The pumpkins don’t have to go away after Halloween – they just move from the stoop to the table, as in this brûléed pumpkin pie from pastry chef Lauren Kroesser. Her recipe utilizes classic French techniques for an elegant twist on a Thanksgiving staple and she shares the secrets to the filling and the dough, which is par-baked before the addition of the pumpkin spice-y custard. Grab your gourd and read on.
Brûléed Pumpkin Pie
Details
Yields: 1 pie
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons ice water
- Egg wash
- 15 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 19 ounces pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 15 ounces evaporated milk
Directions
For the pie crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, combine butter, flour and salt and mix until the butter breaks up a bit.
- Slowly stream in ice water until the dough is just combined and pulling away from the bowl (do not over-mix). Chill 30 minutes or until ready to use.
- Once chilled, roll out dough and place it in your pie plate. Chill again for at least 30 minutes.
- Par-bake the crust – line the crust with parchment paper and weight the paper with baking beans. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the center is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven and remove the baking beans.
- Whisk together sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in a bowl.
- Add in the pumpkin puree, then the eggs, egg yolk and evaporated milk.
- Bake at 300°F for 40 mins.
- Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the par-baked pie crust. Brush eggwash on the edges of the crust and return to the oven at 300 degrees. Bake until the custard is set, about 40 minutes.
