Beautiful browns, reds and yellows dotted the sidewalk on a crisp Fall day making me think of the holidays and, of course, pumpkin Pie. Unfortunately for those who love Thanksgiving, it’s being overlooked! This country dives straight into the Christmas frenzy right after Halloween. I love Thanksgiving because it’s not complicated with gifts, traffic or beliefs… it’s about giving thanks! (If we have resources enough to create and view this blog there’s a lot to be thankful for!)
#takebackthanksgiving #pumpkinpie
The fall leaves on the sidewalk was all I needed for inspiration to decorate.
We were meeting family in Aspen and I wanted to do something special for Thanksgiving. Thinking of warm colors,William Sonoma catalogs and family I remembered my Dad's recipe from his bakery.
I grew up watching my dad run his own bakery. I was always fascinated at how physical and proficient he worked in such a small space. I loved most everything my dad made and his pumpkin pies always had a bright and wonderful flavor to them. Looking through his recipe book for pumpkin pie I had to try to change the amounts because all his recipes made ten pies and I was making one! With the help of a few cookbooks and the web I got close to making the pumpkin pie my dad made as a little girl. One trick I found on the web from Chef John is using unsweetened condensed milk. As he says it does help to prevent cracks if you use the whole 14 oz. can. I tried using half a can because I felt like it was too rich. I did get one crack—a real looking pie. But I found most recipes did not add brown sugar or honey which my dad did—I think that makes the difference.
Pumpkin Pie Recipe (for a 9 to 9 1/2 inch Pie)
Oven is at 425 degrees for 45 minutes
1 [15 oz.} can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 [14 oz.} can of unsweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. of allspice or Chinese 5 spice powder
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 Tablespoon of honey
Use your favorite crust recipe!!! Make two crusts one for the bottom of pie and another to make the leaves. I use the leaf molds from William Sonoma. I use a egg wash which consists of a little cream and a egg stirred. Then sprinkle sugar crystals on top. You will need to watch the leaves bake---they will not need to bake as long as the pie. Approximately 10 to 15 minutes till golden brown.
