Yesterday I posted a recipe for a Classic Pumpkin Pie. There are options.
“What are you doing?” My wife had come into my office and was looking over my shoulder. There was an Excel spreadsheet on my computer screen.
“Comparing recipes,” I said.
“No,” she whispered. “You are not doing that. Again.”
I turned to her. “Look, what else can you do?” I had nine recipes for Maple Pumpkin Pie. And there were a lot of differences among the ingredients. So, I made an Excel spreadsheet. The first column had all the ingredients in any of the recipes. No, no recipe had all of these. And then the next nine columns had the ingredients for each of the recipes.
Ah, you don’t believe me? Here’s a like to the spreadsheet in PDF format.
Now, I’ve had this bug up my *** for several years. I want a Maple Pumpkin Pie. But recipes vary all over the place. And, most importantly, so does the amount of maple syrup. A third of a cup, a half, three quarters. One recipe, from Epicurious in 1996, calls for a full cup of syrup, plus two-thirds cup of milk and, and, a full cup of heavy cream. I am tempted to make it, just to see if it can ever set.
However, in the end, after due consideration, I like this recipe from Kim Laidlaw’s Home Baked Comfort. We’ll be making it for this Thanksgiving. It calls for “just” two-thirds cups of maple syrup, a teaspoon of cinnamon and just little bits of ginger and nutmeg. NO “pumpkin pie spice” which is just a mix of multiple spices. I trust Kim’s choice and balance.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. And the PDF. If one of these other ideas intrigues you, you can Google to find it or contact me. I think your best bet is Kim Laidlaw, a veteran and skilled author and recipe developer.
Maple Pumpkin Pie
Yield: one pie, enough for 6 people
Ingredients:
Dough for one 9-inch single crust [your favorite, great one in Home Baked Comfort!]
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (about 1 ½ cups)
- ⅔ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Whipped cream for serving [perhaps doctored with rum or bandy!]
Preparation:
Prepare the flaky pie dough and chill as directed. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 13 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick. Line a deep 9-inch pie pan with the dough. Trim the edges so they extend about ½ inch beyond the pan (don’t worry if the dough isn’t completely even). Tuck the dough under itself to create a rim. Use your fingers or a fork to make a decorative rim. Chill in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Line the pie shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust starts to look dry, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is just barely golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, and maple syrup. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and eggs. Whisk into the pumpkin mixture. Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt over the pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine.
Place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Pour the filling into the shell. Bake until the filling is just set and still jiggles very slightly in the center when gently moved, 60-70 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.
Serve wedges of the pie with big spoonfuls of whipped cream.
Source: Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw [Weldon Owen, 2014]
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/3.5 for 1/30th second at ISO‑400