reason, the pie must cool at room temperature and not in the refrigerator.
- Cool the pie at room temperature, 2 - 3 hours, then chill in the fridge for another 1-2 hours. (Cook's says you can cut the pie at room temperature, but I am always too chicken to do so, and chill mine first.) Slice into wedges and serve with whipped cream and a grating of nutmeg.
- This pie is best the day it is made, but will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Silky Smooth Pumpkin Pie
Makes one 9″ pie, 8-10 servings
Adapted generously from Cook’s Illustrated and Smitten Kitchen
To save time, you can certainly use canned pumpkin, and even canned sweet potatoes. Otherwise, to roast your own: Preheat the oven to 400º. Slice a large (2 pounds or more) winter squash in half lengthwise (I prefer butternut or kabocha to pumpkin for their consistently dense, flavorful flesh). Leave the seeds in. Place the squash halves, cut-sides down, on a lightly oiled, rimmed baking sheet. Prick a large (1 pound) garnet or jewel sweet potato several times with the tines of a fork. Place it on the baking sheet with the squash. Roast until the vegetables are collapsed and very tender when squeezed with a pair of tongs, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool until handleable. Scoop out and discard the seeds and strings of the squash, and measure out 1 1/2 cups. Scoop out the sweet potato flesh and measure out 3/4 of a cup. Puree together in a food processor until completely smooth. (Extras are delicious with butter and salt for a snack, or saved for another pumpkin recipe.)
For comprehensive photos, see Deb’s post on making pie dough by hand; I take the extra step of fraisage-ing the dough (dragging portions of dough across the counter with the heel of your hand), which helps to create flaky layers, but you can omit this step and still end up with a tender, flaky dough.
Pouring hot filling into a hot crust helps to keep the crust crisp, so make the filling while the crust is baking (or make the crust up to a day ahead and re-heat it before pouring in the filling). This pie requires cooling at room temperature for 2-3 hours (to fully bake the pie from residual heat), and chilling for another 1-2 hours, so do plan accordingly.
All-butter crust:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole spelt (or whole wheat pastry) flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (8 tablespoons/1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, in 1/2″ dice
about 4 tablespoons ice water
Creamy Pumpkin Filling:
1 1/2 cups roasted squash puree (see headnote)
3/4 cup roasted sweet potato puree (see headnote)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon packed finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For serving:
whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup (and a splash of whiskey)
freshly grated nutmeg
Make the crust:
In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour, and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand with lots of pea-sized butter chunks. Drizzle the ice water over, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a rubber spatula, until the dough will hold together when you give it a squeeze. Dump the dough out onto a counter, divide it roughly into 6 portions, and fraisage by dragging a portion of dough across the counter using the heel of your hand. Scrape up the dough, gently press it into a ball and flatten into a disc. Slip it into a plastic bag, and chill for at least an hour or up to 2 days.
Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12″ circle, dusting the dough lightly with flour as needed, rotating and flipping it to prevent it from sticking. Ease the dough into a 9″ pie plate, fit it into the corners, and trim it to a 1″ overhang. Fold the overhang under, and flute the crust by pressing it between the thumb of one hand and the index finger and thumb of the other hand.
Chill the crust for 20 minutes, then freeze it for 20 minutes.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400º. Remove all other racks from the oven.
Place the frozen crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line it with a piece of parchment paper, and top with pie weights, dry beans, or clean pennies. (I keep my weights in a cheesecloth bag for easy handling; see photo in post, above.)
Bake the crust for 20 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment and bake until the bottom is lightly golden, 15 – 18 minutes longer.
While the crust bakes, make the filling:
Combine the squash and sweet potato purees, maple syrup, sugar, spices and salt in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over a medium flame and bring to a sputtering simmer, stirring frequently with a heat-proof silicone spatula, 5-7 minutes. Continue to cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, 10-15 minutes longer.
Whisk together the eggs, dairy and vanilla in a large measuring cup, then slowly whisk the dairy mixture into the hot squash mixture until combined. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve and into a large bowl or measuring cup, and use a spatula or ladle to work the mixture through. (I have two strainers: one is super-fine, and one is medium-fine. The superfine one makes for the smoothest filling, but takes forever; this time, I gave up and used the medium one.) Re-whisk the mixture.
