By Audrey Marguet/Staff Writer
The cold is coming back, the leaves are slowly turning red, and autumn is coming. And what better way to spend this season than in the kitchen?
The freshmen of GC took a survey to present to you the most loved fall food this year.
And the winner is…
The pumpkin pie!
First known as “tourte of pumpkin”, its creation dates back to 1651, when the famous French chef Francois Pierre la Varenne included it in his famous cookbook Le Vrai Cuisinier François
(The True French Cook). Later, in 1670, the recipe for pumpkin pie began to appear in English cookbooks and sound more familiar. Some spices were added to the original recipe as well as sometimes apples or grapes.
Currently, it has become one of the most popular desserts during the fall season and is really appreciated by most Americans, or at least by most of the GC freshmen.
Here is a recipe that you can use to prepare this dessert at home and treat your family :
Ingredients :
- Homemade Pie Dough
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
- one 15oz can (about 2 cups; 450g) pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
Instructions :
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Roll out the chilled pie crust: Remove 1 disc of pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Make sure to turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch deep pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it’s tightly pressed into the pie dish. Fold any dough overhang back into the dish to form a thick rim around the edges. Crimp the edges with a fork or flute the edges with your fingers. Brush edges lightly with egg wash mixture.
- Par-bake the crust: Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Crunching up the parchment paper is helpful so that you can easily shape it into the crust. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) Make sure the weights/beans are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork to create steam vents and return crust (without weights) to the oven for 7-8 more minutes or until the bottom is just starting to brown.
- Make the pumpkin pie filling: Whisk the pumpkin, 3 eggs, and brown sugar together until combined. Add the cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, heavy cream, and milk. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined.
- Pour pumpkin pie filling into the warm crust. Only fill the crust about 3/4 of the way up. (If using a deep dish pie dish as instructed, you should only have a little filling leftover. Use extra to make mini pies with leftover pie dough scraps if you’d like.) Bake the pie until the center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes give or take. A small part of the center will be wobbly – that’s ok. After 25 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Check for doneness at minute 50, and then 55, and then 60, etc.
- Once done, transfer the pie to a wire rack and let it cool completely for at least 3 hours before garnishing and serving.
- Decorate with pie crust leaves . Serve pie with whipped cream if desired.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This is a pumpkin pie that I made with the recipe in this story. It was delicious and really easy to make.
(Recipe found on https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/the-great-pumpkin-pie-recipe/ )