BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS PUMPKIN PIE

I never tire of trying new pumpkin pie recipes.  This one is from Better Homes and Gardens November 2010 issue.  BHG included a recipe for Hazelnut Mousse to be used as the pie topping, which I didn’t make this time.  The pie, itself, is spiced and sweetened nicely.  The recipe recommends prebaking the crust, but I opted not to do that, since  I’ve had good luck in the past without prebaking.  But I was using my new Emile Henry pie dish for this pie.    The bottom crust was a little underbaked, so I think I’ll stick to Pyrex for pumpkin pies.  I’m going to include recipe instructions for prebaking the crust and you can decide if you want to skip that step.

I subbed 1/2 cup baked sweet potato for some of the pumpkin to give the pie more flavor, reduced the brown sugar by about 2 Tbsp. and subbed half and half for the milk.  The recipe didn’t specify what kind of brown sugar, so I used dark brown.  I tasted the molasses overtones in the finished pie and wished I had used light brown sugar, so I’m specifying that in the recipe below.  The pie’s texture and flavor were really good, but my #1 pumpkin pie recipe is still the Traditional Pumpkin Pie I made for Thanksgiving 2009. 
My rating for the pie is based on the assumption that the pie crust is cooked all the way through and is not underdone on the bottom, something that I think detracts from a pumpkin pie.  If I had followed the directions (or used my Pyrex pie plate), it would have been cooked properly.

Better Homes and Gardens Pumpkin Pie, Adapted Rating:  9 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: Your favorite pie pastry for a 9” pie 3/4 cup pumpkin, cooked or canned 1/2 cup baked or canned sweet potato 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1-1/4 tsp. powdered ginger 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 tsp. sea salt 2 large eggs 2/3 cup + 1/4 cup half and half 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract Garnish:  Sweetened whipped cream, toasted walnuts or pecans, caramel sauce Preheat oven to 350F.  Roll out pastry, flouring work surface and rolling pin as needed, to a circle about 12” in diameter.  Transfer to a 9” pie tin or plate without stretching.  Trim pastry to 1/2” beyond edge of pie plate.  Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired.  Prick bottom and sides of pastry with a fork. Place in freezer 10 minutes.  Line pastry with foil pie pan, fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake 30 minutes.  Carefully remove foil pie pan.  Bake 5 minutes more.  Cool on wire rack.  (If using rolled refrigerated crust, bake according to package directions.) In a saucepan, combine pumpkin, sweet potato, sugar, spices and salt.  Cook and stir over medium heat 4-5 minutes to integrate flavors.    Transfer to work bowl of a food processor and pulse till smooth.  Add eggs, half and half, cream and vanilla.  Pulse again till smooth.  Pour into crust.  (Pictured below is an 8” Emile Henry pie plate, which holds the same volume as a standard 9” pie plate.)    Bake for 50 minutes or till center is set.  Cool on wire rack 1  hour.  Refrigerate.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream.  Garnish with toasted walnuts or pecans and drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired.