Sunday, October 12, 2008

Pumpkin


If I was a poet, I would write an ode to pumpkin pie. Mr. thinks it's simply a vehicle for whipped cream. I think Prima and Seconda probably feel the same way. And I agree that it's just not as tasty without whip as with. But pumpkin pie, for me, is a microcosm of how warm and comforting and spicy and cozy and wonderful Fall is. (Besides, according to the Libby's can, pumpkin is an excellent source of Vitamin A and fiber and low in fat and calories! What more could you want?!)

I used this recipe (which can also be found on the back of the Libby's can). The large can (which seems to be the only size I can find) is actually enough for two pies--I'm freezing the other half for another use--soon. My mother (the pie queen) tweaks the spice portions a little, and naturally, I take her cue: using half again as much cinnamon and cloves and twice as much ginger.


Spicier is better, plain and simple.

I used some dough I made a couple of weeks ago (100% lard) and froze. Thawed it in the fridge overnight and then left it on the counter while I made the filling. It was just as easy to work with (and tasted just as good) as when it was made fresh. Good to know.


I decided to get fancy and put a leaf border around the pie.



I like the way it looked, but I can do better.

Oh, it was delicious. I can always rely on this pumpkin pie. No questions. No dashed expectations. As mr. said, "Perfect".

Note to self: next time try whirring the pumpkin up a little bit in the food processor before mixing the other ingredients in. Sometimes it feels a little gritty and I wonder if it can be smoothed out.

In pie tool news: I ordered these this week



However, when I watched this week's episode of Pushing Daisies I noticed these (which have probably been in the show all along, but my mind is a different place these days):


I want. I think it's this. I also think it was an exclusive of Williams Sonoma and is no longer available. Not even on ebay. If anyone can lead me in the direction of finding one of these, I will love you forever x 1000.

I also just found out about something called leaf lard. Seems like it might be worth thinking about when I run out of the lard I currently have. Lard to butter ratio experiments will resume next week.

Next up: Probably some version of a pear or pear/apple pie with a gruyere crust (made known to me, naturally, by Pushing Daisies). I will be needing some severe baking therapy after this week, so a pie-day will be just what the doctor ordered come next Sunday. Please, for now and always, if I mention I'm going to try a pie that you happen to have a tried-and-true recipe for, let me know via comments.

P.S. Thanks for the reminders, but again, I forgot to clean my oven. I'm setting it to go right now.


2 comments:

Miriam Latour said...

Hooray!
Pumpkin is one of my favorites! I've been using the Libby recipe for years at Thanksgiving, but I use brown sugar in the place of half of the white sugar and I add about a Tbsp of molasses per pie and a tsp of vanilla. I replace the cloves with allspice and add a bit of nutmeg. The flavor is somehow deeper and yet more mild. I also have two red pie plates just like those green ones in Pushing Daisies. Believe it or not I bought them at Target. They had green plates too... but that was last year.

April Fossen said...

Oooh, I may have to try your way next time. Lucky I have pumpkin in my freezer...