Classic Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Cream and Candied Walnuts
(Makes one 9-inch pie)

Every family has its own version of Pumpkin Pie.  This one adds a heftier amount of spices than some call for, and half and half instead of canned milk. The crust is nicely browned and flaky as a result of using premium “European-style” butter, like Plugra brand, and it produces a wonderful, crisp, flaky crust. Be sure you buy plain canned pumpkin, and not canned pumpkin pie mix for this pie.

All Butter Pie Crust  Makes one 9-inch single crust (double this recipe for a two-crust pie)

Some recipes recommend using mostly butter with the addition of a little shortening in order to get a flaky crust.  I cannot abide using shortening at all.  I find that using one of the European-style butters, which are available in most grocery stores, under the names Plugra or Extra Creamy, gives a wonderful rich flavor and a crisp and flaky crust.  So there’s no need to use shortening.

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup bleached cake flour (not self-rising)
3-1/2 ounces unsalted European-style butter, cut into
3/4-inch cubes and chilled
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (or more) ice water

Place the flours, sugar and salt in the work bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to mix the ingredients. Add the chilled, cubed butter and process off and on for about 20-30 seconds, until the mixture is crumbly and about the size of rice grains. Turn the machine on and slowly pour 1/3 cup of ice water into the feed tube with the machine running. The dough should start to hold together. If not, add a few more teaspoons of ice water and process for a few seconds. Repeat this until the dough start to hold together while still looking a little crumbly. You do not want the dough to form one big ball in the food processor. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it with the palm of your hand three or four times to get the dough to hold together, and then press it into a round disk. Wrap the disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

When you are ready to make the pie, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 4 or 5 minutes. Then roll it out on a lightly floured surface, until it is 11 inches in diameter. Fold it in half and move it to the pie plate, unfolding it and fitting it into the pan. Fold over the edges and crimp or score as desired.  Place the pie plate with the dough into your refrigerator until the filling is prepared.

Classic Pumpkin Pie
(Makes one 9-inch pie)

As traditional as can be, this is the most popular dessert at Thanksgiving. You can add some minced candied ginger or orange peel as a variation if you like, and if you have scraps of dough leftover from the pie crust, you can cut out little leaf or holiday shapes, brush them with milk and sprinkle with sugar, bake them on a baking sheet for about 12 minutes at 400 degrees, and place them on top of the baked pie as a garnish. It will look lovely. 

One recipe All Butter Pie Crust, rolled and fitted into
a 9-inch pie plate, and chilled
2 eggs, graded large
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1-1/2 cups light cream

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the oven racks so they divide the oven into thirds. (You will be using the lower rack.) Place the eggs, sugar, salt, and spices in a large bowl and beat with a whisk until smooth. Add the pumpkin and mix again until smooth. Add the cream, stirring with the whisk until evenly blended. Pour into the chilled pie crust, and place the pie plate on the lower rack in the preheated oven. Bake at this temperature for 15 minutes, then turn the oven heat down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake an additional 50-60 minutes, or until a knife stuck just off-center in the filling comes out clean.  Rotate the pie halfway through the baking time. Remove the pie from the oven and cool it, away from drafts, on a wire rack.

Caramel Whipped Cream

The swirls of caramel that run through this whipped cream create a mouth-watering and pretty visual appeal. You’ll have some caramel sauce leftover, which you can cover and store in the frig for up to a month, or you can use as an extra garnish for the pumpkin pie.

I/2 recipe Caramel Sauce (follows)
1 recipe Whipped Cream (follows)

Drizzle some of the caramel over the whipped cream, folding a few times to create a swirled effect. Do not over mix this. Drizzle some more caramel over the cream, and again gently fold it in so there are lovely swirls through the cream. Serve in dollops on your pie or other dessert. The Caramel Whipped Cream will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for several hours.

Caramel Sauce
(Makes about 1 cup)

My favorite recipe for caramel sauce comes from Barbara Kafka’s Microwave Gourmet cookbook, because it is so easy, and I’ve offered an adaptation of that recipe here.  You can double the recipe if you wish; the caramel sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a month. It’s a good idea to make the caramel early in the day or even a day or more ahead, because it must be cooled to use with the whipped cream. If you don’t have time to make it ahead, you can cool it fairly quickly by placing the glass measure in a bowl filled with ice water, making sure the water doesn’t get into the measure. Stir frequently, and remove the measure from the ice water when the caramel sauce is thick. If you have refrigerated it, you will need to let it come to room temperature before it will be of a pourable consistency.

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Put the sugar and water in a 2-cup liquid measure that is microwave proof (such as a glass Pyrex measure). Cover the measure snugly with plastic wrap and microwave it for about 3-5 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden. The amount of time varies according to the wattage of your microwave oven. WATCH CAREFULLY, and check every 30 seconds after you have reached the 3-minute mark, because the sugar will turn from golden to burnt very quickly.

Remove it from the oven using an oven mitt, and uncover it very carefully to avoid burning yourself with steam. It helps to use a fork to pull the plastic wrap away from the glass measure, so your hand is not too close to the steam.  Drizzle in the cream slowly. The sugar syrup will bubble up when you do this, and may become hard, but don’t worry – it will melt again when you return it to the microwave. Add the butter. Place it in the microwave, uncovered, for 1 minute. Remove and stir to be sure any sugar syrup that hardened is dissolving. Return the measure to the microwave and microwave again for 30 seconds, until it is a rich dark brown. If it is not a rich brown, return the syrup to the microwave and repeat in 20 second intervals until the caramel sauce is a deep, rich, caramel brown. Set it aside to cool.

Whipped Cream

I prefer to make whipped cream with a handheld mixer rather than a stand mixer, because the cream whips quickly, and you will be less likely to over beat it that way.  You can whip the cream a few hours ahead, cover it and place it in the frig. If you like, you can add a tablespoon or so of your favorite liqueur, or a few drops of vanilla extract.

1/2 pint (1 cup) heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

Place the cream and sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with an electric handheld mixer.  Beat it until it is thick and creamy, about the consistency of mayonnaise.

Candied Walnuts

You can easily double or triple this recipe. The nuts are crunchy and sweet, and the tiny pinch of cayenne gives them an unexpected bite, which is reminiscent of those little red hot cinnamon candies. Baking them for a short time makes them crunchy and delicious.

For the first step:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup walnut halves

For the second step:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment.

For the first step, combine the granulated sugar and water in a heavy 1-quart saucepan, bringing it to a gentle boil over medium high heat. When the syrup starts to boil, reduce to heat so the syrup is simmering, and add the walnut halves. Stir frequently, and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes.

While the walnuts simmer, combine the sugar and spices for the second step in a wide, shallow bowl. When the walnuts are done, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the syrup and drop the walnuts into the sugar and spice mixture. Toss the nuts in the spiced sugar until they are completely coated. Lift them from the sugar mixture with a slotted spoon and place them on the parchment-lined baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack until the nuts are cool. Store the Candied Walnuts in an airtight container for up to one month.

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