Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Whipped Cream and Candied Pecans

Sense of Home Kitchen

The classic pumpkin pie recipe made creamier, the whipped cream spicier, and a sweet crunchy garnish added. That, and these pancakes, was the the way I used a pumpkin a couple of weeks ago.  To be honest I kind of missed the full flavored pumpkin in that classic recipe, this one is toned down a little.  And yet, chilled, this is very tasty. The whipped cream with cinnamon and candied pecans is the perfect bold topping for this mild mannered pumpkin pie.

The color of pumpkin puree depends largely on the pumpkin you are using and how much liquid is cooked out of the puree.  I don't have space to grow my own pumpkins, so every year I hope to find a Sugar Pie Pumpkin, one of the best cooking pumpkins.  Usually though, the only pumpkins I can find around here are the large kind people use for decoration only.  Most people plan to purchase their pumpkin puree in a can and not bother with the whole pumpkin. I like cutting into a whole pumpkin so that I can roast the seeds and cook the orange flesh down to the consistency I prefer.  This means that the color of my pumpkin pie, bread, brioche, or any other pumpkin baked good is not as orange as it would be if I purchased pumpkin in a can, that is fine, I like knowing my pumpkin was grown nearby.

I really wanted to pressure can some pumpkin this year.  My freezers are so full of various fruits and vegetables I put up this summer, as well as, the chickens we butchered and the beef from our family, that I didn't want to add pumpkin to them too.  However, I simply ran out of time this autumn, maybe next year I will can pumpkin.  When canning pumpkin, or any other squash, the flesh needs to be cut into chunks, water added and pressure canned. Puree is not save to can at home, too much pressure builds up in the jars.  When using a jar of pumpkin chunks, they would need to be pureed and cooked down before using, not as quick, but then home-cooking is not always about being fast, sometimes it is nice to slow down a little.  I am still learning to slow down, it is both a mental and physical change which takes time itself.

Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Whipped Cream and Candied Pecans
~from the Sense of Home Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appétit, November 2003~

Pie
1 9-inch pie crust

2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out dough to form a circle for a 9-inch pie pan.  Place in pan and flute edges.  Pierce crust with a fork in several places, pour in pie weights, and bake crust for approximately 15 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cool on rack.  Turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk pumpkin, condensed milk, sour cream 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, and nutmeg in a large bowl until blended.  Whisk in eggs.  Pour into crust, careful not to top the fluted edges.

Bake pie until filling is puffed around the sides and set in the center, about 55 minutes.  Cool on a rack.  Chill in the refrigerator.

Candied Pecans
1/2 cup whole pecans or pecan pieces
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Place the pecan pieces, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in a non-stick pan.  Turn the heat to medium-high and stir while the heat dissolves the sugar and thickens the sauce.  Let the sauce bubble while stirring for a minute or two and turn off the heat.  Candied pecans will harden as they cool.

Spiced Whipped Cream
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Beat whipping cream, sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until peaks form.  Spoon over slices off the pie, decorate with candied pecans and enjoy.


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