Place the hot, par-baked crust on its rimmed baking sheet in the lower rack of the oven (still set to 400º), and carefully pour in the hot filling.
Bake the pie at 400º for 10 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 300º and bake for another 20-35 minutes. The outer edges should be set and slightly puffed, the center should wobble like jello, and an instant read thermometer inserted in the center should register 175º. The pie will seem under-baked, but will continue to cook from residual heat; for this reason, the pie must cool at room temperature and not in the refrigerator.
Cool the pie at room temperature, 2 – 3 hours, then chill in the fridge for another 1-2 hours. (Cook’s says you can cut the pie at room temperature, but I am always too chicken to do so, and chill mine first.) Slice into wedges and serve with whipped cream and a grating of nutmeg.
This pie is best the day it is made, but will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Alanna – I am one of those that hate pumpkin pie. But, charged with bringing them for this years festivities, you have thrown down the gauntlet. I knew it was going to be good when you used kabocha, and so off I go to give your recipe a try. Can't wait!
Just plain gorgeous! I love all the squash usage, and I need to check out that Silverton book too. It's genius baking it in the hot crust, which is genius in its wheat-iness. But, what can I say? You are genius! Happy Thanksgiving!
Ah, it's the folks at Cook's who are the geniuses; but as my pastry teacher likes to say, half the battle is discerning which recipes to steal. ; ) Thanks for the kind words.
Principessa, how did you get stuck bringing something you hate to Thanksgiving? Harsh! But I do hope like the outcome, and change your hating ways. Happy baking.
Squash is in the oven and crust is under development…
Thanks for the Bernal Yoga shoutout! :-) And, I love pumpkin pie … and mashed potatoes.
Good God–this is surely the most delicious pie I have ever made. Thank you, Alanna! I made it a little easier for myself omitting the refrigeration of the rolled crust–I just froze it for a half hour before pre-baking. I discovered that my oven runs hot and the crust was ready to fill after the initial pie weights phase of baking. (My crust still turned out a tad brittle in the end.) But the coolest short-cut I used was to use an immersion blender on the filling rather than a sieve. No regrets there. This pie is unbelievably luscious.
Yay! I'm so glad you liked it!
I was wondering whether an immersion blender could take the place of the sieving – thanks for testing that out! I'll make a note up top.
Hey Alanna, I made this yesterday for our Canadian Thanksgiving and it was delicious. We all love pumpkin pie and agree with you that it is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving dinner. I finished making it in the early afternoon – it sat out for several hours and I cut it without refrigerating. It was perfect! I will be making it again :)
Hi Sara, thank you so much for giving this recipe a go and for the great review! It is probably my #1 favorite pie ever – what I wouldn't give for a slice on this chilly fall day… maybe next time I'll be brave enough to cut it without chilling it first. :) Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you, and thanks for reading.
Also made your roasted winter squash and sage pie with goat cheese and white truffle oil the next day. loved it! I make a super-time consuming roasted veg tart of Ottolenghi's. Your pie was way simpler and equally tasty!
Well that's the nicest compliment I've ever gotten on a recipe – thank you!!!
This is so me: "and since I like to make things as labor-intensive for myself as possible, I roasted and pureed my own vegetables." I can spend hours in the kitchen instead of buying a can / freezer bag at the grocery store and I love it!
Even though a Thanksgiving location is still TBD I will make this pie. Who cares? I'll eat the dang thing myself if necessary. As a matter of fact I might need to call in sick to Thanksgiving to make that happen anyway.
I like the way you think! :)
How many eggs would you use to double the filling recipe? Thanks, can't wait to make this pie!
6, I suppose.
I am not a fan of maple syrup, other than on pancakes. Does the syrup flavor come thru in this pie? If so, is there a substitute I can use in lieu of the syrup?
I know this is an old post, I just wanted to say that this was the most delicious pie I have ever tasted, let alone made. I followed your recipe exactly with the exception of sieving the the custard–I used my Vitamix instead. It turned out absolutely silky, luscious, and perfectly spiced, with a crispy, flaky crust.
I did burn the crap out of myself when some of the simmering squash-sweet potato mixture splashed onto my wrist. Totally worth it though; I’ll just wear long sleeves next time.
This pie will be a new holiday tradition for us. Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe despite its exacting its revenge on your wrist – ouch!! Thanks a bunch for the sweet note. :)