Giving Thanks for the Perfect Pumpkin Pie

As a child, we spent Thanksgiving with my entire extended family. Every year, 14 to 16 of us would gather at my great aunt & uncle's house and indulge in an embarrassment of culinary riches. After a mid-evening stretch and in-depth comparison to last year's meal, my aunt would present the annual "Parade of Desserts". The "Parade" would include no fewer than 5 and sometimes up to 7 extraordinary items: pumpkin, pecan and apple crumb pies, chocolate torte, poached pears, cheese cake, bread pudding, sorbets and of course... homemade cookies, for when you just want a nosh.

For the past four years I have spent Thanksgiving with my husband's family. We are a much smaller crowd, 8 people tops, and although we love a good dessert, I have gone from a complete repertoire of Thanksgiving sweets to a sampling of one or two. It was through this dessert- downsizing however that I discovered the ultimate recipe: Pumpkin Pecan Pie.

Introduced to me by my friend Melissa Neild, this Thanksgiving treat combines the best of both desserts, the filling. Pumpkin brings spice and creaminess and the pecan top gives the pie a gooey, textured sweetness. The crust, a recipe from our family friend Shirley Shea, is both flakey and moist. It's so easy to make, you'll never buy the readymade crusts again.

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE

Serves 8-10pp

Ingredients
Pie Crust:
1 1/4 Cup all purpose unbleached flour
1/4 Cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon whole milk

Pumpkin Filling:
12 oz. pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ground ginger, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves)

Pecan Filling:
1 Cup whole pecans
1/4 Cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup barley malt syrup
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 Tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients. Using your hands, combine well until granules form in mixture and it begins to crumble. Roll into a round disc. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove disc and roll the dough between two pieces of wax or parchment paper until the dough is about 13 inches round and 1/4 inch thick. Fit rolled dough into a 9 inch glass pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Fold and crimp overhang to create an even edge. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with a fork. Chill additional 30 minutes. While shell chills, place oven rack in center of oven and pre heat oven to 375 degrees.


2. Cover pie shell with aluminum foil and fill center with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove foil & weights and continue to bake additional 5 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and set pie shell aside to chill.

3. Using an electric mixer, combine all ingredients for pumpkin layer. Mix until smooth. Pour pumpkin mixture into empty pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.

4. In a large mixing bowl using a rubber spatula, combine all ingredients for pecan layer. Remove pie from oven and carefully spoon pecan mixture evenly on top. Bake pie an additional 35 minutes or until center is firm.

6. Serve pie at room temperature with whipped cream.