Classic Pumpkin Pie Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Using a fork, stir in oil and butter until dough is crumbly. Gradually add enough water until dough holds together. Roll out between sheets of plastic wrap into an 11-in. circle. Freeze for 10 minutes. , Remove top sheet of plastic; invert crust into a 9-in. pie plate. Remove remaining plastic. Trim and flute edges. Chill. , Roll dough scraps to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 1-in. leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet; bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat the egg, egg white, sugars, salt and spices until smooth. Beat in pumpkin. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into crust. Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with leaf cutouts. If desired, top with whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
• Gather pastry into a ball. On lightly floured surface, shape dough into flattened round. Wrap pastry in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable.
• Heat oven to 425°F. On lightly floured surface, roll pastry with floured rolling pin into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired.
• In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly with wire whisk. Beat in remaining filling ingredients. Place pastry-lined pie plate on oven rack to prevent spilling the filling. Pour filling into pie plate. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
• Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake about 45 minutes longer, removing foil during last 15 minutes of baking, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 4 hours or until chilled.
• In chilled small bowl, beat topping ingredients with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Serve pie topping with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Make the dough by hand. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.) Add the egg and stir the dough together with a fork or by hand in the bowl. If the dough is dry, sprinkle up to a tablespoon more of cold water over the mixture.
• Alternatively, make the dough in a food processor. With the machine fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter, about 10 times. Add the egg and pulse 1 to 2 times; don't let the dough form into a ball in the machine. (If the dough is very dry add up to a tablespoon more of cold water.) Remove the bowl from the machine, remove the blade, and bring the dough together by hand.
• Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges, leaving about an extra inch hanging over the edge. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath itself to form a thick edge that is even with the rim. Flute the edge as desired. Freeze the pie shell for 30 minutes.
• Set separate racks in the center and lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Put a piece of parchment paper or foil over the pie shell and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet on the center rack until the dough is set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift sides of the parchment paper to remove the beans. Continue baking until the pie shell is lightly golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• While the pie shell is cooling make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, half-and-half, spices, and salt until smooth. Return the pie shell to the baking sheet and pour in the filling.
• Bake on the lower oven rack until the edges of the filling are set but the center is still slightly loose, about 50 to 60 minutes. (If the edges get very dark, cover them with aluminum foil.) Cool on a rack. Serve room temperature or slightly warm.

Steps:

• Crust: Into a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add the sliced butter; pulse until the mixture forms pea-sized clumps. Add the ice water and pulse 10 times. The dough should be loose but hold together when squeezed. If dough is too crumbly, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing several times after each addition, until it reaches the proper consistency.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Turn the dough out and use your hands to quickly bring it together; then use a bench scraper to divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, then wrap each one tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. (Note: You'll be using only one disk for this recipe. The other disk can be stored in the freezer, wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 month. Defrost before using.)
• Remove dough disk from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. Unwrap the disk, and place on a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour. Use a rolling pin to shape the dough into a flat circle: roll, rotate the disk a quarter-turn clockwise, and roll again. Repeat until the dough is of an even thickness and 12 inches in diameter. (Dust the dough and work surface with flour as needed to prevent sticking.)
• To transfer dough to the pie dish, wrap the dough around the rolling pin, then unroll it directly onto the pie dish. Gently press the dough into the dish, focusing on the walls of the dish and making sure you leave no gaps. Use kitchen scissors to trim the edges, leaving a ½-inch overhang all the way around. Fold the excess dough under so the crust is flush with the rim of the pie dish. Then use your index fingers and thumbs to crimp a decorative edge all the way around. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F.
• Blind bake, part 1: Use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust a few times to allow steam to escape as it bakes. Line the crust with parchment paper; then add pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans to cover the bottom and weigh down the parchment. Bake, 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling.
• Filling: In a bowl, add the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; whisk to combine. Add the milk, cream, and pumpkin purée. Crack eggs into a separate bowl (to catch stray shell pieces); add them to the pie mixture and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Blind bake, part 2: After 20-25 minutes, the crust should be sturdy and light brown. Remove rice and parchment paper, then place crust back in the oven to bake until firm and golden brown, an additional 5-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool, 20 minutes.
• Assembly: Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust and bake until the center is set, a total of 50-60 minutes. Check on the pie after 30-40 minutes: if the edges of the crust are browning too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil. When the center of the pie is set, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream (optional).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If using fresh pumpkin, roast pumpkin, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet until soft, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely. Roasted pumpkin can be refrigerated in an airtight container overnight.
• Reserve 1/4 of the dough for making leaf decorations. Turn out the remaining dough onto a lightly floured work surface; divide in half. Roll out each half into a 14-inch round. Fit rounds into two 10-inch pie plates; crimp edges as desired. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Roll out reserved dough to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a leaf-shape cookie cutter or a paring knife, cut leaves from dough. Freeze until cold, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Whisk 1 egg and heavy cream in a small bowl; set aside. Brush edges of pie shells with a wet pastry brush; arrange leaves around edges, pressing to adhere. Brush leaves with egg wash. Cut 2 large circles of parchment; fit into pie shells, extending above edges. Fill with pie weights. Freeze until cold, about 10 minutes.
• Bake pie shells 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; bake 5 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• If using fresh pumpkin, discard seeds. Scoop out flesh using a large spoon; transfer to a food processor. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer pumpkin to a large bowl. Add brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, remaining 6 eggs, and evaporated milk; whisk until combined.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Place pies on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide pumpkin mixture evenly between shells. Bake until all but centers are set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let pies cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Make pastry dough as directed. Roll out dough into a 14-inch round on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 9-inch glass pie plate (4-cup capacity). Crimp edge decoratively and prick bottom all over. Chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°°F.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven 20 minutes. Remove weights and foil and bake shell until pale golden, 6 to 10 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack. Whisk together pumpkin, cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, spices, and salt, then pour into shell.
• Bake pie in middle of oven 45 to 50 minutes, or until filling is set but center still trembles slightly. (Filling will continue to set as pie cools.) Transfer to rack and cool completely.