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The Perfect Christmas Pumpkin Pie

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Not to beat up on The Barefoot Contessa, because her Lemon Yogurt Cake recipe is amazing, as is the Lemon Chicken — a pattern seems to be emerging — but the Pumpkin Pie did not turn out.

But what really didn’t work was the banana. The what? Right, I thought a banana was odd, too. But since I’m trying to stop living on red licorice and Diet Coke alone, I thought, okay, a little fresh fruit couldn’t hurt. But, no. A pumpkin-banana- cream-pudding-pie was not what the Pilgrims ordered.

Generally I make a recipe twice so as to correct any mistakes and add the pie to my Can Do list, but who needs Christmas to be confectionery scrapbook of a failed Thanksgiving?

So where do you go in a situation like this? Back to Zen Master Martha, of course, even if her show on the Hallmark channel did just get canceled. Ratings are their issue, for pie making you can’t beat The Martha Stewart Baking Handbook.

The result — the most seriously flawless Christmas Pumpkin Pie that ever lived. Perfect pumpkin color and texture and incredible, unbelievably rich yet sweetly buoyant flavor that got its non-cloying brightness from ginger instead of cloves. And did I mention the perfect crust? Although I don’t use any salt. (Don’t mention this to Martha).

So thanks, Martha, for the perfect Christmas Pumpkin Pie. Minus the perfect life.

Pie Crust Minimalism — No-Salt Classic Pie Crust

Friday, August 12th, 2011

That’s right, no salt. None. Not a grain. And okay, you can get anxious about all those things salt is supposed to do, like enhance the texture and the flavor, and strengthen the gluten protein in the dough but seriously, you’ll never miss it. And don’t you think sometimes the salt can make a pie crust kind of bitter? Just a little? Anyway, try this.

  1. 2 cups flour
  2. 2 sticks butter cut into pieces
  3. 1 cup ice water

Pour the flour into the bowl of an electric mixer

Add the butter

Using the paddle attachment with the mixer on low, slowly add the water until the mix looks like crumble — 30 seconds is all it should take

The dough still has to be rolled out, so don’t overwork it. Less is less.

Comments

unboxed says:
September 9th, 2011 at 5:52 pm

This is perfect for my low-sodium diet!!

Unseasonably Delicious - Classic Pecan Pie

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

pecan-pie-200x150.jpgYou don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to make this incredible pie. It goes just as well with hot dogs and hamburgers as it does with turkey and stuffing.  It might not be all summer-light and chiffony, but put a little extra bourbon in the mix and the temperature will jump right up.

 

The Crust

Low Sodium Snafu Pie Crust for a single crust pie, blind baked

The Filling

  1. 5 large eggs
  2. 1 tbs heavy cream
  3. 1 ¼ cups tightly packed light-brown sugar
  4. 6 tbs unsalted butter, melted
  5. ⅓ cup light corn syrup
  6. ⅓ cup unsulfured molasses
  7. 1 tbs bourbon
  8. 1 tsp vanilla extract
  9. ¼ tsp salt
  10. 1 ⅔ cups pecans, coarsely chopped, plus
  11. ⅓ cup whole pecan halves
  12. baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 350°

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses, bourbon, vanilla and salt

 

Stir in the chopped pecans

 

Pour filling into the cooled pie shell

 

Arrange whole pecans on top of pie

 

Bake (on the half sheet lined with parchment) until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean, about 45 minutes

 

Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely

Summer and Smoke - Really Rich Rum Raisin Pie

raisins-200x150.jpg

Filled with  rum and raisins, creamy custard and whipped cream, this pie should be kept as far from your low-fat New Year’s resolution as possible — which is why it’s a perfect dessert for June. If you’re still determined to stick to your diet, save calories by skipping dinner (or lunch or breakfast) entirely and just have the pie.

The Crust

 The Zen Master’s Pie Crust for a single crust pie, blind baked

The Filling

  1. 3 cups heavy cream, plus
  2. ⅔ cup for serving
  3. ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  4. 4 large whole eggs, plus
  5. 2 large egg yolks
  6. ¼ tsp salt
  7. ¼ cup dark rum
  8. ¼ cup golden raisins
  9. ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar


Preheat the oven to 400°

 

Pour the cream into a medium saucepan

 

Cook until it just begins to boil, then remove from heat

 

Whisk together the sugar, whole eggs, egg yolks and salt

 

Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the hot cream until combined

 

Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan

 

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 10-12 minutes

 

Stir in the rum

 

Remove from heat and set aside

 

Unstick any stuck-together raisins, and line the bottom of the cooled tart pan with them

Slowly pour in the custard

 

Bake 20-25 minutes (rotating the pie half way through) until the middle is set

 

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely

 

Just before serving, combine the remaining ⅔ cup cream and confectioner’s sugar

 

Beat until soft peaks form

 

Serve slices of pie with a dollop of whipped cream

 

The pie can be chilled, covered loosely with plastic wrap for up to 3 days, meaning encourage everyone to have seconds