As Thanksgiving approaches, the heady fragrances of the pies, turkey and sage dressing swirl in one's memory of Thanksgivings past. A day of hard core cooking including the baking of pies will be rewarded by the words, "This is the best pumpkin pie I've ever tasted." You must have done something special. For starters, don’t use dark brown sugar as the resultant pie will look darker than you want, but the addition of a tablespoon of molasses will give it the most appetizing hue. Also, a small amount of a delectable Italian flavoring, fiori di sicilia, adds a citrusy counterpoint. If you have a convection oven, use it. And to prevent a soggy crust, prebake the pie shell.
Pie crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 t salt
1 T sugar
8 T unsweetened butter cut into small cubes
3 T vegetable shortening
4 T ice water
Pulse flour, salt and sugar in food processor to mix. Add butter and shortening. Mix briefly. You should still see small bits of butter in mixture. Sprinkle 3 T ice water around metal disk. Pulse briefly. Check to see if mixture holds together between fingers. Add a little more water if needed. Pulse but don't let ball form. Empty mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap. Press out with heel of hand and form into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate an hour. Roll out to a 12- inch round and fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp edges. Place a piece of aluminum foil in pan and weigh down with pie weights. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Take off foil and put back in oven for about 5 minutes until bottom of crust is dry but edges are not browned. Cool.
Filling
¾ cup white granulated sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
¼ t freshly ground nutmeg
¼ t ground cloves
1/8 t ground mace
1/2 t salt
3 large eggs
15 oz. pureed pumpkin
1 T molasses
½ t vanilla
1/8 t fiori di sicilia* (optional)
8 oz heavy cream
Mix sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, mace and salt in a small bowl. Beat eggs with a fork in another bowl. Place pumpkin in the mixing bowl of stand mixer. Add spice mixture. Mix briefly. Add eggs, pumpkin, molasses, vanilla and fiori di sicilia. Mix on low speed and gradually add cream.
Pour into prebaked crust and bake in lower third of oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then at 350 for about 45 minutes or until center of pie just barely jiggles. To prevent edge from becoming too dark, cover with a strip of aluminum foil or a silicone edge ring. Cool on a rack. Serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream and bask in the compliments you will get.
*(optional) Fiori di sicilia is an Italian flavoring that adds a lovely citrusy taste and aroma. It can be ordered online from King Arthur Flour and other cake specialty shops.
Photographer Bill Brady http://bit.ly/9wFYxm
